Preacher vol 1: Gone to Texas back

Attitude on a stick, reading this series is like listening to Nick Cave's Murder Ballads. It's brutal and bloody and fucking hilarious. It stars a wayward preacher whose parish has been nuked by a force from Heaven and Hell which gives him the power of God's Word. When he uses The Word his eyes glow red, and you will do what he tells you to no matter how anatomically improbable. Now he's off in search of God to make Him apologise for abandoning His creation, and along for the ride are his ex-alcoholic ex-hitwoman ex-girlfriend and a vampire with an uncanny resemblance to Shane MacGowan. I'm not saying Shane MacGowan necessarily drinks blood, but look at the bloody state of him!

Along the way they'll bump into Jesse's own family, the vituperative Herr Starr who loses at least one limb per volume, impressionable Kurt Cobain fan Arseface who tried to emulate his idol and is now left with a gaping hole in his mouth and a subsequent speech impediment, plus the last remaining bloodline of Christ who is a delinquent and drooling moron.

Deliriously funny, spectacularly violent and highly blasphemous to boot, this nonetheless boasts at its heart a strong moral core: it's about friendship, loyalty and doing the right thing.

Exceptional character acting by artist Steve Dillon.

(Have some fun: print this out, bring it in without telling me and ask me to describe this series on the shop floor. I've used exactly same words ever since it first came out!)