That Texas Blood, Volume 1 (Texas Blood, 1)

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i like Sheriff Joe Bob and no one else. maybe that's another reason im not so wowed with this overall. the characters are mostly angry, unhappy people with issues i dont care for. especially the main dude this run was mostly about.

Now THAT is some by god good damn comics, y’all. I knew as soon as I finished the stellar #1 issue that I was gonna just burn through this, and whatta ya know… The ending is really good. It pretty much wraps everything up for this story (but supposedly there will be a second volume which I will definitely be reading). Volume One told pretty much a complete story so maybe the second will be about entirely something else. if that's the case I'm totally signing up for it. i hope there will be more lovable characters. So what's so great about That Texas Blood? What makes this strange cross between True Detective, Stephen King, and a Taylor Sheridan production so special? Well, for starters, this Texas-based comic is one of the most well-written and intricately woven indie books in years. But, even more than that, and just in time for "Spooky Season," it's a pretty great horror book that covers all your favorite eras of modern horror.i like what this book wanted to be and a lot of what it is. i guess it's the whole Texas cowboy white-trash people setup that i didn't enjoy so much. the art though is totally my style. Phillip's inky, gritty textured line and colorwork that doesnt try to be so smooth and perf... I think it tries a bit too hard to emulate the feel of a Brubaker/Phillips book but it as a damn good copy. On the other hand Condon and Phillips really set up an excellent atmosphere. The pacing is oh so slow, splashed with sudden outbursts of violence. Again No country for old men comes to mind and I really liked book and mocie both.

Yet, it doesn't take long before you recognize the horror themes and elements that hold Randy's story together and pull him down to the uttermost depths, not unlike Essie Davis' character in The Babadook or Toni Colette in Hereditary. If this is what people mean by "elevated horror," then this author's all for it as That Texas Blood signs, seals, and delivers a pulse-pounding crime thriller worthy of such a cool name. Many have compared the first arc in the series to Ed Brubaker's Pulp (which, interestingly enough, TTB artist Jacob Phillips worked on as a colorist alongside his father Sean Phillips, who drew the graphic novel), but that's not exactly a bad thing. In fact, it takes a lot of the same ideas (and beautiful colors) and reinterprets them through a completely different West Texas lens. This is a great story with well written characters, a very intense tone, some good twists at the end and nicely done artwork. Following some themes of the first volume (which, chronologically, takes place many decades later), Volume 2 takes its time to ponder the evils of Ambrose County, more specifically why this West Texan landscape seems cursed. As Joe Bob asks these questions, and Eversaul asks a few more of his own, the only thing that's clear in this cultic horror is that lives are at stake, people are crazy, and if the law won't let you save those who need saving, you may have to do so yourself. It's an excellent arc that is not only one of the best comic book stories this author has read in recent years but one that stays in mind for months afterward. Yes, it's really that good. That Texas Blood doesn’t feel like it was adapted from short stories or an undeveloped script. Condon does a great job writing for comics and his power really comes from how well he crafts small character moments and builds atmosphere with the sharing of folkloric story tales between the people who inhabit the world. One of my favorite things that Condon does here is the addition of Joe’s wife Martha using the police walkie talkie to chat with him throughout the day. It’s a sweet almost irrelevant thing that showcases not only how much Joe loves his wife but also the usually slow pace of the day to day movements in Ambrose Country. The story is very intense and interesting. Waiting for the next issue each month like I did is how I imagine many feel waiting for the next episode of an award winning cable drama every week (I can’t fully say for sure though, I watch TV on streaming). This comic is a very compelling tale that keeps readers on the edge of their seats!

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Publication Dates [ ] Last Issue [ ] That Texas Blood #19: 02 Nov 2022 Current Issue [ ] That Texas Blood #20: 07 Dec 2022 Next Issue [ ] none scheduled Status [ ] And yet, despite those issues, Condon knows how to wrote characterization that feels organic, most notably in the old-timer Joe Bob. The first issue is really about a day in Joe Bob’s life before the main storyline commences. Although he is determined to solve this murder case, you can also sense the weariness of this man, who prefers the quiet comfort of being with his wife. His recurring phrase throughout the book is “well”, which sums up Joe Bob completely.

My point bein’…sometimes you can’t help but walk into a dirty deed. Sometimes…Sometimes the world, well, sometimes she just turns on you…”All that across six tersely beautiful issues that do you the courtesy of finally just showing you instead of telling you in laborious, overwrought narration. It’s also awesome too, Condon excels at the crime stuff but also totally nails the cosmic terror of bad childhoods, the death grip of “masculinity”, the grace of aging (and the disconnection from society that comes with it). This thing is kinda all things to all Ditto Jacob Phillips. Prior to this I’ve only seen his colouring on Brubaker/Phillips’ books but damn this kid can draw every bit as good as his dad - and, again, still so young! The comic is well laid out with engaging and imaginative shots and expressive characters. Like the writing, it doesn’t seem possible that this is a first-timer’s effort but it looks like both Condon and Phillips are natural comics creators - or, more likely, have worked really hard at their craft to start this strong. On to the story. It starts off with this typically Texan community thats close-knit. Condon really got down the dialogue that pe ople down in Texas or the Southern US in general talk, because some words I don't even understand. It might seem boring or casual, but going deeper into the book, a increasingly hints at a a future event. But that allurement still doesn't cover up that this book can be pretty bogged down or dull. idk, it was a jog to get through 2/3rd of this. Blood and cruelty spill into the kindness and manners that provide Coates’ town a quaint, charming appeal... That Texas Blood is a ghost story and a Western, and it questions whether there is a difference between the two. As it builds upon the legacy of other modern Westerns, which raised similar questions, it’s not difficult to see how the series may stand comfortably upon the shoulders of giants.” — ComicBook.com That Texas Blood #7 Cover A by Phillips (Diamond Code APR210194) and That Texas Blood #7 Cover by Marc Aspinall (Diamond Code APR210195) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, June 30.

In That Texas Blood #7, Joe Bob reminisces about one of his first cases: a haunting and bizarre evening that left a boy dead, a girl missing, a cult on the loose, and introduced a mysterious man called Harlan Eversaul. If one gets at once fond of Joe Bob-and Martha and Flores to an extent, Randy is way too underdeveloped for the reader to really care about him. Condon uses a very clipped text narration-third person, short sentences- quite opposed to Ed Brukaker’s (of course Brubaker would be cited somewhere, what did you expect?). It clearly doesn’t help "feeling" Randy. Oddly he doesnt do the same with Joe Bob. I understand that Joe Bob is somewhat the common thread of what Condon wants to develop but secondary main characters should be more focused on, if only to get the reader interested in them. As our Sheriff made his way around town, it started to dawn on me what the writing and artwork were accomplishing. Like any great modern-day Western, it isn’t flashy, but by the end of the story, you realize you’ve experienced something special. I’m not from Texas, but I am from the South, and I can say that I’ve been in this world. I’ve met these people. I’ve experienced the heat that this comic perfectly encapsulates. Everything the story wants to do, it does, and it does it to perfection.I guess I thought it was a horror thing but it being a sun-baked and boozy neo-noir makes all the sense in the world too. It’s basically Blood Simple: The Comic. Equal parts The Coens and Brubaker, filtered through the pen of a native (at least I’m pretty sure Condon is Texan. You don’t get this woefully and beautifully specific about the feeling of BEING Texan without actually being one). Phillips added: “We are taking a deeper dive into the world of Ambrose County, blowing off some of that desert dust and seeing what lurks beneath.” Overall great stuff. I think this will attract many Brubaker comparisons because of the plot and the art work but this has a ton of merit beyond that. Jacob Phillips and Chris Condon have their own flair for telling a story like this. Brubaker would nod in approval at one of his chapter titles, such as from Act Two, Scene One of Hamlet: “More grief to hide than hate to utter love.”