Immersive and bold, That Texas Blood will resonate with anyone thirsting for a full bodied, neo-western noir.” — Multiversity Comics

I think it tries a bit too hard to emulate the feel of a Brubaker/Phillips book but it as a damn good copy. 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).

That Texas Blood, vol. 2 - Collects #7-12. "Sheriff Joe Bob Coates travels down the long and winding road of memory to a dark night in 1981 that saw a boy killed, a girl missing, and a mad cult on the loose in Ambrose County, Texas." - NOV210187 - WorldCat - ISBN 9781534321694 - Kindle 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. 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.

Chris Condon, the writer and apparent mentee of Brubaker, is also good in this first volume. The story is called by some western noir, and I guess that fits. Condon’s story isn’t as layered or filled with as many pop culture references or is quite as clever as Brubaker’s work, but that is the highest standard. Condon has a nice ear for dialogue and a sense of humor echoing Brubaker: A casserole dish is featured as punchline for a macabre joke. After an excellent first issue that made me think of No country for old men all the way and which introduced laconic and elderly sheriff Joe Bob we plunge into a typical revenge story. It’s good, it’s violent, it’s noir but it’s not without flaws. Our protagonist, 70-year old Sheriff Joe Bob Coates while going on with his regular duties is pressured by his wife to ask their neighbor in the community for a casserole dish. And you will soon discover why this is important. Overall, it was a good start. It still was kind of bleak and dull, which kinda was the point with capturing the lifestyle of this community, but subtly builds up a mystery through this casserole dish that explodes in the last 3rd of the comic. 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.

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. 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). There’s a few comic relief moments that actually help the book in a way. Like, they feel like things that could happen or be said in this and it doesn’t take away from the seriousness of the story, it feels like a possible realistic thing to happen. Sorta similar to the comic relief bits in a lot of Stephen King stories. 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…

ThatTexasBlood has a lot of that more-behind-what-it-shows air of mystery to it. i actually even thought there would be more supernatural affectations to it but that turns out to be some storytelling motif.

And yet, despite those issues, Condon knows how to write 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. 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, vol. 3 - Collects #14-19. "As a winter storm looms over Ambrose County in January of 1992, a local woman's body is discovered and believed to be the latest victim of a horrifying West Texas serial murderer known as the Red Queen Killer." - NOV220157 - WorldCat - ISBN 9781534323520 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.” 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.

Jacob Phillips have been taught well and impressively stands out as a future worthy successor to his father. I’ll admit I’m not too fond of the way he colors for now but I’m pretty sure it’ll pass with time. That Texas Blood, vol. 1 - Collects #1-6. "Sheriff Joe Bob Coates questions his effectiveness as the aging lawman of Ambrose County, Texas as chaos descends following an explosive highway confrontation and the mysterious death of local rogue Travis Terrill." - OCT200050 - WorldCat - ISBN 9781534318069 - Kindle Except I don’t remember Brubaker being this good so early in his career. This doesn’t read like a newcomer comic at all - Condon’s storytelling is so damned confident and polished, from the fast-moving, exciting story, to the sharp characterisation and effortless dialogue, this reads like a veteran comics writer at the helm. It’s really impressive.

This book is great! I’m no awards expert so can’t say for sure but with this level of greatness from new creators in comics, I would be surprised if these guys aren’t future Eisner award winners. The art is good. So it’s drawn by Jacob Phillips, who is the son of Sean Phillips. Having been a fan of Sean’s art for a while, it’s pretty obvious that while it is definitely different, Jacob was probably inspired by and learned a lot from his father. I think he’ll definitely be getting a lot of jobs in the family business and I look forward to seeing it.