Preacher, Vol. 1 wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was expecting. When I see a book like this, I assume that it works as a cohesive book on its own, like Watchmen, Marvels, or The Dark Knight Returns. I expect a complete story which resolves by the end.

Preacher Vol 1 is just the first 7 issues of Garth Ennis's preacher, and the 7 seems to have been chosen largely arbitrarily. A number of plot threads and characters introduced in the comics are not referenced again, and it kind of seems to meander all over the place.

The plot resolved at the end of the book was only introduced a few "issues" prior, and the "main" antagonist disappears after 3 issues.

I think if I had realized this was just 7 comic books glued together, I would have enjoyed this more, but as it is I was expecting a standalone comic novel, which isn't this.

Overall, Preacher is a good comic, with a ton of borderline-excessive violence and an interesting and unique world. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll read more.