That Texas Blood #6 Review

Writer – Chris Condon
Art – Jacob Phillips
Publisher – Image Comics




Well…
After a year that has certainly seen some lows as a result of a global pandemic and political issues like we have never seen before, there have also been some incredible highs, particularly for us comic fans with so many new incredible series and events. One of my favorite new series to come out of 2020 has been That Texas Blood. If you follow me on social media or have read all of my reviews of the series. Then you already knew that. Normally, I stick to cape heavy hitters and more horror based comics but there was something about the cover art for the first issue that really caught my attention and piqued my interest. It had been a long time since I had gotten into any kind of western noir style comic but I have always really enjoyed the genre, specifically in film and tv and that first cover that Phillips had done just screamed that same feeling to me. Obviously, I had never heard of the creators but after reading that first issue, I knew there was something special about these two guys and I was hooked into the story Condon had set up and the art was just so intriguing to me and didn’t look like anything else I had seen out there. After 5 issues, it has been nothing short of an incredible comic story and now with issue 6, the team does an incredible job closing out the first arc and bringing all the little dots they have been placing throughout together in a neat little package that is a huge payoff to its readers.


Writing – 

Writer Chris Condon has been laying out pieces of a massive puzzle for readers across the last 5 issues of this series. Issue #1 introduced us to the players of the game and laid out the foundation for the events to come and Condon developed the pieces more and more as the story progressed. The key players of the series have been Randy, who we were introduced to as a guy who had some troubles in his past and escaped the small Texas county to try and move on with his life but gets drawn back by the murder of his brother and the Sheriff investigating that murder, Sheriff Joe Bob. As the story goes on, Condon really dissects Randy and takes readers on a journey following Randy as he reverts back to his old ways and getting involved with people from his past that really start to surface his true personality and we learn that even though Randy had left, he was only really masking his true self and coming back to Texas didn’t make him change back into who he was but instead allowed him to be his true self which was a genius way for Condon to write and develop the character. In this final issue of the arc, Condon ties up all the events that have lead Randy to become himself and the payoff is exciting and really delivers a satisfying conclusion to readers. The way Condon brings everything together is interesting because, while it is a bit anti climactic, it is still satisfying to readers and delivers some shock and awe and brings all those puzzle pieces together to give readers the full picture and delivers a true noir style end to the story. Readers who may not be familiar with the style Condon uses for the  story may feel a bit let down because they were looking for a big climactic event, but readers of westerns and noirs will appreciate the choices made by Condon and both will still feel the satisfaction of the conclusion. I think it may have been a risky move by Condon, but overall I feel it paid off true to the style he has developed since issue #1.

Art –

The art of this series has been an exciting one to get to review. From the very first issue to this last one, you can see the development of the art done by Jacob Phillips as he has tested various styles and colors and found developed them into the perfect blend. In this final issue of the first arc, Phillips delivers a beautiful combination of character designs and background art that are very detailed oriented and his colors blend with the pencils to create the perfect atmosphere to help sell the emotions of the story. You can feel the emotions of the characters through the detailing of their faces and their overall body language which helps to create a fully immersive story for the reader being able to fell the story visually as they read along with it. This issue is really the best work Phillips has done so far and I’m excited to see it progress even more as the series returns next year.

Overall, That Texas Blood #6 puts all the pieces of the story together and gives readers an exciting conclusion as all the events Condon has set in motion meet together at the tracks and come to a dramatic end and Philips brings the story to life with the detailing in his art, delivering some of the best visuals he has given readers to date.

That Texas Blood #6 is available today so make sure you pick it up and see how this exciting first arc comes to an end. Make sure you let us know what you thought of the issue by leaving your comment below or follow is on Twitter and let us know there!

-Wes Greer