The Story Behind Preacher's Most Shocking Character, Arseface

Image Source: AMC

The most eye-popping character on AMC's incredibly graphic new series, Preacher, isn't the actual preacher: it's a poor kid named Arseface (played by Ian Colletti). We meet the unfortunately accurately named teenager on the show's premiere, but we don't find out exactly how his face becomes, well, so jacked up. Then again, the show is based on Garth Ennis's comic book series of the same name, and we might be able to assume his storyline is similar in the TV show.

In the books, Arseface, aka Eugene, idolizes Nirvana's lead singer, Kurt Cobain. He plays their music all the time, which adds to the friction between him and his traditional father, Sheriff Root. When Cobain commits suicide, Arseface and his best friend, Pube, try to emulate him. They steal the sheriff's shotgun, get drunk, and shoot themselves. Pube's attempt is successful, but Arseface only blows his face off. The only thing Sheriff Root says to his son after the incident is: "Shoulda put it in your mouth, you dumb little f*ck." Arseface becomes such a big character in the books that he even gets his own special issue.

Image Source: Vertigo Comics

It's a pretty devastating story, and it'll be interesting to see if the show touches on Arseface's history. After all, the TV series takes place years after the comic books, which debuted in 1995.