From the first time the written word was translated to celluloid and up to the present, the phrase, "The book(s) was/is/are better" has long been a rallying cry for disgruntled literary fans. While there are many instances where an adaptation did justice to the source material — or in the cases of films such as "Blade Runner," "Fight Club" or "Jaws," surpassed it — there are just as many that not only failed to render the material in a compelling manner but managed to actively disrespect the original text. Films with this distinction include "Watchmen," the most recent adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" and "The Scarlet Letter."
It has been made apparent in recent years that television may be a more suitable medium than film through which to bring text and/or illustration-based narratives to life. The two seemingly most popular shows on television, "The Walking Dead" and "Game of Thrones," are testaments to this.
Which brings us to this past Sunday when AMC premiered the first trailer for "Preacher" during a "Walking Dead" commercial break. "Preacher" was originally a series of comic books published from 1995 to 2000 by Vertigo, the mature readers imprint of DC Comics. Written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steven Dillon, the series concerns Jesse Custer, the titular disillusioned preacher of the title, and his quest to find God (literally) after acquiring supernatural abilities. This brief descriptor doesn’t do justice to the series’ vast cast of characters nor its weighty themes. As filtered through a distinctly ’90s frame of mind, the series tackles faith, traditional understandings of masculinity, American mythmaking — including but not limited to war, manifest destiny and the American dream shared by 20th-century immigrants — and male friendship. "Preacher" is rich in both profanity and humanity, which makes it a beloved entry in the graphic literature canon.
Prior to this adaptation — which is being executively produced by Seth Rogen, his writing partner Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin, a former writer and co-producer of "Breaking Bad" — there were several unsuccessful attempts to bring "Preacher" to the screen. This included a failed pitch for HBO, as well as numerous efforts to make it a film. If you were to speak to any one of the number of fans who voiced their reaction to Sunday’s trailer online, you’d probably think "not all that well."
The release of the 90-second trailer has elicited cries of blasphemy and complaints the show is straying from the source material. In particular, the lack of seemingly supernatural elements and the absence of sunglasses on Cassidy — one of the main characters — have been the primary points of contention. (A geeky side note: In all fairness, Cassidy’s shades ARE critical to his character development.)
To quote the trailer itself: "Jay-sis." In the time of Twitter and Facebook, people have been conditioned to respond urgently and decisively to things they know little to nothing about. This extends beyond the trailer for some cult comic adaptation: The amount of photoshopped memes and obviously fake news articles that constitute the detritus of social media is, from a critical thinking standpoint, embarrassing. Other than (perhaps) certain life or death situations, snap judgments have never been and will never be rational bases for strongly held opinions.
To those "Preacher" fans left dismayed by the trailer, come back next year after the show begins in earnest; then tell us how disappointing it was. For the rest of you who don’t obsess over niche graphic novels, think before you tweet.
