The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Preacher, Volume 6: War in the Sun by Garth Ennis

Garth Ennis’s Preacher, Volume 6: War in the Sun is the incendiary midpoint of a series that has, from its inception, tested the limits of narrative excess, moral ambiguity, and theological irreverence. If Preacher as a whole is a meditation on faith, violence, and free will, then this volume is the moment when the existential weight of these themes meets the full force of military-grade destruction.

In this installment, Jesse Custer—preacher, outlaw, and reluctant messiah—continues his quest to confront God, but his path is now littered with scorched earth. The story escalates as Jesse faces Herr Starr’s megalomaniacal schemes, the relentless forces of The Grail, and, perhaps most importantly, his own hubris. In contrast to the more personal, introspective elements of earlier volumes, War in the Sun leans into the mythic, drawing inspiration from Spaghetti Westerns and war films, elevating the action to apocalyptic proportions.

The Structure of a Showdown

Ennis crafts the volume as a series of cinematic set pieces, none more explosive than the desert battle where Jesse’s enemies deploy nothing short of a nuclear bomb to stop him. The sequence serves as both a grotesque parody of Cold War paranoia and an indictment of institutional power—whether religious, military, or governmental. The sheer absurdity of The Grail’s actions underscores Ennis’s ongoing theme: those who claim to act in God’s name often behave in the most inhuman ways.

Meanwhile, Jesse’s relationships—with Tulip, Cassidy, and even Starr—fracture further. Ennis masterfully juxtaposes physical war with emotional battles, showing that betrayal and disillusionment often wound deeper than any explosion. The romantic subplot takes a particularly bleak turn, with Cassidy’s long-simmering toxicity reaching a boiling point.

Character Deconstruction and Existentialism

One of Ennis’s great strengths is his ability to deconstruct traditional heroism. Jesse, initially a man of righteous fury, is now beginning to unravel, his moral compass clouded by a God who has abandoned humanity. In some ways, Jesse’s journey recalls the antiheroes of Sartrean existentialism—free yet burdened, determined yet adrift.

Cassidy’s arc, in particular, is a slow-motion tragedy. Though he remains the story’s charismatic rogue, his flaws—addiction, selfishness, manipulation—become impossible to ignore. What started as a devil-may-care friendship between Jesse and Cassidy now feels like a tragedy waiting to unfold, making the volume a critical turning point in their dynamic.

The Grotesque and the Sublime

Steve Dillon’s artwork continues to be the perfect counterbalance to Ennis’s writing. His clean, almost classical compositions contrast with the raw carnage they depict, making the violence feel disturbingly matter-of-fact. The grotesque is ever-present, from Starr’s mutilations to Cassidy’s increasing physical and moral degradation, yet the story never fully succumbs to nihilism.

Despite its darkness, War in the Sun still finds space for Ennis’s signature gallows humor. The absurdity of Herr Starr’s endless humiliations and The Grail’s bureaucratic dysfunction prevent the book from becoming unrelentingly bleak. In Ennis’s world, laughter is not just a response to horror but a necessary act of defiance.

A Turning Point in the Preacher Mythos

War in the Sun is, in many ways, the crucible of the series. It is where allegiances fracture, ideals are tested, and the road ahead becomes bloodier than ever. While earlier volumes thrived on Jesse’s unwavering certainty, this installment forces him—and the reader—to confront the possibility that his path is neither righteous nor inevitable.

This is Ennis at his most operatic, crafting a volume that is both biblical and profane, filled with grand gestures and intimate betrayals. If Preacher is ultimately a story about the search for meaning in a world abandoned by God, then War in the Sun suggests that this search is both noble and doomed. Whether one sees Jesse as a tragic hero or a deluded fool, one thing is certain—there is no turning back now.