Advance Review: ‘That Texas Blood’ #21 Returns True To Form
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
The series that made us fall in love with a sheriff named Joe Bob (as well as its creators) is finally back after a long hiatus. Don’t expect those creators to change things up too much. They are committed to telling a multi=issue story, so this initial installment is meant to be an amuse bouche. The main course is coming.
Overall
9/10Sheriff Joe Bob is back — and if you know who that is, you know that it’s a cause for celebration.
That Texas Blood returns to comic book stores next month with its 21st issue. If you’re having trouble remembering what happened in the previous issue, rest assured your memory isn’t really slipping. Issue #20 came out in December 2022. It’s a good thing that the creative team doesn’t tell the story of Joe Bob Coates and the mysterious happenings in Ambrose County, Texas, in chronological order.
You can hardly blame series co-creators Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips for taking a break from the series that got them initial acclaim. The two have gone on to broaden their success in the industry with Condon writing Ultimate Wolverine and Green Arrow and Philips drawing the magnificent Everything Dead & Dying. And the pair managed to sneak in a Texas Blood spinoff miniseries, The Enfield Gang Massacre.
So be glad that they found the time to return to their roots.
This new story arc picks up in the post-9/11 world of 2003, just as U.S. bombs are falling on Iraq. (In a letter at the back of the issue, Condon notes the parallels of the current U.S. in the Middle East.) The announcement of hostilities is cover for a group of bad guys to break into the famous Allison Ranch and steal $300 million in cash that is supposed to be hidden somewhere in its walls. Meanwhile, Joe Bob is trying to take in the historical significance of the war but gets pulled into investigating the goings on at the ranch.
If you’re looking for lots of action, stay tuned. This issue serves to set up the rest of the story. Condon takes his time introducing us to each member of the baddies’ squad. He also has to remind us of where Joe Bob is on his journey. We’ve seen the old man who is ready to retire and a younger version of the character who has a but more spring in his step. This one is somewhere in between. He’s world-weary and thinking about what’s next for him but still has to pay the bills.
Phillips makes the most of the issue. He doesn’t have action scenes to depict but gives us real insight into each character with his closeups. We can know who these characters are just by looking at the sneer behind the smile that Phillips gives them.
This issue won’t go down as one of the best in the series. It’s not meant to. If it exploded with unexplained action, it would have betrayed how this series is meant to unfold. Think of it as slipping on an old pair of gloves. It’s comfortable and familiar — and will serve us well in the end.
That Texas Blood #21 — written by Chris Condon, illustrated by Jacob Phillips, lettered by Hassan Otsman-Elhaou, with color assists by Pip Martin — will be available in comic book stores and on digital platforms on June 3 from Image Comics.
