Write It in Blood

by Rory McConville, Joe Palmer (Artist), Chris O'Halloran (Artist)

On the eve of their retirement, two hitmen - Cosmo and Arthur Pryce - drive through the Texas countryside with the infamous Little Harkness in the trunk of their car. The brothers are meant to deliver Harkness to their boss, but matters become complicated when Arthur's recklessness jeopardises Cosmo's retirement plans and puts a target on their backs. A tragicomic crime tale of family loyalty and broken dreams from RORY MCCONVILLE (Judge Dredd), JOE PALMER (2000 AD) and CHRIS O'HALLORAN (ICE CREAM MAN).

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Fiction, Noir, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

136 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2021

About the author

Rory McConville has been working in the comic book industry since he was sixteen. In that time he has written for DC Comics, Newbold Enterprises, Shadowline Comics and Fan-Atic Press. He currently studies English and History at University College Cork.

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A local crime story, concerning a burgeoning war between several local crime families, but more specifically the love story of two brothers. Cosmo and Arthur Pryce are the kind of mercenaries who will do the dirty for you, while babbling in a near-constant stream of Coen Brothersesque dialogue. And that's also the best part of the book - the dialogue moves, it is funny, it is sad. One suprising negative effect is maybe that some of the other characters feel a bit underwritten.



The story itself is the usual crime fare, which is in no way meant as a negative, more that the book follows genre conventions.



The art reminds me of Mike Mignola, in its use of contrasts and black space, without ever being derivative.



One thing I've found myself having a real hard time with, is remembering the title. It's so bland to be almost non-existant. (Perhaps linked to this - not a huge fan of the cover art either, for the same reason).

3.5 stars

(Picked up an ARC from Edelweiss)

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't there a movie based on this, almost exactly? Cursed brothers dodging bullets through the violent west...

Short, graphic, a Shakespearean play. Actually, quite elegant now that I think about it...

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere in Texas, hitmen brothers Cosmo and Arthur Pryce are pulling the proverbial "one last job" for their crime boss before retiring to a peaceful life in the suburbs. Of course, complications arise and blood is spilled as everything escalates to a full out gang war with everyone chasing after the Pryces.

It's a slight bit of crime fiction kept afloat by the bickering between the brothers and a small bit of dark irony after all the bodies have hit the ground.

[Valéria. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krátke ale k veci. Príjemná, stručná jednohubka o dvoch bratoch, ktorí sú kriminálníci a unesú týpka jednej konkurenčnej rodine na základe príkazu od ich bossa. Celé sa to nesie v príjemne rýchlom tempe a aj keď si človek moc nestihne spraviť vzťah k postavám, tak ma to bavilo. Kresba je jednoduchá a dobrá. 3,5/5

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texas crime families collide over a couple dumb hitmen finishing up their last big job. There aren't many surprises in Write It in Blood, but the book hits all the pleasure points with multiple backstabbings and plenty of black humor. I had a blast watching lives fall apart.

Even better: stellar art. Reminded me fondly of 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank. Naturally, the book ends with basically every character dead, so there's not much of a chance for a sequel. Boo.

[Alex Sarll]

Two hitmen, brothers with a love-hate relationship, have one last job before retirement – kidnapping a rival mobster. Except their boss has found out that one of the brothers is having an affair with his wife. Does that sound familiar? Of course it does. You've seen it before, I've seen it before, we've all seen it before. If you showed it to a newborn, their first words would later be not 'Mama' but 'Guessed the climax'. There are a few amusing details scattered sparingly throughout, and maybe for people with more of a default interest in crime comics, those and the agreeably stark visuals will be enough to grab them. For me, it was a big gap between the impassioned promise of that title, and the photocopy of a photocopy of a story sat beneath it.

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3,8 of 4 for "Coen-ish" crime action which goes away too fast)
At first - the art. I liked it, simple and effective, sometimes it reminded me of Bá & Moon brother's duo, in a good sense. The art matches the story and its tempo, also providing great scenes, so this is good comics craftsmanship.
The story - we all saw this before. Multiple times. Two enemy gangs, snitches, brutes, turncoats, cowards and cold-blooded killers in the murdering spiral. I would bet there is a pretty similar movie, especially at the end. And more stories very akin to it. I would mind "classic trope" but it feels "too similar" to something it's almost annoying. An on top of that it goes very fast. I was like "What, it's page eighty already? I barely started reading!". Yes, the story is very engaging. Interesting, good dialogues, thrilling, very movie-like and the pace is very fast.
Don't hold your expectation high and you'll enjoy this. Yes, very stereotypical story, yes it's quick reading but it's also fun and thrill. They just took something that worked (hundred times) before and skillfully made comics with a movie feel. Some Coen's Fargo-ish stuff. And I enjoy that shit, even if it's quick like a cigarette on a highway truck stop.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sunlit noir, this blackly comical comic shows two crabby brothers, and the fact that they've kidnapped one of their boss's gangland rivals. The rivals want him back, but as for their 'family' - well, they've not exactly made themselves welcome, what with not obeying instructions – or even rules of fidelity. The fun plot of them being between a rock and a hard place would be fine, but the art and characterisation both left them kind of interchangeable, and nothing really had the spark of novelty it desired. Still, three and a half stars for what counts as a bit of reasonable, disposable, entertainment.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Write It In Blood is a graphic novel published by Image Comics written by Rory McConville with art by Joe Palmer.

Two brothers who are Texas hitmen are on their last assignment before retirement with a hostage from a rival gang in the trunk of their car. When news makes it to their boss that one of the brothers has been secretly sleeping with his wife, the brothers now suddenly find themselves the target of multiple gangs.

This was actually a pretty fun little book! It’s a good mix of action, suspense, crime, and dark humor. The pacing keeps the story moving with a few twists along the way. The art is a little on the cartoony side which fits with the humor. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of crime stories.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well done noir set in the American West.

[Daniel Vlasaty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably shouldn’t fuck your boss’ wife is all I’m saying...

[John Hartford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feels like Fargo and damn does it feel good.

I love this book. I should get that out of the way. I started this review and realized I just loved it. The story is decent but the tone and characters really take it to the next level.

It just has that Fargo crime comedy style. Half the cast are hard hitting serious criminals while the other half are dimwitted fools. Its a dynamic I will always be down for.

Rory McConville does a great job giving every character a voice and a attitude all their own. There are also so many little funny moments.

Joe Palmer is a blessing. His work here is great. His character designs are so sleek and simple. I just eat up everything he puts onto the page.

Seriously check this book out if you like crime comics.

[Whitney]

There is nothing special or unique about this. It feels like the story started in the middle and then the ending was pretty blah.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, sharp and to the point, this modern noir about two bickering brothers who are also hitmen looking to retire is a blast. The overall story keeps things simple, so it moves along at a brisk pace and leaves you wanting more. The artwork and narrative match perfectly and the dialogue is a lot of fun to read. Let's hope there are more volumes from this team to come.

[Alican Kunta · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic beautiful little graphic novel!
A neo-crime/western story in a hyper-realistic setting. It's amazing how the creators of this book - English and Irish dudes have managed to capture the essence of the Texan atmosphere.
The dialogues, the natural feeling of it, character introductions with so few information, just 10 out of 10.
Definitely a must read of the genre.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a "meh" story for me. There wasn't much original in this and the story really didn't go anywhere at all. The dialogue's not bad. The artwork is fairly makeshift, but does sometimes rise above to something more. It's not great. It's not terrible. It's just kind of "meh."

[Paul S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dude. Killer stuff.
Smart, funny, and fast paced. Lovable characters. Masterfully executed scenes.
A typical "two brother team of hitmen days away from retirement keep shooting each other in the foot" type of story.

[Ricardo Nuno Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book by chance, through a reference to Joe Palmer in a crowdsourcing campaign:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Then I became curious after seeing the cover and the first pages:
https://joepalmerart.com/write-it-in-...

This book was a great surprise.
It's a noir tale following the deeds and misfortunes of two gangster brothers that are about to retire.
It has its fair share of violence and suspense, a dense-enough plot, and some hilarious moments that, in retrospect, reminded me of Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction". Yup, that one :)

The art is awesome, with a strong cinematic style. I think this could easily be turned into a movie.
Once I passed the first pages, I just couldn't put this down.
It will keep you at the edge of the seat right up until the end.

All in all, it's a quick and entertaining reading.
Recommended.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could call “Write It In Blood” a short and sweet crime comic but that’s not entirely accurate; “quick and dirty” would be better. A twisty, gritty rural noir about two hit man brothers and their botched job that ignites a turf war, Rory McConville’s story borrows liberally from “Fargo” and “No Country For Old Men” but it also has shades of “Blue Ruin” (one of my favorite under-the-radar thrillers) in how it depicts the real world consequences of violence. Joe Palmer’s crisp art has a Steve Dillon-esque simplicity to it while his layouts and poses bring to mind Eduardo Risso’s electric work in “100 Bullets.” This graphic novel is for anyone who likes their fiction pulpy, their gunfights bloody, and their funny books far from funny.

[Bexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was gruesome and violent, and while it was entertaining, I spent most of the time wondering if I had missed part of a series. Thrown into the story on the last day of these hitman brothers job, they're trying to kidnap a rival gang boss? They manage to "successfully" kidnap the rival, and then everything falls apart. Filled with lots of violence, lots of blood, and ends with a splat, this could use a whole series to explain who these characters are and why they matter. There was a lot of potential here, but I feel this only scratched the surface of what it could be. Pretty great artwork even if it's covered in blood.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two brothers working in rural Texas for a crime boss called the Baron. They have an optimistic outlook on life after crime as today is their last job. But things quickly unravel as infidelities, rival gangs, and hostages turn on the duo and they are forced to come together and find a way out of an impossible situation.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between the brothers: one a realist/opportunist, the other an unwavering optimist. They bicker over dead bodies and disagree on a plan of action, but ultimately both have survival instincts that kick into high gear when the need arises.

Recommend this for fans of Fargo and Preacher.

Thank you Endelweiss+ for the ARC.

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comic collection about gang warfare somewhere in remote USA. Quite good

The premise behind this series is about a turf war between gangs in an unnamed part of the USA with complications surrounding a couple of hitmen brothers. The characters are relatively interesting and the plot moves along at a good pace. There’s plenty of bloodshed and death. The artwork is OK, black, white and red. I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review

[Salem]

Two brothers, professional hitmen

Write It in Blood, write your names, write your history in blood ...

Rory and Joe crafted their own kind of mixture of brotherhood. That silly, harsh and bloody tone of two idiots .. carrying each other through hysterical conversations. But failed to achieve a proper closure, but loved its bitterness though.

[Mike Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one! Reads just like a Coen brothers’ movie. It’s not text-heavy, and the stark backgrounds and straightforward action sequences set the atmosphere perfectly.

The plot isn’t deep, and we only get glimpses into the characters’ background and motivation. However, as a quick afternoon read, this is a great selection.

[Glakhmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story itself was enjoyable, as was the art, but the ending was a little lacking. I don't know if they were trying to leave an opening for a sequel, but I didn't feel like this story had a closed end to it.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generic mob versus mob story where two hit men brothers on the verge of retirement are at the center. It dresses itself up as a western as far as art and atmosphere goes, but there isn't anything special about it.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tightly plotted crime story with interesting characters and fun dialogue that never takes itself too seriously, all perfectly illustrated by Joe Palmer. This was a fun surprise, and I'll be certain to seek out more of McConville's work. He's a writer worth watching.

[Ex Libris Animus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off pretty interesting, strong would be a overstatement, but it had its moments ultimately I just pushed through it and right now I'm having a hard time even remembering how it ended. I found this in my reading section and realized I never logged it.

[Jesse Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noir crime western about the love between two hit-men brothers. Tight and neat with great dialogue and characters.

[Rob Schamberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging Peckinpah-esque crime story with gorgeous art!