Salvation, Texas
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Salvation, Texas is the name of a fictional town from the DC Comics Vertigo imprint Preacher comic book. It is the eponymous setting of Preacher Volume 7: Salvation (which collects issues #41-50) and also features in the final volume Alamo (Volume 9).
Salvation was a small, mainly rural, community with a population of no more than a couple of hundred. Salvation suffered from a great deal of racial division with most African Americans living in a small community outside of town and the Ku Klux Klan being influential in the surrounding county.
The millionaire industrialist Odin Quincannon (Often referred to as "The Meat-Man") built the center of his business, an abattoir and rendering plant, on the outskirts of the town and quickly came to dominate the area. A small and unimposing figure, Odin attempted to make up for this by exerting as much power as he could over others, believing that he now "owned" Salvation. He openly admitted that he was corrupt (even involved in bribing a U.S. President) and was himself a member of the KKK (though highly unpopular among other members). He often used threats of physical violence (carried out by his workers) to manipulate those he couldn't bribe. His plant spewed out pollution that destroyed the local environment and his workers were allowed to run amok. The workers would often go into town, drink heavily and cause trouble, often ending in violence against the local residents. Quincannon encouraged this believing that it made his workers happier and the town sheriff, afraid of Quincannon, did nothing to stop them.
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[edit] Sheriff Custer
Having mysteriously survived the fall from a jet seen in War in the Sun, (this is later revealed as a literal act of God) Jesse Custer recuperated for a time before tracking down his true love Tulip and his best friend Cassidy. Finding them now a couple, Jesse allowed them to continue believing he was dead and abandoned his quest for vengeance against the Lord.
Wandering once more through America Jesse eventually found himself in Salvation, eating at Jodie's Bar and Grill. Looking for work and displaying his usual tendency to get into fights, Jesse was recruited by the town's sheriff. Jesse however declined, instead insisting that he become sheriff. The incumbent, seeing an opportunity to free himself from the troubled town, quickly agreed.
The previous sheriff packed his bags and left town quickly, apparently going on extended vacation. In truth, though, he was gunned downed less than a day later by a corrupt state trooper in the employ of The Meat-Man.
Jesse Custer finds that Lorie, the one-eyed inbred sister of his also cycloptic childhood friend, Billy-Bob, lives in Salvation with Jodie, owner over the local bar. The two women offer Jesse a room in their house. Through this, Jesse comes to realize that Jodie is in fact his mother, Christina L'Angelle. Instead of dying at the hands of Jody and TC, she had suffered brain injuries (and later an alligator attack) that prevented her from reclaiming her son. The only word she could remember was "Jody", the name of her assailant which doctors mistook for her own name. Finding Lorie and being reminded of her son's friend and Jesse, but she had never recovered enough to rescue him and finally settled in Salvation.
Jesse and his African American deputy Cindy begin to dismantle Quincannon's empire. Quincannon attempted to bring in the KKK as allies, but Jesse destroyed their presence over the town by threatening to expose them if they continued to operate and handing over their "Grand Cyclops" to the African American community of Salvation for their own brand of vigilante justice. Quincannon then attempted to blow up the town with a series of bombs, but was struck by lightning before he could. Jesse found The Meat-Man recovering in his factory's warehouse and making love to a giant female mannequin made out of various meat products his factory produced. Commenting that "Of all the fucked-up things I've seen, that takes the fucked-up cookie," Jesse broke Quincannon's neck.
Jesse left Salvation soon after, a potential romance with Cindy made impossible by his love for Tulip. One of his final acts before he left was to give Cindy the position of sheriff.
In the final story "The Alamo" the town is visited by Arseface on the run following his fall from celebrity. We see that Salvation has now entered a new age of prosperity. Conan Quincannon, the younger and far more benevolent brother of Odin Quincannon has taken over the factory and it now produces fertilizer from effluent. Cindy is still sheriff and the town is at peace. Arseface meets Lorie and the two fall in love. Arseface decides to stay in Salvation with her and live out his days shoveling manure.
[edit] Towns people
[edit] Current Residents
- Jodie/Christina L'Angelle-Custer: Owner of the local bar and Jesse Custer's mother and a mother figure to Lorie.
- Lorena "Lorie" Bobbs: Sister of Jesse's Childhood friend Billy-Bob Bobbs. Generations of inbreeding have resulted in her having one eye and a congenital mental disorder that causes her to perceive objects differently than their actual appearance.
- Arseface: Disfigured former pop-singer.
- Cindy Daggett: Salvation's current Sheriff and the first African American to hold this post. Skilled markswoman.
- Conan Quincannon the younger brother of Odin Qunicannon (see below). A kindly and generous man he revitalised the town with his fertilizer factory, partially in an attempt to make amends for the actions of his brother.
[edit] Former Residents
- Jim Bewley: Former sherriff of Salvation. Resigns the post in favour of Jesse Custer, and is later murdered.
- Odin Quincannon: AKA "The Meat-Man." Former meat baron with a fetish for his factory's products. Killed by Jesse Custer.
- Ms. Oatlash: Odin's lawyer/trouble shooter. S&M fanatic with a special interest in Nazism. Imprisoned following Odin's death.
- Siegfried Vechtel: AKA Gunther Hahn, AKA Mark van der Pol. Eloquent, easy-going and insightful, 'Gunther Hahn' pretended to be a German rebel who had escaped Nazi Germany. He quickly befriended Jesse and looked to be on the verge of a romance with Jodie, until Jesse discovered in one of Oatlash's books that the real Gunther Hahn died in action during the Second World War. Discovered and confronted with his lies, Vechtel broke down and revealed his history as a former Nazi, late of the SS Einsatzgruppen responsible for many atrocities in occupied towns and subsequently a concentration camp official. The friendship ended acrimoniously, and Jesse offered Vechtel one way out, handing him a noose. Ashamed, Vechtel committed suicide soon after, without leaving a note.
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