This week’s Wednesday Comics Reviews is choosing That Texas Blood,checking out some Crimes Against Nature, setting sail with Conan – Tides of the Tyrant King,and more!Plus, The Prog Report!
That Texas Blood – Hell Comes to Allison Ranch #1
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist:Jacob Phillips
Color Assists: Pip Martin
Letterer:Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher:Image Comics
I was just bemoaning with a friend that with a few exceptions, the long-running indie comic title has largely faded away. You’ve got holdovers from a past era, like Saga, as well as the expansive, world-building Tiny Onion books (Something Is Killing the Children, or Department of Truth, etc.), but there aren’t many creator-owned or original idea comics that hit double digit issues anymore, let alone make it to a half dozen trades. In fact, one of my favorites, Minor Arcana, recently announced it would conclude with #24.
Thankfully, another one of my favorites, That Texas Blood,is returning after a four-year hiatus with a new six-issue story arc, bucking that trend, and I’m right away reminded at the start of this new issue why I like comics to extend out into long runs. This issue opens with the book’s by-now-familiar main character, Sheriff Joe Bob Coates, at home in 2003, watching the news that the United States has begun a war with Iraq.
While it works well enough on its own, giving enough exposition to feel new-reader friendly, this first issue excels at bringing back its world and characters for its long-time readers. We already know who the main figures are and what they believe, having been through a number of story arcs with them, and now this new series opens with them at a major point in recent U.S. history. And it’s also one that is freshly relevant, with the country currently engaged in war with another Middle Eastern nation, all of which feels eerily (and tragically) similar to what happened two decades ago.
But of course, this is writer Chris Condon and artist Jacob Phillips’ world of That Texas Blood, set in a fictional Texas county. So, it’s not going to tell a story that directly shows us the war in Iraq or takes a character overseas. Instead, this series is much more interested in allegory, giving us the start of a feud on a giant and wealthy Texas ranch, one that is well set-up here to explode into its own localized war. It’s a great, timely premise, and I’m very excited to see where this arc is headed.
It’s also a clever way to get this new story rolling and speak directly to the issues of the day. Of course, I could go on here as well about how great Phillips art, colors, and letters look, and how well Condon writes this world and the twangy, clipped dialogue of these characters. But if you’re a That Texas Blood old head like me, you already know all that, you know what makes this one of the 2020s best indie comics, and you’re just glad it’s coming back, stronger than ever.
Crimes Against Nature #1
Writer: Eliot Rahal
Artist/Letterer: Mattia Monaco
Publisher: Image Comics
Hollywood. Crime. An ape. His trainer. On the run. That is all you had to say to convince me to read Eliot Rahal and Mattia Monaco’s new miniseries from Image Comics,Crimes Against Nature.Honestly, the cover alone makes this an instant buy.
This is a strong contender for best first issue of 2026. It’s a comic that is tailor made for me. Being a massive cinephile, the Hollywood angle already had me interested but the use of that is what makes this work so well. We follow a Hollywood Animal Trainer, Doctor Kermit Groeden, and his best friend/client Amigo the Ape, the first gorilla to ever get nominated for an Academy Award, now on the run from a crime they didn’t commit. After the cold open of Kermit being interviewed, we see how our protagonists ended up here. It’s some serious accusations to say the least.
I love the way the film industry is used here on multiple levels. It explores the very real animal abuse and mistreatment that takes place in the entertainment industry, outside of the control of the professionals. The script and tone of the book feels very much in line with a madcap, Preston Sturges-esque comedy akin toSullivan’s Travelswhere I get the impression that really absolutely anything can happen.
I was unfamiliar with the creative team going into this but I adore Eliot Rahal’s sense of humor and the way he structures his script. The story isn’t linear, jumping back and forward in time, but it doesn’t feel clunky or amateurish. Mattia Monaco is a major discovery for me. I adore the way this thing looks. The way he and Rahal are able to perfectly control the different tones that the book presents is sublime. We go from a silly talk show appearance where Amigo is making funny faces and doing bits to a tense argument between Kermit and the talk show host in snap. This team is so in sync with each other and it shows in the work.
I think this is going to go down as a bonafide classic so definitely add it to your pull.
Hellraiser – Resurrections – Hell’s Council #1
Writer: Nero Villagallos O’Reilly
Artist: Francesca Ciregia
Colorist: Joana Lafuente
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
I watched Hellraiserfor the first time last year and learned that it deserves the hype. The aesthetic choices, the increasing tension until we meet Cenobytes on screen — it is a stellar film and a masterclass in horror from Clive Barker. With a new video game (Hellraiser Revival) on the way and BOOM! Studios’ standalone comic event with five stories set in this world, Hellraiser fans are eating good.
In Hellraiser Resurrections: Hell’s Councilwritten by Nero Villagallos O’Reilly, Butterball is given gluttonous new life by Julia Cotton; oh, how far we’ve come since the first Hellraiser but her introductory dialogue has so much flavor that threads her movie characterization to O’Reilly’s approach. If you’re unfamiliar with Hellraiser, some of the details may fly over your head but that doesn’t make this less approachable. The writing threads the tale of a character seeking power and the intrigue there is still worth your time. In a series that marries pleasure and pain to their most extreme, this issue plays two-fold on the idea of desire and the forms that it can take. She manipulates the body and mind of Butterball and before we are even re-introduced to her, we meet a disgraced influencer who tanked a career selling “wellness supplements.” The pleasure promised to people by helping them be who others (namely men) want them to be is telling and layered while giving you something to chew on as she finds the cube and ultimately succumbs to its temptation. Julia goes before the council with criticisms of the ritual— seeing it as rote, allowing the council of Cenobytes to grow complacent in how they administer Hell. This feels like a meta commentary as she does Hellraiser Shark Tank, pushing for a seat at the table while sending Butterball to finish the ritual initiated by the influencer, and wow is it gruesome. This is what we wanna see!
Francesca Ciregia‘s art with colors by Joana Lafuente really nail the dark aesthetic of the world with heavy blacks and some strong texture work throughout. All of this meshes perfectly with the gore and body horror on display because the violence Butterball visits on the pages is brutal. The closeups of opened stomachs, the shadows juxtaposing the skewered body parts, a haunting smile of agony; again, it is gruesome! Horror is often as good as its sound design and the lettering of Ed Dukeshire elevates what is happening on page, especially with rich sound effects.
As all good horror, it layers meaning underneath flesh and fluids, inviting us to interrogate the erotics of pain, seeing who the box finds all while taking heart that it never finds us. The team behind Hell’s Council really understood that assignment and this issue is a welcome dive back into the world of Hellraiser with striking art and a great reintroduction to Julia Cotton and her ambitions. If you’re a fan of Hellraiser, definitely check this one out.
Conan – Tides of the Tyrant King #1
Writer:Jim Zub
Artist:Jesus Merino
Color Artist:Joa Canola
Letterers:Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith
Publisher:Titan Comics
The newest Conan the Barbarian crossover from Titan Comics is here withConan – Tides of the Tyrant King #1. The story featuresJim ZubandJesus Merinoadapting two of Robert E. Howard’s works: Skull-Face and Black Colossus into one singular tale told across two ages. Long-time Conan fans may also realize that both stories being adapted here touch upon one of the most popular and problematic tropes of pulp fiction–Yellow Peril stories. The issue does include an essay by Jeffery Shanks, a Robert Howard Historian, titledThe Atlantean Fu Manchuthat provides a historical timeline of these yellow peril stories and provides some context to the nature of the tales.
As a fan of pulp fiction myself, I wrestle with the problematic nature of these yellow peril stories. As Shanks details in his essay, at their heart, yellow peril stories are a reactionary take on Western Colonization and the perceived notion that other nations, typically Asian countries, would attempt to colonize western nations as retribution for the Age of Colonization. Now, in pulp fiction these stories are often not as well explored as they should be. Often the hero is American and they are not aware of the evils of their empire. Instead they are often presented as noble heroes fighting off the tide of feared Asian oppression. The antagonists are often presented in a racist caricature of Asian people. To Zub’s credit there are no outwardly problematic depictions of the characters and I think the updates address some of the more problematic natures found in yellow peril.
The story itself is well-paced as it cuts between the Hyborian Age and Modern Era effortlessly. This is necessary given the story is intended to take place simultaneously in those respective ages. This is a difficult task in any medium but especially in comics. Zub’s command of pulpy dialog and narration is phenomenal and makes the comic excel as a modern update to classic Howard tales.
The art byJesus Merinocaptures the look and feel of the tone of the story. Merino’s style switches up between the two eras with a more brushed line work in the Hyborian age segments and more modern ink pen style to the modern era. It provides a nice visual distinction to the eras and is a subtle visual cue there has been a shift in the in setting. The scale and scope of the story is captured perfectly by Merino and hammers home this is a threat to reality itself.
Overall, I think this is a must read for sword and sorcery, pulp comic fans. Zub’s Conan comics are consistently some of the best comics on sale today and this is no different. I cannot wait for the next issue.
Ghost of a Ghost #1
Writers: Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson
Artist: Michael Avon Oeming
Colorist: Taki Soma
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
I can’t help but admire Mike Mignola’s post-Hellboy career.
Sure, Hellboy itself was a genre mashup of Mignola’s many influences, but since wrapping up his major ur-story, Mignola has simply followed whatever whim takes him and invited others to play in the Hellboy sandbox.
There’s a playful experimentation across theme, genre, and tone. It’s been full of collaboration and solo endeavors. This muse-chasing has led to things like Mignola’s stunningly ambitious Lands Unknown series as well as experimental collaborations with Jesse Lonergan in Ms. Truesdale. And now to this month’s Ghost of a Ghost, a wild and wacky 60s spy-thriller throwback that mashes up classic espionage with atomic age superhero strangeness. Chris Roberson works with Mignola on the story, treading a fine line between campy parody and loving sendup.
Roberson and Mignola delight in the intrigue and layered mysteries while delivering plenty of action for artist Michael Avon Oeming and colorist Taki Soma to let loose with manic pop art energy. Oeming’s layouts are absolutely ridiculous, all but completely avoiding typical grid structures, instead playing across the page as almost a collage of images. Oeming utilizes bold graphic shapes in place of typical panel borders.
Soma builds on that with wild design in the colors, full of bold geometric shapes and overlapping patterns. She embellishes Oeming’s chunky black and white lines and shadows with pops of benday dot style color, evoking retro printing of the era. This is both leving sendup of classic comics and a visually inventive romp through a world inhabited by superpowered spies.
Embellished by Clem Robins’ reliably clear and expressive lettering, it’s a great looking package. While the story builds off threads from Giant Robot Hellboy, it completely stands alone as an engaging and exciting read full of artistic experimentation and playfulness.
The Prog Report
2000AD #2499(Rebellion): You’ll forgive me if I can’t focus this week. Next week brings us new Dredd from the creative team of writers Rob Williams and Arthur Wyatt, artist Henry Flint, and letterer Annie Parkhouse,who are doing a not-quite-sequel to the best Dredd comic in years, Judge Dredd: A Better World. As such, when I was reading this week’s magazine, I found my mind already looking ahead to that. That said, this was a good issue. We got a wrap-up to the massive Oubliettestoryline that felt suitably epic, given the scale. And then as a palette cleanser, writer James Lovegrove,artist Paul Marshall,colorist Jack Davies,and letterer Rob Steenserved up a fun (sounds weird to say) piece called A Seriel Killer Alphabet. Finally, Brink Book Sevenwraps up with a great strip that reminds you how powerful this long story is, making me wonder if I should just make being super into Brinkmy whole personality. Decision pending on that. This week’s cover (above) is by INJ Culbard. As always, you can pick up a digital copy of The Prog here. And it is also now available weekly in US comic shops! —Zack Quaintance
Column edited by Zack Quaintance
Read past entries in the weekly Wednesday Comics reviews series or check-out our other reviews here!
