Advance Review: That Texas Blood Is Spilled In ‘The Enfield Gang Massacre’ #1
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
The team behind That Texas Blood is back with a new limited series chronicling a gang of Old West outlaws who get blamed for a murder they didn’t commit. It’s a strong start to from two creators who have earned their readers’ trust.
Overall
8.5/10The creative team behind That Texas Blood returns to Ambrose County to tell a story briefly alluded to in the main title. We’re lucky that they did.
The premiere issue of this six-part limited series presents readers with a smart story, which shares DNA with the classic Western movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. It is 1975 and bank manager Bill Barley has been killed in a gruesome way, even for the Old West. The town naturally assumes the local good-for-nothings, Montgomery Enfield and crew, were responsible for the murder.
Enfield, though, has a pretty good alibi. He had already robbed that bank earlier in the day and was out celebrating with his gang. The local Texas ranger, though, is convinced of Enfield’s guilt and is intent on tracking him down. To complicate matters, Enfield is ready to hang up his six shooters and retire from his life of crime.
Writer Chris Condon’s mission is to give readers the real story behind the upcoming massacre as well as why history got so many details wrong. (It’s quite a challenge given that all of the events – truth and fiction – are made up.) Again, the similarities with Liberty Valance – where after learning the truth, a newspaper man famously says “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend” – are clear. The help clarify readers’ questions about these events, Condon includes a fictional newspaper article in the back of the issue.
Artist Jacob Phillips clearly is enjoying himself with this story. His cover, which looks like an old Western pulp novel, is a work of art by itself. And he varies his illustration style and color palettes with the time period. As with TTB, he knows how to draw the line between violence and gore. If this series shocks its readers, it won’t be because of something revolting on the page, but rather something decaying in the human soul.
After several months since the most recent issue of TTB, it’s good to see these two creators get back in the saddle – in this case literally. This journey to the eventual massacre as well as to the ultimate truth, is going to be a fun one.
The Enfield Gang Massacre #1 will be available for purchase on August 9, 2023.
