Preacher, which recently debuted it's second episode on AMC--a channel made famous for its last TV adaptation from the comic book world through Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead--is just the right kind of subversive. The main character, Jesse Custer, played by British actor, Dominic Cooper, who was also in films like Dracula Untold, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Captain America: The First Avenger (later reprising his role as Howard Stark for TV in Agent Carter), is a preacher in small-town-Texas with a dark past...and, a little something extra thanks to a powerful gift from the heavens. Garth Ennis wrote the original comic book series for Vertigo comics, co-created with artist Steve Dillon, which (sadly) printed its last issue in 2000. Ennis had sold the rights to turn Preacher into a film in 1988...but, as fate would have it, the "religiously controversial" themes proved a stubborn obstacle to even visionaries like HBO as recently as 2006--which is so odd, given the popularity of HBO's True Blood. HBO is now regretful of their decision, attempting to reclaim their True Blood audience through a new series, Outcast, adapted by Walking Dead's Kirkman.
Irony, it's the one thing humanity can never lose....
Thanks to funny-man, Seth Rogen, and his childhood-friend-turned-writer (and director!), Evan Goldberg, Preacher has been revived. And, like one of the Great Awakening's of the 19th century, people are flocking to the cause. Ennis has rich characters that tip-toe along the absurd in wonderful ways that both tickle and delight, like that creepy uncle you saw twice a year at family gatherings--it was always uncomfortable, but it felt good at the same time.
I've watched all the "extra" material and, of course, have read every issue of Preacher in its original form. With Rogen and Goldberg at the wheel, and the early success of the highly anticipated series, Bob Weinstein must be feeling a little foolish today...kind of like the man who walked away from a beautiful woman willing to have adventurous sex every day of the week and any time of day, cooked gourmet meals with fresh, organic ingredients, kept a clean home, wore clothing that showed off her ass and D-cup tits, had a Brazilianed pussy, was unusually enthusiastic about not only getting on her knees and swallowing his full load, but also, paid for most of their life, AND, wanted to have his baby. Yup, THAT kind of foolish.
Even Rogen and Goldberg have had their share of scares with Preacher...it's taken nearly three years to hit small screens across America from the moment it was first announced in 2013. Essentially, Ennis has suffered nearly 28 years of frustration as his creation, which he already knew had an audience, waited in Hollywood purgatory before finding its Jewish saviors. Hey, Jesus started that trend, y'all--don't be shooting the messenger now. Or, I'll have to sick Tulip on you....
Part of what makes Preacher's television adaptation 100% #PopCultureProfessor™ APPROVED are the oh-so-fun, three-dimensional characters Ennis created, first breathed into life by artist Steve Dillon's talented hands; Glenn Fabry was responsible for Preacher's cover art. It was a wild ride, that comic book. AMC's version promises nothing less. When your first introduction to the main female character, played perfectly by Ruth Negga, is her overpowering two men in a speeding car with a dead driver before taking down a helicopter with a home-made bazooka filled with toys, you know it's gonna be good.
I know Rogen and Goldberg laugh at the way they announce in big white letters across the screen the change in setting, but it's a comic book adaptation. That's how it's supposed to look. The device gives a visual sense of the traditional panels used by comic book artists since the dawn of the industry, which, by no small coincidence, was also spearheaded by Jews, like Hollywood itself. Of course, Garth Ennis is from Northern Ireland. Born in 1970, he's responsible for storylines in comics like Punisher, Hitman, Goddess, Hellblazer, and a plethora of other award-winningly gritty narratives. But not even the self-proclaimed (if not patriarchal) "Comic Book Man" himself, Kevin Smith, was able to help Ennis make his Preacher-dream a reality.
Maybe Rogen and Goldberg will invite me to be a guest writer for an episode of the second season of Preacher...break up that sausage-fest you boys have going on with Sam Catlin of Breaking Bad fame. Fair warning, I've never done any drugs before. Not even pot. And no, I'm not kidding. But it would be an honor to smoke my first joint with you all. Especially if we're talking about Preacher. Or, This Is The End. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, a total romp in pop culture heaven...but I digress.
The good news for people like Bob Weinstein, whose Dimension Films specializes in storylines like Preacher, is that you can always try to woo back the one that got away. You'll have competition now. And, you have to somehow negotiate the negatives you created when you first turned your back. But we Jews don't hold grudges. I even know a Holocaust survivor who drives a Mercedes! Though, I can't say the same for the Irish. I'm half-and-half, you see. My Irish Ma left her abusive, alcoholic husband after his addictions got him kicked out of the military. She never spoke his name again. Not even to divorce him. It was as if he never existed. Ever. Then again, she also insisted there were no pubs in Ireland....
Watch Preacher. Watch every extra feature, too. Watch each episode on Sunday nights on AMC then watch it over and over again OnDemand. This is not a suggestion. Or, a recommendation. It's a command. Like when Jesse tells the pedaphile school bus driver to forget the little girl he's obsessing over. Or, the girl in a coma to wake up. You don't want to miss what is nothing less than an historic pop culture moment.
Though Rotten Tomatoes gives Preacher a healthy 92% rating and IMDB gives it an 8.8/10, I'm turning it up to "11." If you don't get that pop culture reference, you're pathetic and obviously need to invest more of your time and energy into watching television and film. Or at the very least, Netflix. Now THAT is something you can put in your "Breaking Bud" roach clip and smoke it! With or without Wiz Khalifa, who I happened to meet last year in Atlanta while he was on tour with Fallout Boy. And no, I didn't smoke with him. I've been saving myself for the right partner(s). Yup, I'm that kinda girl. We can have a threesome, or foursome if Catlin joins, and you all can pop my marijuana-cherry. All in the name of pop culture research, of course....
Preacher is must-watch television. It gets my stamp of approval...which is not only backed up by a PhD, but also 20 years of teaching college students how to write in, about, and with pop culture, multiple international best-selling books on pop culture translated in nine languages and sold in 57 (!) countries, a Wizard World tour as the first female scholar in the States to work with comic books, expert quotes on pop culture in print newspapers like the LA Times and USA Today, AND, last but never least, an internationally-recognized Trademark. Mine.
You're welcome...though it is I who should be thanking you. And, I do.
#Preacher
#PopCultureProfessor™ Post-script: Happy belated birthday to Dominic Cooper, who just turned 38 last week on June 2nd, under the astrological sign of Gemini. Latin for Twins, Gemini is known for Jekyll-and-Hyde tendencies, which makes Cooper's Custer in Preacher even more delightful. He may be more like his comic book character in "real" life than the British actor would care to admit....
Irony, it's the one thing humanity can never lose....
Thanks to funny-man, Seth Rogen, and his childhood-friend-turned-writer (and director!), Evan Goldberg, Preacher has been revived. And, like one of the Great Awakening's of the 19th century, people are flocking to the cause. Ennis has rich characters that tip-toe along the absurd in wonderful ways that both tickle and delight, like that creepy uncle you saw twice a year at family gatherings--it was always uncomfortable, but it felt good at the same time.
I've watched all the "extra" material and, of course, have read every issue of Preacher in its original form. With Rogen and Goldberg at the wheel, and the early success of the highly anticipated series, Bob Weinstein must be feeling a little foolish today...kind of like the man who walked away from a beautiful woman willing to have adventurous sex every day of the week and any time of day, cooked gourmet meals with fresh, organic ingredients, kept a clean home, wore clothing that showed off her ass and D-cup tits, had a Brazilianed pussy, was unusually enthusiastic about not only getting on her knees and swallowing his full load, but also, paid for most of their life, AND, wanted to have his baby. Yup, THAT kind of foolish.
Even Rogen and Goldberg have had their share of scares with Preacher...it's taken nearly three years to hit small screens across America from the moment it was first announced in 2013. Essentially, Ennis has suffered nearly 28 years of frustration as his creation, which he already knew had an audience, waited in Hollywood purgatory before finding its Jewish saviors. Hey, Jesus started that trend, y'all--don't be shooting the messenger now. Or, I'll have to sick Tulip on you....
Part of what makes Preacher's television adaptation 100% #PopCultureProfessor™ APPROVED are the oh-so-fun, three-dimensional characters Ennis created, first breathed into life by artist Steve Dillon's talented hands; Glenn Fabry was responsible for Preacher's cover art. It was a wild ride, that comic book. AMC's version promises nothing less. When your first introduction to the main female character, played perfectly by Ruth Negga, is her overpowering two men in a speeding car with a dead driver before taking down a helicopter with a home-made bazooka filled with toys, you know it's gonna be good.
I know Rogen and Goldberg laugh at the way they announce in big white letters across the screen the change in setting, but it's a comic book adaptation. That's how it's supposed to look. The device gives a visual sense of the traditional panels used by comic book artists since the dawn of the industry, which, by no small coincidence, was also spearheaded by Jews, like Hollywood itself. Of course, Garth Ennis is from Northern Ireland. Born in 1970, he's responsible for storylines in comics like Punisher, Hitman, Goddess, Hellblazer, and a plethora of other award-winningly gritty narratives. But not even the self-proclaimed (if not patriarchal) "Comic Book Man" himself, Kevin Smith, was able to help Ennis make his Preacher-dream a reality.
Maybe Rogen and Goldberg will invite me to be a guest writer for an episode of the second season of Preacher...break up that sausage-fest you boys have going on with Sam Catlin of Breaking Bad fame. Fair warning, I've never done any drugs before. Not even pot. And no, I'm not kidding. But it would be an honor to smoke my first joint with you all. Especially if we're talking about Preacher. Or, This Is The End. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, a total romp in pop culture heaven...but I digress.
The good news for people like Bob Weinstein, whose Dimension Films specializes in storylines like Preacher, is that you can always try to woo back the one that got away. You'll have competition now. And, you have to somehow negotiate the negatives you created when you first turned your back. But we Jews don't hold grudges. I even know a Holocaust survivor who drives a Mercedes! Though, I can't say the same for the Irish. I'm half-and-half, you see. My Irish Ma left her abusive, alcoholic husband after his addictions got him kicked out of the military. She never spoke his name again. Not even to divorce him. It was as if he never existed. Ever. Then again, she also insisted there were no pubs in Ireland....
Watch Preacher. Watch every extra feature, too. Watch each episode on Sunday nights on AMC then watch it over and over again OnDemand. This is not a suggestion. Or, a recommendation. It's a command. Like when Jesse tells the pedaphile school bus driver to forget the little girl he's obsessing over. Or, the girl in a coma to wake up. You don't want to miss what is nothing less than an historic pop culture moment.
Though Rotten Tomatoes gives Preacher a healthy 92% rating and IMDB gives it an 8.8/10, I'm turning it up to "11." If you don't get that pop culture reference, you're pathetic and obviously need to invest more of your time and energy into watching television and film. Or at the very least, Netflix. Now THAT is something you can put in your "Breaking Bud" roach clip and smoke it! With or without Wiz Khalifa, who I happened to meet last year in Atlanta while he was on tour with Fallout Boy. And no, I didn't smoke with him. I've been saving myself for the right partner(s). Yup, I'm that kinda girl. We can have a threesome, or foursome if Catlin joins, and you all can pop my marijuana-cherry. All in the name of pop culture research, of course....
Preacher is must-watch television. It gets my stamp of approval...which is not only backed up by a PhD, but also 20 years of teaching college students how to write in, about, and with pop culture, multiple international best-selling books on pop culture translated in nine languages and sold in 57 (!) countries, a Wizard World tour as the first female scholar in the States to work with comic books, expert quotes on pop culture in print newspapers like the LA Times and USA Today, AND, last but never least, an internationally-recognized Trademark. Mine.
You're welcome...though it is I who should be thanking you. And, I do.
#Preacher
#PopCultureProfessor™ Post-script: Happy belated birthday to Dominic Cooper, who just turned 38 last week on June 2nd, under the astrological sign of Gemini. Latin for Twins, Gemini is known for Jekyll-and-Hyde tendencies, which makes Cooper's Custer in Preacher even more delightful. He may be more like his comic book character in "real" life than the British actor would care to admit....
RSS Feed