In That Texas Blood #7, a new arc takes us back to 1981, the scene of a ghastly triple murder that sees Sheriff Joe Bob on his first major investigation. Is the occult involved? Find out in your next mighty Major Spoilers review!

THAT TEXAS BLOOD #7

Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 30th, 2021

Previously in That Texas Blood: Sheriff Joe Bob polices Ambrose County, a slice of West Texas. In recent months, he’s had to handle a writer who returned to deal with his dead brother’s affairs, which led to even more death and disharmony. Joe Bob is at a loss to explain why his county is the centre of such depredations, and in seeking religious solace, his mind is cast back to the terrible events that struck the county in 1981…

BLOOD COMPLEX

That Texas Blood is back, not with a whimper, certainly, but then not with a bang either. After the mental and physical pyrotechnics in the first arc of this series, creators Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips ease us back into their milieu with an intriguing warm up episode.

After the mayhem of the first story arc, Sheriff Joe Bob is confronting something of a personal crisis – the county he has policed and called his home for the last 40 years appears now to be spiralling into violence and mayhem he hasn’t seen since…well, 40 years ago. His chat with the local priest reveals a man confronting the reality that violence is all around us, and that maybe, he is a man out of his time. It reflects and echoes the realisation of Tommy Lee Jones’ character in No Country for Old Men that the world has moved on and becoming increasingly dangerous. It’s an effective scene that also sets up the series.

For That Texas Blood #7 takes us back to 1981, and Joe Bob’s first major case, that of a dead boy, and two dead men, one decapitated, found at a farm on the outskirts of Ambrose County. There are occult elements, as we see when the Job Bob of 2021 reviews the case files, that will see the introduction of a private eye, the improbably named Harlan Eversaul, at the end of the issue. Now, while I’m sure the series will take the hard-boiled route, the introduction of the possibility of the occult, or at least characters who believe in the occult, will add a nice touch to proceedings.

FAR GONE

That Texas Blood #7 might start quietly, but there are jolts along the way. A sleepless Joe Bob, sneaking a cigarette on his front step, seeing a masked figure across the street, is an image that will linger long in the memory. Another is the clever dissolve back to 1981, and the bloodstained front yard of a lonely farmhouse, with a younger Joe Bob and his colleagues contemplating a scene of carnage. Phillips, who has colored his father, Sean’s work in the Criminal series, is definitely a chip off the old block, in terms of style, technique and quality of his own artwork. His ability to convey mood and story, as when Joe Bob is seen lying in bed, unable to sleep, before sneaking off for that smoke, is masterful. Similarly, he gives a different tone and look to the 1981 sequences, muddying the colors to impress upon the reader they are in a different time and place. It is this attention to detail, this ability to convey story through art, that elevates That Texas Blood #7 above similar fare.

And while I have said that That Texas Blood #7 has a relatively slow start, writer Chris Condon hasn’t slacked off. It is more a slow burn than an amble. He methodically puts all the elements in place, from Joe Bob’s questioning of himself and his work, to how that plays with the 1981 memories. Condon conveys time and place, through character responses, extremely well. All the characters are clearly defined, especially Joe Bob’s world weariness. This is a really strong opening to this next set of chapters in That Texas Blood.

BOTTOM LINE: RAISING HELL

That Texas Blood #7 is a strong opening to a new story arc that promises a chance to look back at Joe Bob’s origin story, if you will. Along the way, it has the trademark strong writing and artwork from the series’ creators. They also provide some neat world building, with a series of newspaper articles, letters and reports at the end of the issue going back decades that outline the history of Ambrose County, and help introduce the other major character, Harlan Eversaul.

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