PopCultHQ received a review copy of THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE TPB from Image Comics. which releases on April 9th in bookstores & April 10th in comic book shops.
A Western that is as haunting as it is thrilling, THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE tells the dark origin of THAT TEXAS BLOOD‘s Ambrose County as only Jacob Phillips and Chris Condon can!
THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE TPB
Written by Chris Condon
Art by Jacob Phillips
Color Assists by Pip Martin
Cover Art by Jacob Phillips
Collects THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE #1-6
Montgomery Enfield and his gang of outlaws find themselves in the crosshairs of an aging Texas Ranger and a newborn county that’s hungry for law – by any means necessary.
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The year is 1875. The location is a town in Texas that has had it up to here with a notorious outlaw gang that plagues the county. What follows is an inverted take on the notion of right and wrong as far as the West goes, and there is a lot to look forward to when the collected edition hits stores. Each person who is a part of this tale, whether it is the writer, artist, or colorist, plays their part and does it quite fine. Sit a spell by the fire everyone, and enjoy this here review of another excellent notch on the belt of Western/cowboy comics.
Writing:
I’ll be the first to admit that I had never heard of Chris Condon before I delved into this series. And now I want to read more of his work. The Enfield Gang Massacre was utterly delightful. It has everything that fans of Westerns and comics love: engaging characters, an emotional plot, and well-written twists. In many respects, it feels like a love letter to the later works of John Wayne and the various Spaghetti Westerns that were popular during the ’60s. So saddle up, folks, because when you read this book, you’ll see that Chris is one heck of a writer.
Art:
Jacob Phillips has made quite the name as an artist and colorist over the years. An impressive body of work made all the more so by working with Chris on this TPB. Jacob’s art is quite something. His linework has a particular gritty texture, adding to the appeal and linking to my previous comment regarding Westerns. As for the covers, they are gorgeous to look at. Splashy and rich in detail, like the kind used during the Pulp Era or even during the heyday of cowboy novels. Jacob understood the mission for the artwork and came correct, making this a fully-loaded success right here.
Colors:
This reviewer has seen Pip Martin’s work in comics before and paired with Jacob’s artwork, so this was another homerun as far as pairing colors and art goes. Pip employs the use of brighter hues for all manner of things; whether it’s clothing, skin tone, changes in scenery based on location, that sort of thing. While I may not know much about color aside from what looks nice, Pip is a person who knows about what goes well together to make the artwork feel more alive, like the reader could expect the whole thing to pull them into the pages of the story. I wholeheartedly applaud that kind of talent, so I tip my cap to Pip for a fine job.
Overall Assessment:
Image Comics is known for being a place that allows creative teams to put forth comics that find a vast audience across a wide array of genres. So it is no surprise that anyone who follows the individual members of this team, will be very pleased when they get this TPB and add it to their personal collection, because together this squad did a fine job. The whole thing is an engaging and exciting trip back to the Old West, and presents a new story where sometimes the concept of good and bad characters gets turned around in a most surprising way. Do yourselves a favor, cowpokes, don’t let the sun go down before you read The Enfield Gang Massacre.
PopCultHQ Rating:
5 out of 5 Stars
About Image Comics:
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a group of bestselling artists and has gone on to become the second largest comics publisher in the United States. The company currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, style, and format imaginable. Its titles run the gamut of science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime, humor, and are created by the top artists and writers working in the medium today.
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