Redneck vol. 3: Longhorns

I thought that the first volume of Donny Cates and Lisandro Estherren’s Texas vampire family drama was alright.  The second one was too, though it didn’t do much to push the series off of my, “I’ll buy it at a deep discount,” list.  Vol. 3, however, is where this title has finally clicked for me.  While it starts off with Bartlett running off with a comatose Perry into the dawn, things quickly improve for the family and the reader as well.  Not only does Bartlett have an idea as to where they can seek refuge, but the Bowman clan winds up thriving while they’re confined to the streets of Austin on the Order of the Parliament.

Yes, that’s right.  There’s a Vampire Parliament in the world of “Redneck.”  That’s just one of many interesting world-building details that Cates throws into this volume.  You’ll also get to see a Vampire Wedding, find out just how long Johnson has been around, and his connection to their new overseer Ingrid.  Yet it’s the character-building stuff that really shines here.  Bits like JV learning to unwind, Greg learning new things about himself, and the funny/heartwarming conversation he has with his dad afterwards are as entertaining as they are insightful.  Best of all, though, is seeing Bartlett reconnect with a former love who he did wrong many years ago and finally setting things right.

This is all handled capably, but not spectacularly by Estherren’s art.  He has a spare style whose lack of detail keeps me from being fully drawn into the action.  However, he’s quite good with the action and can deliver on ambitious scenes like the two 32-panel page spread near the end of the volume.  Estherren’s ability to deliver on action is key as the volume ends with some righteous retribution against the Bowman clan.  It looks like another terrible day for them, but the difference is that now I’m not going to wait in order to see what happens next for them.