Tex Arcana is a graphic serial that appeared in Heavy Metal

Heavy Metal (magazine)

Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...

beginning with the March 1981 issue and continuing intermittently through 1985. It was written and drawn by John Findley.

Initially, the series was conceived as an adult-oriented parody of horror

Horror fiction

Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...

 and Old West

American Old West

The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...

 genres, combining standard vampire

Vampire

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

, werewolf

Werewolf

A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...

 (or, in this case, "werecoyote"), and goblin

Goblin

A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...

 characters with classic Western

Western (genre)

The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...

 themes, using a format loosely based on the EC Comics

EC Comics

Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...

 horror publications of the '50s. It strove toward a goal of combining humor with genuine horror.

Plot

The story is about the town of Hangman's Corners, its eccentric population and the peculiar and somewhat terrifying complications visited upon them by a variety of beings. Each episode was introduced by the deceased "Old Claim Jumper". The series is divided into three arcs

Story arc

A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...

.

The first arc is about a vampire who seeks help from Beyond in the course of combating the disgruntled townsfolk. Due to his own incompetence, he accidentally conjures up two benevolent demons who become central characters throughout the rest of the series.

The second arc concerns a rancher and the grisly fate of his chickens.

The third, and longest, arc tells of a world-famous violinist who visits the town, bringing with him a hideous secret.

Publication history

The complete series was 271 pages long in its initial form of publication. The first two arcs were later edited together and published in paperback by Catalan Communications

Catalan Communications

Catalan Communications was a New York publishing company, operated by Bernd Metz, which mainly focused on English-language translations of European graphic novels, presented in a series of high-quality trade paperbacks.-Company history:...

(1987) with an introduction by Heavy Metal editor Julie Simmons-Lynch.

Tex Arcana returned to Heavy Metal in the tenth anniversary issue (July 1987). This was a self-contained ten page story titled "The Ballad of the Witch's Daughter".

In 2006, the entire series was edited by the author into a single volume titled Tex Arcana: a Saga of the Old West published by BookSurge. The series is viewable online, along with a continuation of the story, at the author's website.