That Texas Blood #19 ADVANCE REVIEW: the beautiful, satisfying, epic conclusion to the RQK story.
Written by: Chris Condon, Art, colours, letters by: Jacob Phillips.
After the Red Queen Killer (RQK) hit Lu’s car with his, she struggles to move. Trapped in the middle of nowhere. The curfew is still in place but the storm is stopping Joe Bob from getting there quickly. He talks on the radio asking what happened. Lu is unable to answer, and with the killer breathing down her neck, can the Sheriff get to her in time before he has another body on his hands, or are things going to get worse for the Sheriff before the election?
It’s time for the final issue of the arc. This suspenseful last installment is a thrilling ride as we conclude the RQK story. Writer Chris Condon manages to weave a story in here that doesn’t seem like a neatly bowed case closed, but yet it’s still satisfying at how realistic is it. It’s not tied up like other cases with motives and evidence to say who he was exactly. We got a potential ID a few issues ago, but it wasn't confirmed. This could be false documents or planted evidence, so to have it end this way seems unfinished, but that’s how life is sometimes. It’s not perfect, not everything is summed up or clarified. So to have this arc end up like this is actually refreshing. It proves that Condon can write many different types of detective stories.
One thing that I liked about the arc was the symmetry. It starts with the first victim Patricia Doyle’s house exterior then moves in to a shot of her on the sofa. This issue ends with Joe Bob on the sofa followed by an exterior shot of his house. I’m not sure whose idea it was either Condon's or Phillips' but it was a nice way to cap off the arc with that structure.
I also noticed that it was longer than most other books in the series. With most coming in at around 22 pages, this was a bumper issue at 30, which I was happy with as it means more of the book to enjoy.
Whoever it was that decided to do those things if it was Condon, Phillips or even both. It was great. As we look at art, as has been the case for the last few issues. The art is able to stand by itself. Phillips does some beautiful panels that really accentuate the thrills. What is seen as calming and peaceful in snow is now threatening as it’s holding up the sheriff. We are even treated to very little speech in the last 13 pages of the book. The collaboration between the creators clearly is special. Condon knows what he wants to say and is aware that he doesn’t need to spell it out. The art speaks for itself. We even get a fully silent last 2 pages that just tells us exactly what Joe Bob is thinking and how he feels. It’s masterful storytelling from the team and shows how far audiences have come from the classic books that feel the need to spell everything out to the audience.
Overall, this has been the best arc so far and I’m disappointed to see it end but excited to see what the team deliver next. I cannot recommend this book enough and this arc especially has been exceptional. With how well this was concluded I can't give any less than 5 out of 5 POPs! This series reaches new heights and I cannot wait for it to return for the next arc.
That Texas Blood issue 19 will be released by Image Comics on 2nd November from your Local Comic Shop as well as comixology
Andrew Carr was blessed to grow up watching the animated series of Batman, X-Men, and his favorite, Spider-Man.This started his dive into the comics world, which resulted in meeting his amazing cosplaying wife Imogen. They live in England with their Sinister Six dogs.