TexArcanum #1 is written by Christopher Monfette and published by Dark Horse Comics. Artwork is by Miguel Martos, colours by Patricio Delpeche and letters by Michael Heisler.
TexArcanum #1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
America is a melting pot for the supernatural. Ghosts and gods, angels and demons, horror stories and tall-tales, they’ve traveled from across the globe to collide in the rural Heartland… and cowboy arcanist Avery Belle has spent a very long lifetime amongst them.
Review
With the likes of comics such as Barstow, Lost Fantasy and even classics such as Preacher, there could be an argument to be made about the oversaturation of paranormal, demonic-themed stories taking up the space at the moment. This isn’t to say that those examples are bad, far from it as they are some of the best around, but it’s more to do with the amount of titles diving into the genre and ideas. Thankfully, all these stories are finding unique ways to navigate the familiar concepts and creatures that come with the territory, and TexArcanum is no exception.
TexArcanum hits the ground running from its first page, diving straight into the backstory of this world to give readers an idea of what to expect tonally. All of which tells us all we need to know before being introduced to our protagonist, Avery Belle.
Avery acts as our narrator through this world as he demystifies it and takes otherworldly phenomena as the norm. The way Christopher Monfette writes Avery is as someone who is cynical but willing to help others. His point of view pokes fun at other media that take on this type of genre whilst also revealing real-world parallels in modern-day America.
This is best exemplified when he casually states that, “movies and TV, they’ll have you believe that the supernatural is for coastal cities and suburbs that look like Vancouver. Only evil hides between things, and there’s a whole lotta middle to middle America.” A simple line that breaks down so many narrative and political truths, something that Monfette really excels at throughout this first issue.
Compared to its contemporaries, TexArcanum leans more into the action-thriller angle of its premise. Unlike Barstow, which goes for a dark comedy approach, and Lost Fantasy, which, as the title suggests, revels in the fantasy genre and mystery that comes with it. With this series, Monfette and co come in and keep things relatively straightforward, riding a fine line that tackles real problems against a backdrop of ghouls, possessions and a lot of blood.
On top of this, Miguel Martos’ detailed artwork is beautifully complemented by Patricio Delpeche’s colouring to create some truly hellish imagery. Once the demonic entities come out to play in the second half of the issue, this is where their work really comes into its own. The gore and violence go from 0 to 100 with every page, and the outcome is visceral to say the least. A mix of bloody crimsons, deep purples and bursts of bright oranges work in tandem to heavily exaggerate the intensity of the situation, whilst Martos’ creature designs bring out the horror of it all to glorious effect.
With TexArcanum, Monfette takes elements of westerns old and new, mythologies of all types and horror to create a story that is both recognisable and wholly original. The result is this brilliant concoction of action and horror that feels like Hellboy meets No Country for Old Men. If the series carries on like this, TexArcanum could end up being an incredible mini-series.
Verdict
TexArcanum is a gruesome, gritty and incredibly entertaining read. The horrific imagery and worldbuilding here are truly special and leaves so much potential for this four-part series to delve into.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
