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Prepare the Snacks, “Preacher” Will Introduce Allfather D’Aronique!

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It was announced a few weeka ago that production has officially begun in New Orleans on the third season of AMC’sPreacher with several characters from the comic book joining the series, including Tony-winner Betty Buckley (“Supergirl,” Split) as “Gran’ma,” Colin Cunningham (“Blood Drive,” “Falling Skies”) as “TC,” Jeremy Childs (The Last Castle, “Nashville”) as “Jody” and Liz McGeever (“Star,” “Nashville”) as “Christina.”

Now, Deadline reports on a huge addition, Jonny Coyne (The Nun) as Allfather D’Aronique! The cluelessly malevolent character is physically large, overweight, and a revolting slob, but also potentially the most powerful man in the world. He is quietly sinister with eyes that see more than he says.

Here are the previously announced new additions.

Betty Buckley joined the cast as “Gran’ma” – A spiritist with true powers, who can cast spells and even bring back the dead (for a price). Pay the fee or pay with your soul to feed Gran’ma’s thirst for eternal youth. She is weathered, tough, and mean, but also intelligent beyond measure. She’s Jesse’s only living family and she loves him.

Colin Cunningham joins the cast as “TC” – A man born of the bayou and the loyal caretaker and soldier for Gran’ma. Weasely and wiry, he’ll gladly tell you about his perversions whether you ask him or not. While he seems like the friendliest guy you’ll ever meet, don’t make the mistake of turning your back on him.

Jeremy Childs joins the cast as “Jody” – Massive and intimidating, Jody emanates danger. He’s the enforcer for Gran’ma and the only man Jesse’s never beaten in a fight. He’s nobody’s fool, and not someone to cross.

Liz McGeever joins the cast as “Christina” – Capable and efficient, Christina has a face that lures customers in for her family business. Christina hides it well, but she hates her job and has dreams and aspirations outside of her current life – but suffers to protect her child.

In Season 2, “After Jesse accidentally discovered that God is absent from Heaven, Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy set out on a road trip to find Him, all while being hunted by the Saint of Killers, an unstoppable, mythical killer from Hell. The trio’s pursuit led them to New Orleans, where they dodged local gangsters, dangerous agents, and other unimaginable mayhem on their way to uncovering an even bigger secret. Now, with Tulip’s life and Cassidy’s friendship in the balance, Jesse must rely on a mysterious figure from his past in order to save his friends and continue on with his mission.

Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 6 – Photo Credit: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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[Review] Graphic Novel ‘Tender’ Is Brilliant Feminist Body Horror That Will Make You Squirm & Scream

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Tender Beth Hetland Graphic Novel

Beth Hetland’s debut graphic novel, ‘Tender,’ is a modern tale of love, validation, and self-destruction by way of brutal body horror with a feminist edge.

“I’ve wanted this more than anything.”

Men so often dominate the body horror subgenre, which makes it so rare and insightful whenever women tackle this space. This makes Beth Hetland’s Tender such a refreshing change of pace. It’s earnest, honest, and impossibly exposed. Tender takes the body horror subgenre and brilliantly and subversively mixes it together with a narrative that’s steeped in the societal expectations that women face on a daily basis, whether it comes to empowerment, family, or sexuality. It single-handedly beats other 2023 and ‘24 feminine horror texts like American Horror Story: Delicate, Sick, Lisa Frankenstein, and Immaculate at their own game.

Hetland’s Tender is American Psycho meets Rosemary’s Baby meets Swallow. It’s also absolutely not for the faint of heart.

Right from the jump, Tender grabs hold of its audience and doesn’t let go. Carolanne’s quest for romantic fulfillment, validation, and a grander purpose is easy to empathize with and an effective framework for this woeful saga. Carolanne’s wounds cut so deep simply because they’re so incredibly commonplace. Everybody wants to feel wanted.

Tender is full of beautiful, gross, expressive artwork that makes the reader squirm in their seat and itch. Hetland’s drawings are simultaneously minimalist and comprehensively layered. They’re  reminiscent of Charles Burns’ Black Hole, in the best way possible. There’s consistently inspired and striking use of spot coloring that elevates Hetland’s story whenever it’s incorporated, invading Tender’s muted world.

Hetland employs effective, economical storytelling that makes clever use of panels and scene construction so that Tender can breeze through exposition and get to the story’s gooey, aching heart. There’s an excellent page that depicts Carolanne’s menial domestic tasks where the repetitive panels grow increasingly smaller to illustrate the formulaic rut that her life has become. It’s magical. Tender is full of creative devices like this that further let the reader into Carolanne’s mind without ever getting clunky or explicit on the matter. The graphic novel is bookended with a simple moment that shifts from sweet to suffocating.

Tender gives the audience a proper sense of who Carolanne is right away. Hetland adeptly defines her protagonist so that readers are immediately on her side, praying that she gets her “happily ever after,” and makes it out of this sick story alive…And then they’re rapidly wishing for the opposite and utterly aghast over this chameleon. There’s also some creative experimentation with non-linear storytelling that gets to the root of Carolanne and continually recontextualizes who she is and what she wants out of life so that the audience is kept on guard.

Tender casually transforms from a picture-perfect rom-com, right down to the visual style, into a haunting horror story. There’s such a natural quality to how Tender presents the melancholy manner in which a relationship — and life — can decay. Once the horror elements hit, they hit hard, like a jackhammer, and don’t relent. It’s hard not to wince and grimace through Tender’s terrifying images. They’re reminiscent of the nightmarish dadaist visuals from The Ring’s cursed videotape, distilled to blunt comic panels that the reader is forced to confront and digest, rather than something that simply flickers through their mind and is gone a moment later. Tender makes its audience marinate in its mania and incubates its horror as if it’s a gestating fetus in their womb.

Tender tells a powerful, emotional, disturbing story, but its secret weapon may be its sublime pacing. Hetland paces Tender in such an exceptional manner, so that it takes its time, sneaks up on the reader, and gets under their skin until they’re dreading where the story will go next. Tender pushes the audience right up to the edge so that they’re practically begging that Carolanne won’t do the things that she does, yet the other shoe always drops in the most devastating manner. Audiences will read Tender with clenched fists that make it a struggle to turn each page, although they won’t be able to stop. Tender isn’t a short story, at more than 160 pages, but readers will want to take their time and relish each page so that this macabre story lasts for as long as possible before it cascades to its tragic conclusion. 

Tender is an accomplished and uncomfortable debut graphic novel from Hetland that reveals a strong, unflinching voice that’s the perfect fit for horror. Tender indulges in heightened flights of fancy and toes the line with the supernatural. However, Tender is so successful at what it does because it’s so grounded in reality and presents a horror story that’s all too common in society. It’s a heartbreaking meditation on loneliness and codependency that’s one of 2024’s must-read horror graphic novels.

‘Tender,’ by Beth Hetland and published by Fantagraphics, is now available.

4 out of 5 skulls

Tender graphic novel review

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