Preacher Special: The Good Old Boys #1

Glenn Fabry's cover for this 1997 DC/Vertigo special is a gloriously rough-and-tumble composition, crowding the frame with a muscular, gun-toting good ol' boy standing defiantly beneath a Confederate flag, flanked by a grinning blonde woman, a snarling gorilla, a grotesque gap-toothed figure in the foreground, and armed soldiers lurking in the jungle background. It's the kind of ensemble that immediately signals Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra are steering deep into their trademark blend of Southern-fried swagger and outrageous mayhem. Fans of the main Preacher series will find this one-shot special a welcome, oversized detour into the wilder corners of that world.