Mummy sheriff Two-Gun Khamen vs. the evil vampire Wyatt Slurp. Things are a bit less intense this month in this review of That Texas Blood #20 from Image Comics.
THAT TEXAS BLOOD #20: PRINCESS MUMMY IS MISSING
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Color Assistant: Pip Martin
Additional Artwork: Marin Carless and Theo Curzon
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 7, 2022
Previously in That Texas Blood: Six issues of tension-building and sudden violence. “The Snow Falls Endlessly in Wonderland” — a very successful fusion of crime fiction and slasher horror — was the best and most brutal arc so far. Which makes the tonal shift of “Princess Mummy is Missing” that much more satisfying.
REVISIONISTS COMICS AND STONE-COLD BUMMERS
The revisionist craze that swept superhero comics in the 80s led to a whole lot of “Bang! Pow! Comics have grown up!” think pieces, but also left us with a preponderance of comics that were stone-cold bummers. (As brilliant as he is, no one would accuse Alan Moore of having too much fun.) If you were reading comics in the late 80s, you probably spent a lot of time thinking, “Gosh, we’re all impressed that you figured out the physics of how Superman can stop himself from flying in mid-air, but I wish you were smart enough to realize that if I was looking for gritty realism, I probably wouldn’t be reading superhero comics.” Sometimes the best ideas come from remembering what it was like see things through the eye of a child, and then using your adult skills to tell that story. The tone of this issue makes it clear that Condon and Phillips understand that Pure Kid Logic is the secret ingredient of the best comic stories.
A KINDER GENTLER HORROR STORY
It’s Christmas night 1992, and Joe Bob and Martha Coates listen to their son Billy spin a tale of Mummy Sheriffs and Vampire Bandits. Martha is concerned that a story with zombies and monsters isn’t appropriate for Christmas, but Joe Bob sees it as a welcome respite from the genuine horror of his life as an actual sheriff. After 19 issues of excellent crime fiction — if you’re a fan of the work of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (and yes, Jacob is Sean’s son) then you really should be reading this book — this issue takes an unexpected (and welcome) look at a child’s fantasy of his father’s work life.
Condon proves that he is as adept as spinning a light and simple tale as he has been at telling darker more complex stories, and Phillips’ art just gets better with each issue. As Billy tells his story, the art shifts from Phillips’ “realistic” noir style to more childlike illustrations (presumably provided by Marin Carless and Theo Curzon) which is a particularly effective technique.
BOTTOM LINE: A wonderful coda for faithful readers, and a great place for new readers to start.
With solid sight gags like Wyatt Slurp (!) needing bendy straws to suck blood and Two-Gun Khamen using his mummy wrappings to lasso — and eventually saddle up and ride — a pterosaur (get it: terrorsaur!) this is a delight from beginning to end. 4.5 out of 5. The book is going on hiatus after this one-shot, so if you want to read more, you’ll have plenty of time to catch up.
