Author: Donny Cates
Illustrations: Lisandro Estherren
First published: 2017 (tpb)
Contains spoilers
The Blurb: Bad Blood Runs Deep
The Bowmans are VAMPIRES who have quietly run the local barbecue joint in their small town for years, living off cow's blood. Their peaceful coexistence ends as generations of hate and fear bubble to the surface--making it impossible to separate man from monster!
Critically acclaimed writer DONNY CATES (God Country) and artist LISANDRO ESTHERREN serve up the tale of a different kind of family just trying to get by, deep in the heart of Texas.
The review: A pretty simple story, which starts the saga of the Bowmans, centres primarily around Uncle Bartlett – a vampire and add on to the Bowman clan who, when three of the Bowman boys head from their ranch into town, follows them in order to keep them out of trouble, despite being perhaps too drunk before setting off. Intervening when the boys are confronted by some good ol’ boys and Father Landry, the Landry’s knowing what they are and in a feud with them, he awakens in the morning perilously close to sunlight, with no memory of events after the confrontation, all their cattle slaughtered and Slap (most innocent of the three boys) truly dead, hanging from a tree and burning in the sun.
Blamed by patriarch JV for the death and with the other boys fixing to get revenge on the Landry’s and the town folk, the comic explores them preparing for what seems like an inevitable showdown and trying to remember exactly what did happen.
Despite the fairly simple story, this worked really well and allowed for some flashback memory and exposition that started to explain the vampires generally and Bartlett and the Bowmans. The art fits the comic well and adds to this slice of Southern Gothic. 7 out of 10.
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
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