Beasts of lore, ancient curses, and deep magic all coalesce in the only place they ever could, The Heartland. Your Major Spoilers review of Texarcanum #1 from Dark Horse Studios awaits!

TEXARCANUM #1

Writer: Christopher Monfette
Artist: Miguel Martos
Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Editor: Rose Weitz
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 23, 2025

America is a melting pot for the supernatural. Ghosts and gods, angels and demons, horror stories and tall tales, they’ve traveled from across the globe to collide in the rural Heartland and cowboy arcanist Avery Belle has spent a very long lifetime amongst them.

RIVERS OF BLOOD

Texarcanum #1 opens in the past as a family makes their way along with a wagon train across the country. They are met by a man at the banks of a river. He makes them a deal: stay on that side of the river, and everything would be theirs to have, but if they cross, they’ll be devoured. The family and the wagon train cross the river. In the present, Avery Belle is busy exorcising a ghost from a trailer home. After finishing up, he makes his way to the town of Texarkana, where the local sheriff has reached out for his aid with what appears to be a bunch of plagues. He does some investigating and discovers that the source of their problems is coming from their water source. He, the sheriff, and two deputies head out to follow a river of blood. They discover evidence of a duel, before being set on by a monster. A monster that can’t be killed with guns.

A STRONG STORY WITH AN ODD VOICE

If you could dissect Texarcanum #1 and look at a cross-section of it, you’d find a multi-layered story that uses its supernatural elements to touch on things like the struggle between man and nature, the darkness of white expansion throughout the US, divisions between progress and tradition, and the spectrum of qualities that come with a melting pot society. On a smaller scale, the way that magic and the occult is depicted is grounded, with a tactile feel, as opposed to just random blasts of colored energy. Also, the usage of a rural area of the US is a good choice and drives the horror aspects of this story towards folk-horror rather than a simple creature-feature. The problem is that the dialogue and characterizations used here don’t have this same level of care given to them. Much of the talking between characters here feel like it lacks familiarity with the Midwest/South. Everyone speaks in long, drawn-out metaphors and idioms that no one has ever once used, ever. It seems like the intention is to give everything a sort of salt-of-the-earth, people-of-the-land kind of feel to things, but it comes off as unnatural and forced. The story is strong enough, though, to push through this, but it is distracting.

COLORFULLY SPOOKY

Texarcanum #1 doesn’t shy away from bold and vibrant colors, regardless of the dark subject matter. This gives this issue a distinct tone that lets the story tiptoe between horror and adventure while staying true to its themes. For example, when the reveal of the monster comes, it’s done with a beautiful sunset behind it, making it look like a majestic buck that happens to also be spliced with two dead men. It’s not all great, though, as there are some moments when the faces on the human characters get distorted in a way that nears silly levels, which doesn’t jive well with the horrific and grotesque imagery.

BOTTOM LINE: A COUPLE OF GLARING PROBLEMS, BUT MOSTLY GOOD

Texarcanum #1 is a good entry into the lexicon of stories dealing with American mythology and history. It blends horror and adventure well and is filled with hints at larger themes without being blunt about it. The problems all stem from certain pieces of this story just not mixing with the rest of it. The dialog feels unnatural and out of place for the setting, and the visuals drift a bit too far away from the look in the rest of the comic, so they too feel out of place. But, these things don’t prevent the issue from coming together to be an entertaining read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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Texarcanum #1

70%

70%

A Big Texas, "Not Bad"

Texarcanum #1 is an exciting and fun supernatural romp through American mythology. It is brutal and violent, with plenty of charm on top. The dialog can be a bit clumsy and awkward though, keeping this from being as engaging as it could’ve been.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  6
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0