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Southern Bastards
Paletos cabrones nº 04: Lo que hay que tener (Southern Bastards)
El entrenador Boss domina el condado de Craw por una razón: él es quien gana los partidos de fútbol. Pero después del grandiosa y abominable pérdida de su carrera, el entrenador debe convertirse en un criminal más que nunca si está dispuesto a mantenerse un paso por delante de sus enemigos. Enemigos como Roberta Tubb, que se dirige a la ciudad con una ametralladora y serias dudas sobre cómo murió su papá.
167 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2018
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,357 books1,706 followersJason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
July 8, 2026
Things are looking not so good for the all-dominant Boss as the chickens, vets, deacons, criminals, players, mayor's mouthpiece and more all come home to roost!.
Still shy of that Fifth Star, although a wonderfully drawn series, something is just not quite right with the storytelling, I could even go on to say that Aaron doesn't appear to be a natural storyteller?.
More redness, mayhem and not-football in this gory dirty South drama. 9 out of 12.
2019 read
Still shy of that Fifth Star, although a wonderfully drawn series, something is just not quite right with the storytelling, I could even go on to say that Aaron doesn't appear to be a natural storyteller?.
More redness, mayhem and not-football in this gory dirty South drama. 9 out of 12.
2019 read
June 24, 2018
Post-Homecoming and the Runnin’ Rebs are losing one game after another. But Coach Boss’ troubles don’t stop at the field - a rival drug-lord from a nearby town is threatening his business operations and Roberta Tubbs, daughter of Earl whom he murdered earlier in the series, has him in her sights for revenge. Is this the end for Coach Boss or will he get a last minute hail mary?
Southern Bastards, Volume 4: Gut Check is a helluva touchdown in the end zone. D-did I do it - did I sound like I knows the American footballs? Phewf. Alrighty, back to talking sorta-normal!
Yeah, terrific comic. And it’s a long time coming too - it’s been nearly two years since the last book! Jason Latour explains the delays: the title’s editor’s father passed away followed shortly by Latour’s dad (Latour’s eulogy is included at the back if you want to make yourself cry). I imagine it must’ve been that much harder continuing with SB given how father-centric this series is.
But Gut Check is a welcome return for the Bastards. The action is damn near relentless as Coach Boss deals with his team’s losing streak the only way he knows how: violence. The best scene in the book is when him and a couple of goons visit the Locust Fork Superbolts’ star player to make sure he can’t make the game against the Rebs and everything goes wrong.
I loved the new character, Colonel Quick McLusky, whose quirky Coen Brothers-esque southern-fried speech was completely over-the-top: raperations, endeavorations, agreegable circumferences! It’s like he stepped right out of O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Coach Boss and the Colonel’s forces go to war against each other as Jason Aaron puts the screws even more on Boss, before Roberta Tubbs steps up and all bets are off. I didn’t know whether this was the end of the series, whether Coach Boss’ story ended here, or what would happen. Then there’s a twist, and another twist - it’s such compelling, exciting and satisfying storytelling. First rate drama through and through.
I don’t love Latour or Chris Brunner’s art which are both a bit too scratchy and rushed-looking for my taste. That and the subplot about the alcoholic sheriff and his ex-high school sweetheart, which I couldn’t have cared less about, were the only aspects of the book that didn’t hit the spot.
Otherwise, Southern Bastards, Volume 4: Gut Check is a brilliant, gripping read and another fine addition to this fantastic series - the two Jasons score big again!
Southern Bastards, Volume 4: Gut Check is a helluva touchdown in the end zone. D-did I do it - did I sound like I knows the American footballs? Phewf. Alrighty, back to talking sorta-normal!
Yeah, terrific comic. And it’s a long time coming too - it’s been nearly two years since the last book! Jason Latour explains the delays: the title’s editor’s father passed away followed shortly by Latour’s dad (Latour’s eulogy is included at the back if you want to make yourself cry). I imagine it must’ve been that much harder continuing with SB given how father-centric this series is.
But Gut Check is a welcome return for the Bastards. The action is damn near relentless as Coach Boss deals with his team’s losing streak the only way he knows how: violence. The best scene in the book is when him and a couple of goons visit the Locust Fork Superbolts’ star player to make sure he can’t make the game against the Rebs and everything goes wrong.
I loved the new character, Colonel Quick McLusky, whose quirky Coen Brothers-esque southern-fried speech was completely over-the-top: raperations, endeavorations, agreegable circumferences! It’s like he stepped right out of O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Coach Boss and the Colonel’s forces go to war against each other as Jason Aaron puts the screws even more on Boss, before Roberta Tubbs steps up and all bets are off. I didn’t know whether this was the end of the series, whether Coach Boss’ story ended here, or what would happen. Then there’s a twist, and another twist - it’s such compelling, exciting and satisfying storytelling. First rate drama through and through.
I don’t love Latour or Chris Brunner’s art which are both a bit too scratchy and rushed-looking for my taste. That and the subplot about the alcoholic sheriff and his ex-high school sweetheart, which I couldn’t have cared less about, were the only aspects of the book that didn’t hit the spot.
Otherwise, Southern Bastards, Volume 4: Gut Check is a brilliant, gripping read and another fine addition to this fantastic series - the two Jasons score big again!
July 12, 2018
The Homecoming game of the Runnin’ Rebs in Craw County didn’t go so well in the last volume, and you know Southern football, they have to win, so Coach Boss resorts to extraordinary means (well, not extraordinary for how the drug-lord typically operates, but not typical of how he has won football games), but in the process the coach has to deal with Colonel Quick McLusky (who looks suspiciously like Burt Reynolds), another drug lord associated with the Locust Fork Superbolts, and Roberta Tubbs, daughter of Earl, whom she discovers Boss knocked off, and who is out for revenge. We knew about the Southern obsession with winning football through Friday Night Lights, but this volume amps up the action a few notches as the Boss's Runnin' Rebs "organization" rains unholy hell down on the star of the Superbolts, which brings on a war. Southern bastards, indeed!
It’s been almost two years since the last book, since two guys who make the series lost fathers in the middle of this father-centric series, but the volume is worth the wait, especially as Roberta Tubbs makes her move for her Daddy against Coach Boss. One flashback issue is written by Jason Latour and illustrated by Chris Brunner, and is so often the case, disrupts the flow and pales in comparison to Jason Aaron’s storytelling and Jason Latour’s art. But over all it is great stuff.
It’s been almost two years since the last book, since two guys who make the series lost fathers in the middle of this father-centric series, but the volume is worth the wait, especially as Roberta Tubbs makes her move for her Daddy against Coach Boss. One flashback issue is written by Jason Latour and illustrated by Chris Brunner, and is so often the case, disrupts the flow and pales in comparison to Jason Aaron’s storytelling and Jason Latour’s art. But over all it is great stuff.
August 27, 2018
All of my friends seem to have loved this one, but I feel this is where the series jumped the shark. Now I'm supposed to believe that the next county over also has a drug-running football coach. This one with a literal monkey on his back and talks like Foghorn Leghorn. Plus Coach Boss tackles and uproots a tree. (That may have been the dumbest sentence I ever wrote.) The art is absolutely terrible. It's so rushed I can't tell what is going on during the final sequences with Roberta and Boss.
April 26, 2026
PT Ora aqui estamos, finalmente, no encerramento desta fantástica série.
As coisas não estão a correr de feição para Coach Boss e para a sua equipa do condado de Crawford. As equipas rivais sobem a fasquia e começam a jogar um jogo que vai muito além das quatro linhas.
À medida que os problemas se adensam em torno de Coach Boss, dá-se finalmente a tão aguardada entrada de Roberta Tubb.
O desfecho não foi aquilo que antecipava, mas também não me deixou desiludido.
--
EN Here we are at last, at the conclusion of this fantastic series.
Things are not going well for Coach Boss and his Crawford County football team, with rival teams raising the stakes and starting to play a game that extends well beyond the football field.
As problems mount on Coach Boss’s side, the long-awaited entrance of Roberta Tubb finally takes place.
The ending was not what I expected, but it also didn’t disappoint me.
As coisas não estão a correr de feição para Coach Boss e para a sua equipa do condado de Crawford. As equipas rivais sobem a fasquia e começam a jogar um jogo que vai muito além das quatro linhas.
À medida que os problemas se adensam em torno de Coach Boss, dá-se finalmente a tão aguardada entrada de Roberta Tubb.
O desfecho não foi aquilo que antecipava, mas também não me deixou desiludido.
--
EN Here we are at last, at the conclusion of this fantastic series.
Things are not going well for Coach Boss and his Crawford County football team, with rival teams raising the stakes and starting to play a game that extends well beyond the football field.
As problems mount on Coach Boss’s side, the long-awaited entrance of Roberta Tubb finally takes place.
The ending was not what I expected, but it also didn’t disappoint me.
July 16, 2018
Vicious and bloody, this riveting chapter in the southern crime comic twists, reveals, and manifests characters’ demons, beginning the inevitable war this story deserves.
July 27, 2018
The tide is starting to turn against Coach Boss and his attempts to maintain control are only making things worse. There is plenty of gritty, violent noir to be had. My one reservation is that it felt like the series should have ended right here with a single satisfactory shot, but the creators use a weak-ass justification to avert that outcome. The pressure is now on future volumes earn this extension of the story.
May 10, 2018
This was good. I read it as single issues. The daughter comes to town as we expect. Violence galore as per normal but I think its becoming a little too similar througout.
December 29, 2020
A series that is spinning its wheels. Some might refer to it as layered or nuanced, I just see repetitive and uninspired. It needs to end soon, or radically change.
**Addendum**
Accidentally reread it without even a hint of recognition until I saw my prior write-up. If it's so unmemorable, should probably be downgraded to a 1-star.
**Addendum**
Accidentally reread it without even a hint of recognition until I saw my prior write-up. If it's so unmemorable, should probably be downgraded to a 1-star.
October 9, 2018
The Rebs are on a losing streak, compromising the sacro-saints “Friday Nights” and Euless Boss simply can’t stand it. So he resorts to the only thing he understands- violence- starting a gang war with the adverse team’s county. A war he is not assured to win.
Meanwhile Roberta starts taking names and kicking asses, intent as she is to free Craw County from this bunch of “Redneck Deliverance Motherfuckers” – God, I love that line.
As you can see, things are not cooling off down there in Alabama. Boss is losing his ground step by step and some reckoning is in the making fer sure.
Another excellent volume by Aaron, Latour and Brunner. The atmosphere is still oh so rotten and violent with art to match (that's a praise).
Ground is gained, ground is lost, allegiances change… A storm is brewing upon Craw County and it might just flood it all away.
Meanwhile Roberta starts taking names and kicking asses, intent as she is to free Craw County from this bunch of “Redneck Deliverance Motherfuckers” – God, I love that line.
As you can see, things are not cooling off down there in Alabama. Boss is losing his ground step by step and some reckoning is in the making fer sure.
Another excellent volume by Aaron, Latour and Brunner. The atmosphere is still oh so rotten and violent with art to match (that's a praise).
Ground is gained, ground is lost, allegiances change… A storm is brewing upon Craw County and it might just flood it all away.
June 28, 2018
Bloody, brutal, and completely bludgeoning. Better tighten your chin strap before you delve into this one!
Read straight through from beginning to end. Literally couldn't put it down until I was done
Read straight through from beginning to end. Literally couldn't put it down until I was done
May 31, 2025
Tatmin etmeyen bir final bir de berbat baskısı (projeksiyon lambası parlaklığı kısılmış sinema salonunda izlenen film gibi düşünün) yüzünden umduğumu bulamadım.
March 31, 2021
(4 of 5 for the bittersweet unofficial ending of this series)
In this book, we finally get Roberta Tubb "kicking the door of the Craw County". The action goes up, maybe too much, because its logic goes sloppy even for "rednecks". And uprooting a full-grown tree by a tackle is just a fantasy cherry on top. The art, which is not my favourite but so far it worked, starts to deteriorate too. I don't know if that's because the series lost its momentum or maybe the death of Latour's father took its toll on their working energy/dedication. But one thing seems obvious - it's been three years since the last issue, so the chances for the fifth book "Rebs" are rather slim.
In this book, we finally get Roberta Tubb "kicking the door of the Craw County". The action goes up, maybe too much, because its logic goes sloppy even for "rednecks". And uprooting a full-grown tree by a tackle is just a fantasy cherry on top. The art, which is not my favourite but so far it worked, starts to deteriorate too. I don't know if that's because the series lost its momentum or maybe the death of Latour's father took its toll on their working energy/dedication. But one thing seems obvious - it's been three years since the last issue, so the chances for the fifth book "Rebs" are rather slim.
February 14, 2020
Después del tercer volumen esperaba con ganas la culminación, pero no me ha acabado de convencer. En general creo que es una obra muy inferior a Scalped.
September 23, 2018
I honestly thought I was reading the last issues of the whole series right up until the last few pages. Through the first half of this volume--perhaps the first two-thirds--we get a gang war between Coach Boss and a "business" rival from a neighboring county. As that story happens in the forefront, everybody that has reason to turn on Boss seems to be working up the guts to do so, and it all comes to a head in the last third of the book. I don't buy the ending, and I was disappointed in how every character I hope to believe in ends up getting sucked into the crap with the rest of the nasty monsters the book focuses on.
It's one thing to demonstrate the failings/weaknesses of your protagonists--the book certainly did that with Earl Tubb in volume one. This one is so dark, there doesn't seem to be a single "good" character left. There are of course, from the perspective of quality tons of good characters. Great characters even, and I want to know what the team does next, but man....This almost makes Scalped look cheerful.
It's one thing to demonstrate the failings/weaknesses of your protagonists--the book certainly did that with Earl Tubb in volume one. This one is so dark, there doesn't seem to be a single "good" character left. There are of course, from the perspective of quality tons of good characters. Great characters even, and I want to know what the team does next, but man....This almost makes Scalped look cheerful.
July 24, 2018
Things finally come to a head: Roberta Tubbs begins working her way up the goon chain to unmask Coach Boss; Deacon Boone hears the vengeful call of the Holy Spirit; Burt Reynolds' White Lightning character is introduced as a neighbor-county rival and foil for Boss; and county officials enact a plan to take Boss down.
May 10, 2018
Well, after all the darkness, and human frailty, and stupidity, and seeing poor Earl Tubbs fail,
Here comes Roberta. And she is badass. Dang girl, I’m actually leaving one of these arcs feeling hopeful
Here comes Roberta. And she is badass. Dang girl, I’m actually leaving one of these arcs feeling hopeful
July 18, 2018
Worth the wait. Pound for pound the best comic on shelves. I don't want to say much more, just be reading Southern Bastards.
March 4, 2022
The downfall of Coach Boss begins (and ends) here.
So first thing, it really sucks that the series ends here as this is... it's a stop, but its defiantly not an end. And being that one of the creators got into some shenanigans recently, it looks like this series is dead in the water. Which is a shame because I really do feel that Jason Aaron was crafting a visceral and highly entertaining story. I'm one who doesn't have a connection to the south, and I don't really care about football, but every time I picked up one of these volumes, it was hard to put down. And that's down to Aaron's, and Latour's storytelling ability. So I'm sad to see it end in such a way.
If you read the last volume, you know coach Boss was losing control of the team and the town. This volume climaxes with the inevitable, with a showdown that's been in the making since the beginning of the book. There are a couple of moments that are... completely unbelievable if I'm being honest, but the story is so good that you're (or at least I'm) willing to overlook the more outlandish aspects of the story in order to enjoy this emotional and violent conclusion.
Sad to see it die the way it did, but this was a great book and a worthy read. Highly recommended even if you don't care about the south or football.
So first thing, it really sucks that the series ends here as this is... it's a stop, but its defiantly not an end. And being that one of the creators got into some shenanigans recently, it looks like this series is dead in the water. Which is a shame because I really do feel that Jason Aaron was crafting a visceral and highly entertaining story. I'm one who doesn't have a connection to the south, and I don't really care about football, but every time I picked up one of these volumes, it was hard to put down. And that's down to Aaron's, and Latour's storytelling ability. So I'm sad to see it end in such a way.
If you read the last volume, you know coach Boss was losing control of the team and the town. This volume climaxes with the inevitable, with a showdown that's been in the making since the beginning of the book. There are a couple of moments that are... completely unbelievable if I'm being honest, but the story is so good that you're (or at least I'm) willing to overlook the more outlandish aspects of the story in order to enjoy this emotional and violent conclusion.
Sad to see it die the way it did, but this was a great book and a worthy read. Highly recommended even if you don't care about the south or football.
April 30, 2019
This is another great addition to the story. Too bad the series doesn't feel like it's over. While Coach Boss takes a major hit at the end, he is not out of the game. He gets his archenemy who isn't going away and will take great joy in watching him fall.
The homecoming loss hits Craw County hard. It's believed unlikely that Coach Boss will be able to motivate the team for a win this season. His job is also hanging in the balance along with his control over Craw County. Several figures in town are secretly working on a way to bring him down.
The homecoming loss hits Craw County hard. It's believed unlikely that Coach Boss will be able to motivate the team for a win this season. His job is also hanging in the balance along with his control over Craw County. Several figures in town are secretly working on a way to bring him down.
May 7, 2025
a few things to keep in mind - jason latour and the editor’s fathers passed away during the last few issues which may have caused a quality drop with publication. allegations around jl also means that the series won’t have its planned ending and who knows what the jasons had in mind
i assume the last volume was supposed to cover the revenge and rise of other people in the town against coach boss but the ending for this one, left me unsatisfied
for the most part, i enjoyed this series - it was very dark, with complex characters and strong storytelling like the town itself was its own character that chewed and spit out every person that showed an inkling of vulnerability and weakness
3/5.
i assume the last volume was supposed to cover the revenge and rise of other people in the town against coach boss but the ending for this one, left me unsatisfied
for the most part, i enjoyed this series - it was very dark, with complex characters and strong storytelling like the town itself was its own character that chewed and spit out every person that showed an inkling of vulnerability and weakness
3/5.
January 18, 2020
This sure seems like the end, but I guess there's one more volume (at least) on the way? Not really sure why, since this seems like a pretty definitive end to this pretty dark story. This time out, things seem to be pretty much falling apart for Coach Boss and his criminal empire, as the Rebs start losing games and the townspeople turn on him. Mix Walking Tall and Friday Night Lights and you've got some idea of the story here. I really don't see where this story could possibly go after this.
January 20, 2019
I gave this series 5 stars for each of the first 4 Volumes. It’s a gritty, violent and ruthless noir story that is both punishing and uncompromising. Roberta Tubbs brings her Marine Corp fighting skills to the party in an effort to avenge her father’s death and it only serves to open the story up to further carnage. Take note, this is an Eisner winner. Well deserving I might add.
April 10, 2020
You can read my review for the first four volumes here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 20, 2026
A tragic 2.5/5. It’s obviously still a shame this series was cut short, but after this volume I’m not sure a revival would even be worth it. Rather than building off itself in the same way as previous chapters, I felt a true sense of narrative stalling here. McClusky was such a corny, comic book-ass villain who felt like he was only introduced to stretch out an arc as opposed to really adding to any of the already disparate character threads. It’s his whole rivalry with Coach that takes up the bulk of the volume as opposed to anything set up in V3. These previously teased storylines do finally converge in the last few issues…only to resolve themselves in contrived, cliche ways with plot armor granted to all the major characters, followed by sequel bait cliffhangers that will never be revisited. It’s frustrating because without the McClusky nonsense, I could easily see a world where this volume locks in and wraps up the entire narrative. Instead, I felt a general loss of momentum and lack of confidence from Jason Aaron in how he wanted to carry on with this series. I would probably lower my rating for the previous volume to a high 3.5/5, and give the series overall a 4/5. Rather than an exact mathematical average, I like to weight a series’ rating more heavily based on how much I enjoyed its “golden age”. In this case, I adored the first two volumes of Southern Bastards and would still recommend it to anyone interested in a pulpy, atmospheric thriller.
July 8, 2018
I don't find comic writers who present racist or homophobic or transphobic or misogynist villains, employing them as an excuse to be able to use problematic language (sure, I drop the "n" word every other page, but it's because the bad guy is a racist, not me) to be edgy or interesting.
One of the reasons I'm enjoying Jason Aaron and Jason Latour's "Southern Bastards" is because the villains are racist problematic shitfaces, but we are shown this mostly through their action rather than their dialogue. Yes, because they are sometimes battling people of color, there is an occasional epithet. But I believe it's shown up three times in twenty issues. That seems like the creative team is trying to be realistic, not edgy.
This was almost another five star book for me. The pacing is crisp, the twists are often actually surprising, and the characters and their motivations seem real. Until the last few pages.
The book seemed to be amping up to an ending (which is so much preferable to winding down), or giving us another pivot, like at the end of volume one, where a major character is killed, thus giving us a new angle to the storyline. While there is somewhat of a pivot, the ending didn't change the status quo from where it's been since volume two. It's advanced the plot significantly, but it didn't leave me excited for more, it made me worry that they're going to tread water with this particular storyarc. And that's fine. It's a solid storyarc idea. I'm still going to read and recommend it. I was just hoping for a little more.
I still recommend this to just about anyone who enjoys comic series aimed at adults, people who were sad about the demise of DC's Vertigo line, and fans of Scalped, Vol. 1: Indian Country or 100 Bullets, Vol. 1: First Shot, Last Call.
One of the reasons I'm enjoying Jason Aaron and Jason Latour's "Southern Bastards" is because the villains are racist problematic shitfaces, but we are shown this mostly through their action rather than their dialogue. Yes, because they are sometimes battling people of color, there is an occasional epithet. But I believe it's shown up three times in twenty issues. That seems like the creative team is trying to be realistic, not edgy.
This was almost another five star book for me. The pacing is crisp, the twists are often actually surprising, and the characters and their motivations seem real. Until the last few pages.
The book seemed to be amping up to an ending (which is so much preferable to winding down), or giving us another pivot, like at the end of volume one, where a major character is killed, thus giving us a new angle to the storyline. While there is somewhat of a pivot, the ending didn't change the status quo from where it's been since volume two. It's advanced the plot significantly, but it didn't leave me excited for more, it made me worry that they're going to tread water with this particular storyarc. And that's fine. It's a solid storyarc idea. I'm still going to read and recommend it. I was just hoping for a little more.
I still recommend this to just about anyone who enjoys comic series aimed at adults, people who were sad about the demise of DC's Vertigo line, and fans of Scalped, Vol. 1: Indian Country or 100 Bullets, Vol. 1: First Shot, Last Call.
November 12, 2018
Southern Bastards is still a dark and fascinating series, but in this fourth volume it seems like things are getting out of hand. Literally, in the sense that Coach Boss is losing control of his team, and thus, his control over Craw County. Also in the sense that the events in Gut Check are barely believable. Previous volumes showed a dark side to football mania - like, a really dark, murderous side. Gut Check escalates that dark side dramatically, basically featuring a war between rival towns. There's even a high-speed chase with gunfire between cars! What happened to my story about football and back-room dealing?
The art gets shakier in this volume too, often barely intelligible during action scenes. And there are just so many action scenes. Most of these characters are awful people, but I missed spending time with them. The only character who gets a non-murderous storyline is the alcoholic sheriff and that storyline's a dud. The writing is still strong enough to keep me invested, although the pulled-punch ending seems like a strange choice. Hopefully future volumes feature less explosive action and more character moments.
The art gets shakier in this volume too, often barely intelligible during action scenes. And there are just so many action scenes. Most of these characters are awful people, but I missed spending time with them. The only character who gets a non-murderous storyline is the alcoholic sheriff and that storyline's a dud. The writing is still strong enough to keep me invested, although the pulled-punch ending seems like a strange choice. Hopefully future volumes feature less explosive action and more character moments.
December 7, 2019
Violence flares in the fourth volume of Jason Aaron and Jason Latour's "Southern Bastards," with personal revenge overlapping with drug-based turf wars. The story has a lot of energy; it's skillfully crafted but not fully persuasive.
What's most inconsistent is the characterization. Things escalate quickly, but given the chance to move the story forward, Aaron reshuffles the deck, which feels unsatisfying.
What's most inconsistent is the characterization. Things escalate quickly, but given the chance to move the story forward, Aaron reshuffles the deck, which feels unsatisfying.
October 30, 2018
Will I read the next one? Probably because the story is intense and gripping and moves quickly propelled by the profanity-filled dialogue. But the unrelenting nastiness and violence is becoming too much for me. Is there a redeeming value behind it? Is it more than a story of revenge, of one mean son-of-a-bitch one upping another? I don’t know. The dialogue and artwork pair nicely, but are these sharp portrayals of illiterate, good ol’ boy rednecks whose lives revolve around Friday night football or is the whole thing an unfair stereotype?
July 23, 2019
Coach Boss's tailspin was marvelous, but the long awaited Roberta Tubb smackdown lacked the drama and umph I'd expected. Plus the fight in the woods, was drawn in such a way as to not really make sense. Also the inclusion of Jason Latour's eulogy for his father might have made sense because of the family nature of this series but it just depressed the hell out of me.
PS I loved the monkey and his Burt Reynolds's doppelganger owner.
PS I loved the monkey and his Burt Reynolds's doppelganger owner.
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