Undone by Blood is a dual story of revenge, alternating between 1970's Arizona and a fictional version of the old Wild West. No-nonsense teenage Ethel is returning to her hometown to find out who killed her family years ago, and famed gunslinger Sol is on a mission to recover his stolen son. Ethel is actually reading about Sol's adventures in a book she carries everywhere she goes, and the comic jumps back and forth between the two story lines. It's neat to see how the compliment and echo each other. Ethel and Sol may be worlds apart, but they actually have a lot in common (and more that's uncovered with each issue).

I loved both of these characters. Ethel, with her shaved head and punk rock attitude, is unstoppable in her quest to find the man who killed her family. We follow along with her story in real time, but there are also flashbacks interspersed throughout of that fateful night, which become more frequent the closer she gets to uncovering the truth. She's tough as nails, but there are also moments in the story that remind you she's still just a kid in many ways. And Sol might be more of gunslinger archetype, but it's done so well I don't mind the cliches. We get most of his story in comic form, but then each issue also ends with a chapter written in prose from Ethel's book. It's probably the most reading I've ever done in a graphic novel, but I quite enjoyed it and it adds a little more nuance to Sol's character.

The art is also fantastic, and I want to give a special shout out to Jason Wordie who did the colors. His use of different color palettes for the three time periods (1970s, flashbacks, and Wild West) blends together really well while also helping each story line stand out. I especially like the way he did Ethel's flashbacks as mostly black and white loose lines punctuated by carefully placed colors. It really helps add to the violence and tension of those particular scenes.

Undone by Blood is a revenge story told on two levels, part western and part crime noir. It's violent, well-paced, frightening at times, and completely engaging. While switching back and forth between stories it manages to build momentum in each simultaneously, a suspenseful journey leading up to a tense climax in both. I think I preferred Ethel's story line more, though both were fun to read. The ending is also bittersweet and not exactly what I expected. Interested to see where the next issues will take us!