The bestselling neo-noir Western That Texas Blood is back. Writer Chris Condon (News from the Fallout) and artist Jacob Phillips (Everything Dead & Dying) return with issue #21, launching a new story arc this June from Image Comics.
The release will also feature variant covers by Martin Simmonds (The Department of Truth), Luana Vecchio (Lovesick), and others.
New Arc: “Hell Comes to Allison Ranch”
The new storyline is titled “Hell Comes to Allison Ranch.” It marks the return of Sheriff Joe Bob Coates and introduces a high-stakes conflict rooted in family tension and violence.
“Well… we’re back,” said Condon. “Joe Bob returns, this time for a story set in 2003 that we like to call ‘Hell Comes to Allison Ranch.’ It’s our most action-packed story arc yet with strong thematic links to two of our previous, fan-favorite outings—That Texas Blood volume one and The Enfield Gang Massacre.”
Condon added that the arc connects to earlier stories but remains accessible for new readers. He also confirmed new creative team members, including letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and designer Michael Tivey.
“With the team we have assembled on this book, and the story we have to tell, I think this may just be the best That Texas Blood story yet,” he said.
A War Brewing in Texas
In That Texas Blood #21, Sheriff Joe Bob Coates and Deputy Wilson Hart investigate trouble at Allison Ranch, the largest and richest ranch in the United States.
What begins as internal conflict quickly escalates into a full-scale war.
Phillips described the return as both personal and exciting for the team.
“Joe Bob’s back and it feels so good,” Phillips said. “Coming back to That Texas Blood feels like coming home to us and we’ve missed it after so long away.”
He added, “A heist gone wrong on the biggest ranch in the US on the night of the invasion of Iraq. This story is the perfect jumping on point for new readers and a warm welcome back for the regulars.”
Special Edition and Series Legacy
To mark the return, Image Comics will release a Facsimile edition of the debut issue. The reprint will feature deluxe newsprint and offer fans a chance to revisit the story’s beginning.
That Texas Blood blends crime drama with Western storytelling. The series began with a missing casserole dish and built toward a dark confrontation on Sheriff Joe Bob Coates’ 70th birthday.
The universe expanded with The Enfield Gang Massacre, a sister series set 150 years earlier. That title explores the violent past of the same world with a focus on frontier crime and gunslinging action.
That Texas Blood #21 arrives in comic shops and on digital platforms on Wednesday, June 3.
