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. 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. 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. 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 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.

I think it tries a bit too hard to emulate the feel of a Brubaker/Phillips book but it as a damn good copy. 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. 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. 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. 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.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. Not a bad start, especially for a rookie duo such as Condon and Phillips. I hear this is Chris Condon's first book ever in the industry, so for his official start, it was good. 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. 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. 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.This is a great story with well written characters, a very intense tone, some good twists at the end and nicely done artwork. Immersive and bold, That Texas Blood will resonate with anyone thirsting for a full bodied, neo-western noir.” — Multiversity Comics 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. 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.” 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

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 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. 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.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. 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. 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.” 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.