As crazy, violent and filled with obscenities as AMC's Preacher already is, the comic book is even darker. In the comics, Jesse Custer's father was a Vietnam vet and his mother was a war protestor; the two quickly fell in love and had young Jesse. After a relatively normal childhood, Jesse's psycho maternal grandmother sent thugs to collect the happy trio and force them to get married and live a religious life. The family tried to escape but were caught and papa Custer was murdered in front of little Jesse.
With crazy grandma running the show, poor Jesse was subjected to all manner of abuse including being locked in a coffin. He eventually escaped and fell in love with Tulip O'Hare but had to leave her in order to protect her. His return to his grandmother was met with even more severe abuse which caused him to turn to god. He then became a preacher/alcoholic and was struck by the supernatural entity Genesis while giving a sermon.
Jesse's resulting power was called the word of God, meaning everything he says must be obeyed by those who hear it. He ends up reuniting with Tulip who has been hanging out with the 119-year old vampire Cassidy, and they embark on the road trip from hell, encountering some deeply twisted characters on the way.
If you'd like to learn more details about the comic book history of Preacher, check out Ryan’s video above and come back to the universe page for our breakdowns of every episode of the upcoming season of Preacher airing June 24.