Full of stand-offs, lone gunmen and desert landscapes, one thing Preacher does brilliantly is tip its ten gallon hat to the western genre. Custer is living his own cowboy film, travelling the land, gal and bloodsucking pal in tow, righting the wrongs of strangers whilst still set on his own goals. In Jesses corner is The Duke, the preacher's voice of reason and imaginary companion through his odd odyssey. Moulded from John Wayne, he reads like the great legend of cinema, and shares words of wisdom whenever our hero is at his lowest. The Duke is the forgotten image of the American dream that Jesse escapes to when things get rough, and they do as soon as The Saint of Killers wanders into town. Modelled from the collection of Sergio Leones duster-wearing warriors and Clint Eastwoods Will Munny from Unforgiven, the Saint is the bitter end of the western timeline. Dying some hundred years ago, this cold character was sent to hell and literally froze the gates shut behind him. From here he was appointed as the Angel of Death, taking the flaming sword of the last, and remodelling it into two Colt revolvers that never empty and always find their target. A lost soul sore from his past life and a deadly adversary for anyone that crosses him, The Saint is more anti-hero than villain - and hes not the only one.
