If you’re visiting Big Shiny Robot you’re probably already familiar with Garth Ennis’ “Preacher” comic. When I first got serious about reading comics at the turn of the century, it was required reading, still is. Published by DC’s Vertigo imprint, the story follows Jessie, a reluctant preacher in a small town who is inhabited by an entity called Genesis, the offspring of an angel and a demon, that gives Jesse unspeakable power.

The release of Genesis sees response from forces both good and evil. Jesse, along with his old girlfriend Tulip (it’s complicated) and a wise-cracking hard-drinking vampire named Cassidy team up just to make it through.

More than twenty years on from the comic’s original release, the story is now getting a screen adaptation. Fandom spoke with the cast and crew and got an inside glimpse into the adaptation of one of comics’ most bizarre and entertaining stories. “Preacher” debuts May 22 on AMC.

PREACHER (8 out 10) Written by ; Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; Developed by Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen and Sam Catlin, based on the comic books by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon; Starring Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joe Gilgun, W. Earl Brown, Ian Colletti, Lucy Griffiths, Elizabeth Perkins, Jamie Anne Allman, and Derek Wilson; Hour-long drama running weekly on AMC Sundays starting May 22, 2016. Rated TV-MA for violence, gore, language, and adult content.

Rest easy, Preacher fans. This show should not disappoint anyone but the most demanding and persnickety fan of the source material, the revoltingly sacrilicious comic about West Texas preacher imbued with the Word of God—a power that allows him to command someone to do something and they must literally do it. In this he’s aided by foul-mouthed drunk Irish vampire Cassidy and ex-girlfriend/contract killer Tulip.

However, don’t expect a literal adaptation of the first story arc (appropriately titled “Gone to Texas” — at least appropriate for the over 1,000 fans packed into the Paramount Theater in Downtown Austin for the premiere as part of SXSW). Instead, this is the back-story that readers didn’t get in the comics for many issues.

As series executive producer Seth Rogan explained in a post-premiere Q&A, the comic starts at 200 mph and goes to 300 mph before you ever get a chance to figure out these characters. As a tv show, they wanted to start at the beginning and allow things to develop.

And there are some changes from the comics. However, few of them so far seem to do with content. The character Arseface, prominent in Jesse’s backstory, is featured prominently in the pilot episode. And yes, it’s a prosthetic. No, it doesn’t look exactly like the comics. But it looks awful enough, and also funny enough for those with a sick enough sense of humor to like that sort of thing.

While the story and a few elements may have changes (as did Walking Dead, remember), what Rogan and Co really nailed here are the characters. The actors are all perfectly cast an immediately inhabit these people.

Cooper does the most work as Custer. Rogan and Cooper joked that to nail the West Texas accent and the attitude they just told him to watch lots of Friday Night Lights and channel Coach Taylor. Clear Eyes, Voice of God, Can’t Lose?

Tulip and Cassidy try to steal the show, though. Both of them get extended action sequences to introduce them, and they are bloody, brutal, and funny as hell.

The real question people want to know is, did this get “gutted”? Does it pull its punches because it’s on cable? No.

In just the pilot, we see Cassidy’s face covered in blood. We see a compound fracture. We see people explode. We see guts and intestines splayed everywhere. You could compare this to a show like Marvel’s Daredevil, which plays on Netflix and has no censor. This makes that look like a church.

The only limitations they seem to be facing are budgetary. When Tulip faces off against an attach helicopter and trained mercenaries, all the action–like Greek tragedies of old–happens off screen. Because crashing a helicopter and killing a bunch of guys would cost lots more money than they have, not because that content was somehow too out there for the channel. And how it’s played for laughs helps make it work even more. You’ll understand when you see it, but it’s one of the most satisfying parts of the episode.

Surely, the internet is going to find things to hate in this. But for all but the most demanding of fans, “Preacher” delivers on that Hail Mary. How a show like this got made is nothing short of a miracle. It helps that shows with troubling content like “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” have become AMC’s bread and butter. This is a new addition to that pantheon of hard-edged, fan-pleasing prestige shows.

One final note from the audience Q&A. Seth Rogan was asked about not only how this got made, but what advice he has for young filmmakers looking to break in. First, he said, don’t do what he did. But, the key is to find your own voice and make your own films. You can do more with an iPhone and YouTube than he ever could as a teenager who wanted to make movies. Follow your dreams, and maybe one day you too will be able to adapt that comic book that everyone said was impossible to make.

It’s been seven months since I’ve posted any squeeful news about AMC’s adaptation of the greatest comic ever written*, and at long last we have a trailer to pique our discussion until the show premieres next year.

Um, wait. What?

I will admit it’s been more than a few years since I’ve read the books. They’re not something I pick up frequently, because the content is far from fluffy and can be quite draining. I mean that as high praise, though. It’s the most frequently presented book in my argument against the “comics are for kids and don’t have any substance” mentality. Keeping those themes in mind, this trailer looks like it might not have anything to do with the actual comic? Maybe?

As a long time proponent of not giving it all away in the trailer, I remain hopeful that the network maybe didn’t want to get into the meat of things (you know, descendants of Christ, Christian conspiracies, theological debate, child abuse, general debauchery, Arseface) in the trailer. Save a little something for the wedding night, and all. But this first full glimpse of the content has definitely left me a little deflated. 

But perfect casting is still wildly perfect, and I’m really enjoying the color palettes and the scoring. And Joseph Gilgun is a delight and a treasure, so there’s that. 

*As usual, kmc1138’s views do not reflect those of the Big Shiny Robot’s. But it totally is the best ever. 

There have been some major casting announcements for the upcoming Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg “Preacher” series. Two of the main trio are official, there’s a pretty solid lead for our Preacher, and a key side character has been cast. There’s still a little time to fancast two major roles, but in the meantime, here’s what we know:

Ruth Negga will play Tulip. Hell. Yes. You might not recognize the name, but the face is the one that launched a thousand porcupine quills in the Terrigen Mist.

I am completely stoked about this. I’m excited to see what Ruth Negga can do outside of the MCU, as I’ve not seen any of her other work. And if you feel the urge to gripe about the race swap casting, please just don’t. It’s an archaic argument, and it’s boring.

Cassidy, the Irish vampire, will be played by Joseph Gilgun. I’ve only seen a few episodes of “Misfits,” and his name probably never would have floated to the top of my own fancasting list. But it’s one of those things – once you see it, it’s perfect and cannot be unseen.

The rumor mill strongly thinks that Dominic Cooper will land the role of Jesse Custer, our titular preacher.  We know and love him as Howard Stark, and his IMDB page reads like a tribute to dapper, old timey guys. Custer would be a pretty big change of type for Cooper, but still – I’m super excited.

Oh, Arseface, you ask? Why, Mr. Eugene Root will be played by Ian Colletti. I will admit, I had never heard of this young man, but he’s got a face like a damned cherub. Too bad it will be covered in what will likely be a stunning display of makeup FX.

So that leaves us with the Bad Two. No news yet for Herr Star or the Saint of Killers OH I’VE HAD AN EPIPHANY and Lance Henriksen should totally play the Saint of Killers. Yes. Definitely.

It’s been 15 years since the first “Preacher” rumor surfaced, way back when it was going to be a Kevin Smith cinematic feature. Over those years, just as many names and formats have been attached, like Sam Mendes and HBO, but none have come to fruition. Many consider it unfilmable, and most consider its most important topics and themes far too vulgar and profane for any mainstream venue. Prime time might not be ready for this particular descendent of Christ, if you know what I’m sayin’. 

But Badass Digest shared that a source reports AMC ordering a pilot. On one hand it would certainly make sense; there are about to be two time slots open (maybe three if “Low Moon Rising” doesn’t up its game a bit), and the network has had unforseeable success with its current comic book adaptation. But on the other hand, there’s just that. AMC already has one dark epic based on a funnybook and they’re about to add a spin-off. I doubt said spinoff will be a slapstick sitcom, so would AMC really want to become the “Effed Up Comic Book Network”? 

For my dime? I’d say yes. If FX can pull off some of the psuedo-smut that they get away with in “American Horror Story,” then I have confidence that AMC would hire a team that can tone down the comic enough to air on TV while remaining true to the story.

And for the rest of my money, “Preacher” remains unconstested as my favorite comic of all time. Ever. It tells the epic tale of Jesse Custer who is a vessel for Genesis, the offspring of a demon and angel, that allows Jesse to speak with the Voice of God. He travels with an assassin ex-lover named Tulip and an Irish Vampire, and along their way they encounter abusive ancestors, an evil operative executioner whose head looks like a penis, a suicide-survivor pop-star, more evil ancestors, and a dude so cold and dead inside that he carries two Colts made from the melted sword that Death used to carry and gunned down the Devil himself. Just ’cause. Oh, and also cannibals, a bulimic narcissistic Freemason type, imaginary John Wayne, a deplorable millionaire, angels, more vampires, and oh yeah the mentally retarded inbred descendent of Jesus Christ. Did I not mention that television might not be ready for this?

The series was so much more than what’s mentioned above, but when I think “‘Preacher’ on TV,” these are the things that come to mind first – the roadblocks, not the stories. It doesn’t change the fact that I would love to see a good adaptation in my lifetime. 

I will remain trepidatiously optimistic, just as I have been for 15 years. My only sadness comes from the fact that Bill Hicks won’t be able to fill his own part. Yeah, they meet Bill Hicks, too.

Now let’s fancast this sonufabitch!