There's a 5 on 8 chance that if you're reading this, you're an Atheist (based on intricate calculations conducted by The Vatikvlt). If so, then you HAVE to read True Faith. It'll firmly reinstate your faith in Atheism.

 
Sometimes, you think about a situation in which you have nowhere to turn to, nothing and nobody to rely on, and in which you're more or less going to get fucked; you wonder whether you should believe in a God so that you'll have something to bank on, in such a situation. Most God-fearing people, with or without their knowledge, undergo such an instance in their lives and resort to belief in some sort of God. But, if you had the balls to question yourself, you'd probably reassure yourself by saying that a)You weren't ever going to fall prey to such a circumstance (this sort of haughtiness, and stupidity often comes with such balls) or b)That you could actually count on yourself to weasel your way out of trouble. Either way, God fearer or not, people believe in whatever satisfies them. Garth Ennis, presumably, thought about such situations a lot.

"It's clumsy, yes; it's unpolished; it smacks strongly of adolescent wish-fulfillment and I have to admit that I stole the title from a New Order song; but for me, True Faith was where I began to find my voice" says Garth Ennis, nine years after he was given his first professional assignment. Even though this is quite modest of Mr. Ennis, he gets it bang on target. After reading this you can see that Preacher is just a natural progression after True Faith (a graphic novel from the house of Vertigo). The nineteen year old Ennis teamed up with the (then) relatively unknown Warren Pleece (who has since contributed to Hellblazer and The Invisibles) to try and make a noise in the world ov comics. And a noise they did make... True Faith was banned in 1990 and was removed from sale due to religious protests.

Nigel Gibson, an atheist, is a social outcast studying in a highly conservative Catholic school, shunned by teachers and fellow students alike. Terry Adair, toilet cleaner products' salesman, is a very devout man who prays for the safety of his wife and the baby she is about to deliver, everyday. Gibson has a crush on a pious schoolmate, but she refuses to go out with him. Adair's wife and their expected baby do not survive the process of childbirth due to 'unusual complications'. Gibson is sure that he knows no God. Adair's image of God is shattered. Needless to say, the young and reckless Gibson and the traumatized lunatic Adair cross paths. All hell breaks loose. Terry Adair, with his altered sense of perception, seems to believe that Gibson is his son and that together, both of them should rid the Earth of blockages (a toilet metaphor) by murdering God (sound familiar?). Both of them (though Gibson is reluctant) start burning churches (Black Metal FTW!!1) and killing priests in the hope that God would confront them, and that they could finally murder him. Things become interesting when they are picked up by a 'society' of sorts, who share similar interests. Gibson, who used to actually believe in Adair's cause (even though he interpreted it differently), is appalled that Adair has now joined a 'religion' so as to say, thereby defeating their initial purpose. It's mostly downhill from there for the duo. The storyline, though slightly predictable, does have some remarkable twists. I really enjoyed how True Faith ends, and I won't spoil it for you folks. It would suffice to say that 'Gibson steps into deep shit'.

Pleece's artwork is pretty alright. He doesn't touch any of my favourite artists, but he does quite a neat job. I felt that some of the colouring could have been better though. Other than that I have no complaints. True Faith was the perfect platform for Ennis to exercise his skills. I'm glad Vertigo re-issued this one, despite all the bans. Preacher is far, far superior to this, but still, this is a must for anyone who has read Preacher. This is quite a good place to start off with if you are oblivious to the works of Mr.Ennis. All in all, this can range from good timepass to an excellent read, depending from person to person. I thought it made for some quality enjoyment.

Recommended Music:
I was listening to Skepticism's Stormcrowfleet and the soundtrack to Max Payne. Both surprisingly fit really well. I recommend you to listen to anything dark and anti-Christian in nature.