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That Texas Blood
That Texas Blood, Vol. 1
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. Michael Lark (LAZARUS, Daredevil) calls the series "The best damn comic I've read in years."
167 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
January 16, 2021
Despite Ambrose County, Texas being a small town, it has more than its fair share of violence! And it seems violence only begets more violence, as a man returns to identify his estranged brother’s death, likely at the hands of some local mobsters, That Texas Blood stirs, and suddenly vengeance is on the cards!
“Well…”
… which is a phrase oft repeated in this book - that was surprising. Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips’ That Texas Blood, Volume 1 is one helluva debut! Like father, like son, Jacob Phillips, like his dad Sean, has found a great Ed Brubaker-esque partner in Chris Condon to produce what could easily be a new addition to the Criminal library.
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.
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.
There are some criticisms to be had, but no dealbreakers to stop this being a cracking comic. As skillful as Condon’s writing is, his clipped style can lead to some underwriting - Ray’s motivations in the opening story are unclear, as are the traumas of Randy’s childhood that haunt him so. The flipside is Joe Bob’s rambling dream story which is overlong, predictable and goes nowhere.
Randy descends into his old self pretty darned quickly and decides to throw his new life away on nothing more than a hunch, which makes his revenge plan seem a little astoopid. I didn’t really understand his motivations either - if he hated his brother Travis so much, why go to such lengths to avenge him, particularly as it means his own future’s certain destruction? And the direction everything goes in this book is grim and gratuitously grimmer, which is the de facto direction of crime stories, and, while fine for the most part, still make the stories here less memorable because they’re such obvious choices.
Well. Anyway. That Texas Blood, Volume 1 is still a terrific read and I enjoyed the hell out of it, blitzing through it in one sitting. Thank jeebus there’s more than one great creative team at Image capable of churning out quality crime comics! If you enjoy Brubaker/Phillips’ comics and/or Cormac McCarthy’s novels, you’ll definitely want to check this bad boy out.
(Cowboy hat tip to L McCoy for the rec)
“Well…”
… which is a phrase oft repeated in this book - that was surprising. Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips’ That Texas Blood, Volume 1 is one helluva debut! Like father, like son, Jacob Phillips, like his dad Sean, has found a great Ed Brubaker-esque partner in Chris Condon to produce what could easily be a new addition to the Criminal library.
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.
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.
There are some criticisms to be had, but no dealbreakers to stop this being a cracking comic. As skillful as Condon’s writing is, his clipped style can lead to some underwriting - Ray’s motivations in the opening story are unclear, as are the traumas of Randy’s childhood that haunt him so. The flipside is Joe Bob’s rambling dream story which is overlong, predictable and goes nowhere.
Randy descends into his old self pretty darned quickly and decides to throw his new life away on nothing more than a hunch, which makes his revenge plan seem a little astoopid. I didn’t really understand his motivations either - if he hated his brother Travis so much, why go to such lengths to avenge him, particularly as it means his own future’s certain destruction? And the direction everything goes in this book is grim and gratuitously grimmer, which is the de facto direction of crime stories, and, while fine for the most part, still make the stories here less memorable because they’re such obvious choices.
Well. Anyway. That Texas Blood, Volume 1 is still a terrific read and I enjoyed the hell out of it, blitzing through it in one sitting. Thank jeebus there’s more than one great creative team at Image capable of churning out quality crime comics! If you enjoy Brubaker/Phillips’ comics and/or Cormac McCarthy’s novels, you’ll definitely want to check this bad boy out.
(Cowboy hat tip to L McCoy for the rec)
September 12, 2022
“You ain’t got that Texas blood.” Different country, different rules.
“The American Dream’s bastard brother: Texas."
“Well”--the most common response of Sheriff Joe Bob Coates to anything.
Sheriff Joe Bob just turned 70; he lives in Ambrose County, Texas; he’s likable, aw shucks, tryin’ to quit smokin,’ has a good relationship with his wife. He don’t say much. Just tryin’ t’ do his job.
Randy Terrill used to live there but he got out, started his life over again in California, here I come. But he goes back when he finds out his brother Travis is dead.
Then Randy finds out from the Sheriff that Travis was actually killed. So the Sheriff has a murder case on his hands, and Randy would seem to suddenly be spiraling right back to become the guy he was when he lived there. Bad Randy. It’s in the blood, I guess. Then, there’s a lot of other Texas blood that gets spilled.
This is the first volume of what promises to be a terrific crime comics series in the tradition of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, such as their Pulp (also western) comic. And there’s good reason for mentioning them, the top of the line crime comics team in history, since Jacob did color work on some recent volumes of their most recent Criminal volumes, and Jacob is Sean’s son. And he is really good, having learned at Daddy’s knee. The resemblances are evident and admirable.
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.
There’s homespun, down-home humor you might see as cliched, but I think even Texans might enjoy it as fun. Joe Bob kills a rattlesnake with a shovel--hey, why dint he jus’ shoot it?! Joe Bob is every older tightlipped western sheriff you ever saw or read about, but he’s real and really likable. Little touches, too: We see a woman in a t-shirt that reads “Everything's Bigger in Texas.” Someone says, “Better to seem a fool than to open up your mouth and remove all doubt.”
“Fate can be fatal.”
“This place. It’s a magnet. A trap. Like an incubator for all the bad stuff in life.”
“I want to destroy it all.”
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.”
Thanks to Sam Q, as he put it on his best of the year comics list, without which I would have passed this by. Now it’s likely on my 2022 list.
“The American Dream’s bastard brother: Texas."
“Well”--the most common response of Sheriff Joe Bob Coates to anything.
Sheriff Joe Bob just turned 70; he lives in Ambrose County, Texas; he’s likable, aw shucks, tryin’ to quit smokin,’ has a good relationship with his wife. He don’t say much. Just tryin’ t’ do his job.
Randy Terrill used to live there but he got out, started his life over again in California, here I come. But he goes back when he finds out his brother Travis is dead.
Then Randy finds out from the Sheriff that Travis was actually killed. So the Sheriff has a murder case on his hands, and Randy would seem to suddenly be spiraling right back to become the guy he was when he lived there. Bad Randy. It’s in the blood, I guess. Then, there’s a lot of other Texas blood that gets spilled.
This is the first volume of what promises to be a terrific crime comics series in the tradition of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, such as their Pulp (also western) comic. And there’s good reason for mentioning them, the top of the line crime comics team in history, since Jacob did color work on some recent volumes of their most recent Criminal volumes, and Jacob is Sean’s son. And he is really good, having learned at Daddy’s knee. The resemblances are evident and admirable.
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.
There’s homespun, down-home humor you might see as cliched, but I think even Texans might enjoy it as fun. Joe Bob kills a rattlesnake with a shovel--hey, why dint he jus’ shoot it?! Joe Bob is every older tightlipped western sheriff you ever saw or read about, but he’s real and really likable. Little touches, too: We see a woman in a t-shirt that reads “Everything's Bigger in Texas.” Someone says, “Better to seem a fool than to open up your mouth and remove all doubt.”
“Fate can be fatal.”
“This place. It’s a magnet. A trap. Like an incubator for all the bad stuff in life.”
“I want to destroy it all.”
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.”
Thanks to Sam Q, as he put it on his best of the year comics list, without which I would have passed this by. Now it’s likely on my 2022 list.
January 27, 2025
7.2/10
This is a good, classic, crime-noir story. The strength of this book however doesn't come from the plot, which is fairly simple, but from the fleshed out characters. The dialogues feel natural, and you can put a distinctive voice on each person.
With that also helps the art that matches the tone of the writing perfectly.
I am very interested to see what Condon and Phillips have for us next.
This is a good, classic, crime-noir story. The strength of this book however doesn't come from the plot, which is fairly simple, but from the fleshed out characters. The dialogues feel natural, and you can put a distinctive voice on each person.
With that also helps the art that matches the tone of the writing perfectly.
I am very interested to see what Condon and Phillips have for us next.
December 7, 2020
Holy fuck! This is the author’s first comic? Well, I’ll definitely be looking for more of his work.
What’s it about?
There’s this guy who’s brother dies. The main character goes back to his hometown in Texas and it turns out that this death leads to some pretty intense and complicated shit. Look guys, I’m trying not to spoil too much, read the book, okay?
Why it gets 5-stars:
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!
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.
The characters are very well written and interesting throughout!
This book, as I already said, is very intense throughout.
This book has some twisty surprises. At first I was kinda thinking it was predictable but then the final half or so of the last issue in this arc completely shocked me.
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.
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).
Mixed thoughts:
Because the main character of the story is a writer there’s a prose story that’s meant to be something that the character wrote. So I don’t like when people mix comics and prose in one book and it is a rather slow story included but on the other hand it’s understandable in context of the comic’s story and it does get interesting so in the end, I think it works. I will note: having read this in single issues and waiting each month for the next one, that probably helped me not mind as much, I kinda hope Image puts this bit at the end of the book when it’s released as a full trade. I would have probably been more annoyed if it was at the end of each issue if I was just trying to get to the next part of the story I’m reading in a trade.
Overall:
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.
This is a great story with well written characters, a very intense tone, some good twists at the end and nicely done artwork.
Highly recommended!
5/5
What’s it about?
There’s this guy who’s brother dies. The main character goes back to his hometown in Texas and it turns out that this death leads to some pretty intense and complicated shit. Look guys, I’m trying not to spoil too much, read the book, okay?
Why it gets 5-stars:
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!
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.
The characters are very well written and interesting throughout!
This book, as I already said, is very intense throughout.
This book has some twisty surprises. At first I was kinda thinking it was predictable but then the final half or so of the last issue in this arc completely shocked me.
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.
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).
Mixed thoughts:
Because the main character of the story is a writer there’s a prose story that’s meant to be something that the character wrote. So I don’t like when people mix comics and prose in one book and it is a rather slow story included but on the other hand it’s understandable in context of the comic’s story and it does get interesting so in the end, I think it works. I will note: having read this in single issues and waiting each month for the next one, that probably helped me not mind as much, I kinda hope Image puts this bit at the end of the book when it’s released as a full trade. I would have probably been more annoyed if it was at the end of each issue if I was just trying to get to the next part of the story I’m reading in a trade.
Overall:
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.
This is a great story with well written characters, a very intense tone, some good twists at the end and nicely done artwork.
Highly recommended!
5/5
February 20, 2021
I came into this expecting I'd like it quite a bit. I didn't. It was okay.
It's probably unfair to compare this to Criminal just because a member of the Phillips family is drawing, but it looks and feels like a Criminal story and that's what it seems like it wants to be. But the story part never really hits in the same way. Hell, the main character's narrative arc is nearly the same as Tracy Lawless. But the reason for Tracy's return and stay felt earned in a way it didn't here.
It's Criminal lite.
It's probably unfair to compare this to Criminal just because a member of the Phillips family is drawing, but it looks and feels like a Criminal story and that's what it seems like it wants to be. But the story part never really hits in the same way. Hell, the main character's narrative arc is nearly the same as Tracy Lawless. But the reason for Tracy's return and stay felt earned in a way it didn't here.
It's Criminal lite.
January 27, 2021
Obviously Chris grew up reading Brubaker's worth because...this is Brubaker-Lite.
That's not a bad thing. In fact more comics that feature brutal crime stories is a good thing to me. When a brother comes into an old town to find out what happened, everyone begins betraying everyone. Deaths pile up quick, revenge is on everyone's mind.
And here's the thing. I couldn't get invested in the characters at all. Everyone fell flat for me. The art? Amazing. The dialogue? Solid. But I didn't care to root or like anyone.
Also...and I know this was done on purpose (I believe so anyway) but if one more fucking person said "Well" I was going to fucking KILL SOMEONE!!!!
Anyway, it was solid but I feel a little let down overall.
That's not a bad thing. In fact more comics that feature brutal crime stories is a good thing to me. When a brother comes into an old town to find out what happened, everyone begins betraying everyone. Deaths pile up quick, revenge is on everyone's mind.
And here's the thing. I couldn't get invested in the characters at all. Everyone fell flat for me. The art? Amazing. The dialogue? Solid. But I didn't care to root or like anyone.
Also...and I know this was done on purpose (I believe so anyway) but if one more fucking person said "Well" I was going to fucking KILL SOMEONE!!!!
Anyway, it was solid but I feel a little let down overall.
February 19, 2021
Good rural noir. Imperfections but I have great expectations for the next volume.
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.
Condon leaves much to the reader’s imagination. So much that some parts remain blurry. For starter Randy’s motivation to go back to Texas are very unclear considering he doesn’t seem to like his brother much. So why should he get sucked into such a spiral of violence.
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.
Some ellipses are unclear and if the use of silent pages adds tension in the narration I feel like some of them could have been used to explain things better. Better still, it should have been 1 issue longer.
Well.
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.
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.
I’m really looking forward to reading the next volume.
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.
Condon leaves much to the reader’s imagination. So much that some parts remain blurry. For starter Randy’s motivation to go back to Texas are very unclear considering he doesn’t seem to like his brother much. So why should he get sucked into such a spiral of violence.
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.
Some ellipses are unclear and if the use of silent pages adds tension in the narration I feel like some of them could have been used to explain things better. Better still, it should have been 1 issue longer.
Well.
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.
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.
I’m really looking forward to reading the next volume.
October 9, 2021
Хотів якийсь жестячковий детектив і антураж Техасу, то отримав це з головою, прочитавши першу сюжетну арку коміксу «Ця техаська кров» («That Texas Blood») від сценариста Кріса Кондона й художника Джейкоба Філліпса.
Історія розповідає про Джо, шерифа в середині 70-х років у вигаданому окрузі Амброуз, штат Техас, чий звичайний день погіршується, коли його плани на день народження змінює неочікуване самогубство. Паралельно ми зустрічаємося з Ренді, який повертається додому в Техас через звістку про смерть брата, категорично відмовивши в проханні своєї дівчини поїхати з ним. Потрапивши назад у місце свого дитинства, він починає втрачати контроль над собою й повертається до колишнього «я» з минулого. Те, що в назві коміксу міститься слово кров не просто так, адже перша смерть на сторінках цієї арки — це лише верхівка айсберга в чорній дірі, у яку ми спускаємося з Ренді та Джо, коли кожен з них намагається розв’язати вузол, що приховує таємниці навколо загибелі жителя містечка.
Від початку до кінця комікс читається досить добре. З огляду на світ, який побудував Кондон, кожен персонаж відчувається правдоподібним. Єдине, що мене відштовхувало — на скільки швидко божевілля Ренді взяло гору над ним. Це, мабуть, єдиний герой, який виглядав занадто награним. Також у мене склалося таке враження, що це містечко на грані вимирання. І на фоні цього, цікаво слідкувати за шерифом Джо, який наполегливо бореться проти віку та інших перешкод, щоби правильно й добре виконувати свою роботу. Мені воно гарно перегукувалося між собою.
«Ця техаський кров» — це повільний і атмосферний кримінальний детектив, який поступово розкриває секрети містечка та сюжетних подій. Який показує, наскільки важкими можуть бути рішення, коли демони минулого з’являються знову. На скільки важко жити в болі і страху, заручником у своєму домі та в місті, без змоги вирватися із цього пекла. А ще ж хороша робота художника Джейкоба Філіпса. Одним словом вийшов досить класний комікс у своєму жанрі.
Історія розповідає про Джо, шерифа в середині 70-х років у вигаданому окрузі Амброуз, штат Техас, чий звичайний день погіршується, коли його плани на день народження змінює неочікуване самогубство. Паралельно ми зустрічаємося з Ренді, який повертається додому в Техас через звістку про смерть брата, категорично відмовивши в проханні своєї дівчини поїхати з ним. Потрапивши назад у місце свого дитинства, він починає втрачати контроль над собою й повертається до колишнього «я» з минулого. Те, що в назві коміксу міститься слово кров не просто так, адже перша смерть на сторінках цієї арки — це лише верхівка айсберга в чорній дірі, у яку ми спускаємося з Ренді та Джо, коли кожен з них намагається розв’язати вузол, що приховує таємниці навколо загибелі жителя містечка.
Від початку до кінця комікс читається досить добре. З огляду на світ, який побудував Кондон, кожен персонаж відчувається правдоподібним. Єдине, що мене відштовхувало — на скільки швидко божевілля Ренді взяло гору над ним. Це, мабуть, єдиний герой, який виглядав занадто награним. Також у мене склалося таке враження, що це містечко на грані вимирання. І на фоні цього, цікаво слідкувати за шерифом Джо, який наполегливо бореться проти віку та інших перешкод, щоби правильно й добре виконувати свою роботу. Мені воно гарно перегукувалося між собою.
«Ця техаський кров» — це повільний і атмосферний кримінальний детектив, який поступово розкриває секрети містечка та сюжетних подій. Який показує, наскільки важкими можуть бути рішення, коли демони минулого з’являються знову. На скільки важко жити в болі і страху, заручником у своєму домі та в місті, без змоги вирватися із цього пекла. А ще ж хороша робота художника Джейкоба Філіпса. Одним словом вийшов досить класний комікс у своєму жанрі.
August 31, 2021
This book is hard to score. On one hand, you have the fact that it’s well written and paced out with a slow burn. Artwork is solid. I liked the Sheriff. But on the other hand, you go through all of this and get to the ending just to be like………oh……OK, that’s it? Maybe the writer was hoping the plot twist would bring it all together, but the end didn’t really do much for me.
March 5, 2024
4.5 Stars
For a debut, these guys killed it. I'll be staying far away from Texas after reading this one.
Condon nails the Texas lingo and dialogue is superb. Jacob Phillips draws a nice book. The overall story is very similar in the telling and pacing to their mentors Brubaker and Sean Phillips. I'll keep showing up for these as long as they keep making them if this is the beginning curve of their careers than this could be quite the creator team.
For a debut, these guys killed it. I'll be staying far away from Texas after reading this one.
Condon nails the Texas lingo and dialogue is superb. Jacob Phillips draws a nice book. The overall story is very similar in the telling and pacing to their mentors Brubaker and Sean Phillips. I'll keep showing up for these as long as they keep making them if this is the beginning curve of their careers than this could be quite the creator team.
June 8, 2022
That Texas Blood is clearly meant to be in the mold of an Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips special (it's even drawn by Sean's son). In comparison to the masters, it's certainly no contest. On its own, though, That Texas Blood is pretty good.
The best character is straight out of No Country for Old Men, an aging sheriff whose favorite phrase is "Well." Other characters are less distinguished, but still interesting. A writer has returned to his Texas home to see off his recently deceased brother. There's something in the Texas air, though, that turns a good man bad.
That Texas Blood rarely veers from the traditional noir path. Things go bad, then go worse. A knock against the book (and an area where Brubaker/Phillips excel) is that the twists are unsurprising and the voiceover is awkward and heavy-handed. This is clearly Condon/Phillips first crack at the concept, though it's perfectly decent. I'm hoping the next volume kicks things up a notch.
The best character is straight out of No Country for Old Men, an aging sheriff whose favorite phrase is "Well." Other characters are less distinguished, but still interesting. A writer has returned to his Texas home to see off his recently deceased brother. There's something in the Texas air, though, that turns a good man bad.
That Texas Blood rarely veers from the traditional noir path. Things go bad, then go worse. A knock against the book (and an area where Brubaker/Phillips excel) is that the twists are unsurprising and the voiceover is awkward and heavy-handed. This is clearly Condon/Phillips first crack at the concept, though it's perfectly decent. I'm hoping the next volume kicks things up a notch.
September 28, 2022
When a reprobate cowboy turns up dead in rural Texas, his straightlaced brother returns from California to investigate the murder, and gets sucked into the black hole of violence and hopelessness that he'd escaped in the first place. A too-old-for-this-shit sheriff tries to keep the county from blowing apart.
Man, the characters just jump off the page. You can practically hear them speaking.
Condon's plotting is relatively straightforward, but only in retrospect; I had no idea where we were going to end up until we got there. Elegant, that.
Jacob Phillips' illustration work is beautiful, he does his father proud here. Perfect fit for western noir.
Man, the characters just jump off the page. You can practically hear them speaking.
Condon's plotting is relatively straightforward, but only in retrospect; I had no idea where we were going to end up until we got there. Elegant, that.
Jacob Phillips' illustration work is beautiful, he does his father proud here. Perfect fit for western noir.
January 12, 2021
As the aging sheriff of Ambrose County, Texas, Joe Bob Coates questions his effectiveness in his lawful position following a highway confrontation involving a casserole dish and the mysterious death of local rogue Travis Terrill. When Los Angeles-based writer Randy Terrill finds out the news of his brother’s demise, he returns to his abandoned home to find out what really happened.
Please click here for my full review.
Please click here for my full review.
January 3, 2021
Bleak, lonely, and desolate, like the best of Cormac McCarthy.
March 24, 2025
If the Coen brothers got their hands on this it would make a wild miniseries. The violence is less intense - just classic shoot and kill, vengeance story.
The violence of a drugged out gangster brings his brother, who grew up the same but escaped to a sober hipster life in California, back home to Texas. Great artwork and an interesting story. I agree with some of the other comments but the “twist” isn’t mind blowing but the story kept my attention throughout. Picking up the second trade now!
The violence of a drugged out gangster brings his brother, who grew up the same but escaped to a sober hipster life in California, back home to Texas. Great artwork and an interesting story. I agree with some of the other comments but the “twist” isn’t mind blowing but the story kept my attention throughout. Picking up the second trade now!
May 26, 2024
Whoa!
August 9, 2021
I was in the comic book store picking up our weekly funnies when I stumbled across That Texas Blood. I’m a sucker for crime fiction and comics - it’s no mistake that my favorite superhero is the street-level brawler Daredevil - and this one seemed particularly intense. I asked the woman running the shop to order me the first trade. I was not wrong around the particularly intense.
This first chapter - almost a foreword - delicately introduces us to Texas sheriff Joe Bob Coates, on the morning of his 70th birthday. His wife wants him to go pick up a casserole dish she’d leant to some young neighbors. That this ends in violence and bloodshed is a good indicator as to how the comic is going to play out.
The meat of the first arc concerns a man named Ray, who escaped Ambrose County, his bad habits, and his awful brother years before. His girlfriend doesn’t want him to go back home after a mysterious phone call informs him about his brother’s death, but she doesn’t entirely grasp that the boyfriend she knows is not the whole story.
The second Ray is back in Ambrose County, things turn immediately bad, and things get even more interesting. We’re introduced to the town heavies. We meet Deputy Flores, Sheriff Coats’ handpicked partner. And we get deeper into what makes this a gothic tale of dark pasts and lost people.
There were a few moments in this story - particularly the dream sequences - that are legitimately terrifying. I read it late last night and was too scared to turn off the light. But all of it adds up to a fantastic self-contained story, and as an introduction to what other horrors might come. I’m ready.
August 24, 2025
A brooding slice of Texas noir that blends murder, memory, and the weight of regret. Chris Condon’s storytelling captures the slow-burn menace of small-town life, while Jacob Phillips’ moody art and colors bring Ambrose County to life with grit and unease. Part crime thriller, part character study. A strong start to what feels like a long, winding road through Texas darkness.
January 11, 2021
A gritty and pulpy descent into madness that somehow feels very fresh. I loved it top to bottom.
March 31, 2023
A true Texas crime story, but nothing I haven't seen before. It feels like it's doing a impression of Brubaker/Phillips without the memorability. Paints small town Texas life a certain way, even if some aspects could easily be fleshed out more.
June 15, 2022
“Something is rotten in the state of Texas,” says the blurb on the back cover, and ain’t it the truth? Texas is just about the worst place in the U.S. right now, and if you’re from Texas, sorry, but go ahead and prove me wrong by electing some officials who aren’t maniacs or liars or morons.
Anyhoo, That Texas Blood is an Image graphic novel loosely structured along the lines of Hamlet with equal parts Cormac McCarthy and True Detective thrown in for good measure. I know…that sounds pretty good, right? Well, let’s see how the second volume goes because this one is a tad dull, the art is rather pedestrian, and the characters feel underdeveloped, with the exception of sheriff Joe Bob Coates who turns 70 on the first page of the book and does not have a very happy birthday. Coates is modeled way too closely on Ed Tom Bell of McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, but that’s okay. I hope he shows back up in Volume 2.
Anyhoo, That Texas Blood is an Image graphic novel loosely structured along the lines of Hamlet with equal parts Cormac McCarthy and True Detective thrown in for good measure. I know…that sounds pretty good, right? Well, let’s see how the second volume goes because this one is a tad dull, the art is rather pedestrian, and the characters feel underdeveloped, with the exception of sheriff Joe Bob Coates who turns 70 on the first page of the book and does not have a very happy birthday. Coates is modeled way too closely on Ed Tom Bell of McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, but that’s okay. I hope he shows back up in Volume 2.
January 31, 2021
This had all the makings of a home run for me: a wizened sheriff a la No Country for Old Men, a small Texas town w/ violence worthy of a Jim Thompson book or Blood Simple, but the story floundered and listlessly shifted between characters, hoping its lifted grittiness and solid art were enough to keep it afloat, but it just didn't work for me.
October 18, 2022
I can't say I was very impressed with this, though the creative team of Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips has some good instincts. They make the most of their Texas setting, whether in an early scene where the elderly sheriff has to kill a rattlesnake in a resident's yard, or in the occasional wordless panels that just depict the county's dusty streets, its nearly empty gas stations and diners, and the surrounding desert. The artwork isn't exactly my style- there's a kind of scratchiness to it, lots of short lines that make it seem as though the characters are always in motion, and maybe it's the Texas setting that caused me to contrast it unfavorably with the relatively plain and direct artwork Steve Dillon (RIP) used to do for Preacher- but it's not distractingly bad, either. No, my real problem with this volume is that Condon takes a pleasantly familiar set-up from a shelf in the crime/noir warehouse- the domesticated guy (in this case named Randy) who has to go back to a sinister hometown to solve a mystery and/or put something right- and doesn't do anything idiosyncratic or surprising with it. The only thing that surprised me, frankly, was just how by-the-numbers and bland I found the story. None of the characters- whether the aforementioned sheriff Joe Bob, Randy, or the generic cowboy-hat-wearing bad guy who owns a ranch and beats up the local women and shoots pool with some generic no-good buddies in the local saloon- are very distinctive, and Randy's gradual (except it's not presented gradually at all) reversion from city-dwelling yuppie back to smash-a-bottle-over-your-head Texas wildman is handled extremely unsubtly in my opinion, narrated by some truly cliched and melodramatic prose: "Locked away with the truth. The truth that under the clothes...under the haircut, the glasses, the clean shave...under the tedious and well-groomed facade...you're just a goddamn animal." But the more Condon's overwrought narration tried to gin up an atmosphere of depraved violence, the more he seemed to highlight the story's essential blandness and lack of transgression.
I was reminded while reading this that I never got into Image (the comic company) titles as a kid- the artists were always hyped by Wizard magazine, but seemed unable to turn out issues on a monthly basis. In addition, I remember the stories often being weak. Sorry to say that this volume reinforces my stereotype of the company- the weak story part, not the habitual lateness. That said, some of the elements show promise. It's a great title and a great idea for a comic, Condon seems capable of telling a story that at least hangs together, and his ending suggests a sensibility that I think is appropriate for tales of crime set in the Lone Star State. I appreciated the attempt to tap into the violent mythology of the place, the suggestion that Randy's return and what it precipitated were as timeless and inevitable as a fable. And I liked the scene of the sheriff and his deputy smoking cigs after it was all over (or the deputy watching the sheriff smoke, rather), reflecting on the case and its tragic outcome. That's a cliche as well, but at least Condon picks some of the cliches I enjoy. Maybe in the next volume he'll take his knowledge of these cliches and do something a little more distinctive with them.
July 31, 2022
Just when it seems like no other creative team will challenge the supremacy of crime comics duo Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, THAT TEXAS BLOOD comes out. Simply brilliant! This may be my absolute favorite crime comic of 2021, and I've read several outstanding entries. Artist Jason Phillips is the son of Sean Phillips, and that influence is all over his outstanding illustrations here.
Issue #1 is an amazing standalone tale that introduces Joseph Coates, the 70-year old sheriff of desert-like and small-town area of Ambrose County, Texas. Coates has some amusing idiosyncrasies to go along with the casual neighborly way he handles his job. He's feeling his years, and begins to doubt his abilities to continue doing his job properly. A great introductory issue.
Things really kick off in the remaining five issues of the first story arc, as Randy Terrill returns to Ambrose County after his brother dies, where he learns in a conversation with Sheriff Coates that a murder investigation is underway. Randy's sordid past comes back to haunt him, and he decides to stay and ivestigate on his own, a dangerous path that brings back past memories and regrets and puts him on a downward spiral.
The text commentary by writer Chris Condon really nails the meaning of several of these scenes, kind of symbolic and poetic at the same time. Makes you wonder if the main character of this book is Coates, Randy, or the state of Texas itself. It's that Texas blood, quite the influence.
I believe Sheriff Coates returns for Volume Two, so that may be the answer.
Issue #1 is an amazing standalone tale that introduces Joseph Coates, the 70-year old sheriff of desert-like and small-town area of Ambrose County, Texas. Coates has some amusing idiosyncrasies to go along with the casual neighborly way he handles his job. He's feeling his years, and begins to doubt his abilities to continue doing his job properly. A great introductory issue.
Things really kick off in the remaining five issues of the first story arc, as Randy Terrill returns to Ambrose County after his brother dies, where he learns in a conversation with Sheriff Coates that a murder investigation is underway. Randy's sordid past comes back to haunt him, and he decides to stay and ivestigate on his own, a dangerous path that brings back past memories and regrets and puts him on a downward spiral.
The text commentary by writer Chris Condon really nails the meaning of several of these scenes, kind of symbolic and poetic at the same time. Makes you wonder if the main character of this book is Coates, Randy, or the state of Texas itself. It's that Texas blood, quite the influence.
I believe Sheriff Coates returns for Volume Two, so that may be the answer.
January 12, 2023
The latest volume seem to be making peoples top of the year lists, but I am not all that interested in it. A man goes home to Texas when his brother dies and regresses to who he was before he left. A shitheel drinker who drowned in anger and made piss poor decisions. Which he promptly does again, in a pretty predictable way. I guess if you haven’t ever read revenge stories, especially set in Texas, this might be interesting.
But if you have, as I have, it’s pretty stock, I’d say. Interesting that it continues beyond the logical end point. Perhaps the developments later on are outside of this pretty lacklustre arc. It would take someone really selling me on the next volume to pick it up. Do live the colour palette and art in general though.
But if you have, as I have, it’s pretty stock, I’d say. Interesting that it continues beyond the logical end point. Perhaps the developments later on are outside of this pretty lacklustre arc. It would take someone really selling me on the next volume to pick it up. Do live the colour palette and art in general though.
November 5, 2025
This is an excellent western noir book that reads like Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips' Criminal series and its nearly as good. Ambrose County Texas is small but that doesn't mean its problems are. Drugs, murder, suicide, and all nature of violence are present and elderly sheriff Joe Bob Coates is in the middle of it. Here, he has to deal with a wayward son of the town come back to deal with his brother's murder and his own demons. The book is incredibly dark and mostly sad. Characters are gritty and real. This world created here reads like an FX series. Jacob Phillips' art is perfect for the story. Overall, a very good read.
February 17, 2021
What an awesome story. This reads like a mix of Ed Brubaker and Cormac McCarthy, though less wordy than Brubaker. This is tightly written and highly engaging - it will suck you right in and won’t let go. I can’t wait to read what Condon has in store next.
October 20, 2021
A well-executed story that should appeal to fans of Longmire, Justified, or '90s crime thrillers like One False Move.
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