Preacher 25Enlarge Cover Enlarge Cover

Preacher 25

25: Cry Blood, Cry Erin

Writing: Garth Ennis
Art: Steve Dillon
Colours: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Clem Robins
Cover: Glenn Fabry
Editor: Axel Alonso

DC Comics (Vertigo)

32 Pages (Story: 24)

Full Colour

$2.50 USA / $3.50 CAN

May 1997


Comments

This is basically the story of how Cassidy became a vampire, the idea being that he tells Jesse all about it after Jesse saves him from the Grail. It starts off outside of the Dublin Post Office in 1916, the Easter Uprising. Young Proinsius Cassidy and his brother Billy are fighting the British, but his brother doesn't share his patriotic feelings and decides they should get out while they still can. The leave the building they were holed up in and wander past a historical inaccuracy as they pass Michael Collins (who was in the Post Office, but never mind) and Billy kicks him in the balls. I get the horrible impression that Ennis had a few hang ups about history as a child. Anyway, the brothers make it out of Dublin, but as they're walking that night, a kind of greenish thing leaps out of the bog and snacks out on young Proinsius. He wakes up that morning and promptly catches on fire. Doesn't have a good start to being a vampire, especially since he gets mistaken for a sheep-shagger and shot. Finally, he makes it back to civilisation, but realises he can't stay in Ireland since everyone thinks he's dead, and heads off to America. Nice comic as far as explaining things go, with lots of dark and grim artwork. Can't quite work out why Cassidy seems to have aged as a vampire, or why he had to have the name Proinsius, apart from the obvious silliness factor.

Comments by Cassandra Courtney