Graphic Novel Reviews: Write it in Blood

It is a story most of us are familiar with many – especially those of us raised with movies about police officers; retirement day is here and it is possibly the worst day of your entire working life. Take that story and flip it inside out and upside down and there you have it, Write it in Blood by McConville and Palmer.

Cosmo and Arthur Pryce are about to be former hitmen. They are retiring from the business after one last job (as in walking away from their jobs retired, not being “retired” euphemistically). All seems to be going well until the machinations of consummate troublemaker Cosmo come to light and the twins find themselves on the wrong side of the Boss.

McConville’s Godot-esque Cosmo and Arthur are captured and presented with loving detail by Palmer’s illustration. Texas too, with its sparsely populated little towns, too big sky, heat, and everpresent dust becomes a character in its own right. Just another character in the way to Arthur’s retirement plan.

Write it in Blood is violent, gritty, and a good read. I recommend it for mature readers (at least over the age of 16) who enjoy extra-legal stories, some absurdist plots, and the feeling of riding around the back roads of Texas with some outlaws.