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Southern Bastards #13

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    Ian Jane
    Administrator

  • Southern Bastards #13



    Southern Bastards #13
    Released by: Image Comics
    Released on: January 27th, 2015
    Writer: Jason Aaron
    Artist: Jason Latour
    Purchase From Amazon

    When lucky issue #13 of Jason Aaron and Jason Latour's Southern Bastards begins, it's game day. The Craw County Runnin' Rebs are ready, willing and able to square off against the Wetumpka County Warriors and, well, Couch Big just killed himself. That isn't stopping Boss from telling his players to 'bleed if you got to.' After all, he's not asking anything of them that wasn't asked of himself years ago. The match gets dirty, the match gets rough and Wetumpka gets the lead.

    Then Boss gets his boys in a huddle.

    Cut to Big's funeral. He's laying there in his coffin, looking just as dead as dead can be, while Boss stares down at him trying to figure out why he offed himself. He figures Big just didn't want to wind up a useless old man in a nursing home. He tries to convince himself of that but he knows the truth. Boss isn't stupid. After the funeral but before the game we see how Boss was pressured by the mayor, or more specifically the mayor's wife, and they want to know how he plans on winning without Big around to do his thing. They don't have faith in Boss, that much is clear, and people are talking. Boss is told in no uncertain terms that he cannot lose this game.

    Back on the field, it's half time. Boss talks to his team in the locker room about the importance of this game, how this will shape them in the future, how this will make them men. It's a good speech, an inspiring speech, he wants them to get out there and win it not for him but for those who live for this type of thing and more importantly, for Big. The boys head out to the field and Boss talks to Wetumpka's coach. He's gloating, no shock there, but there's still half a game to play. But the second half doesn't go better, it just gets worse.

    That night, the big running back for Wetumpka, the one who basically won the game for them, is hanging out at the local BBQ joint when, out in the parking lot, he gets a visit from Boss himself. Clearly full of whiskey, the old man decides to prove a point.

    As someone who genuinely doesn't give half a shit about football, it's a testament to Aaron's writing in this series just how gripping an issue that is pretty much entirely about football really is. At the same time, as much as this is about football, it's not. It's about machismo, expectations, competition, violence, corruption, anger and, yeah, obsession. It's about victory, about winning and then lengths that some will go to for it. It's about great American traditions and it's about bad men doing bad things. But on the surface, at least, it's all about football and regardless of how you feel about the game, this makes for a killer read. It's suspenseful, tense, violent and twisted and for a series that sets the bar pretty high with each damn issue, it's honestly a bit of a benchmark.

    Latour's art is just as strong. While Aaron gets full points for coming up with the story and writing it as strongly as he does, Latour brings it to life and his layouts are fantastic. His art isn't hyper-detailed but the line work really brings out the anger and intensity in the different characters in this issue in a big way. On top of that, he makes the game look really damn impressive. The hits and the tackles hurt, there's a load of atmosphere here and the layouts are interesting and impressive.

    And next issue? Well, something big is up. That much is clear. Bring it on.







    • Ian Jane
      #2
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      Ian Jane commented
      Editing a comment
      Aaron was born in Alabama so he probably lived it himself!

    • Newt Cox
      #3
      Newt Cox
      Senior Member
      Newt Cox commented
      Editing a comment
      Originally posted by Ian Jane
      Aaron was born in Alabama so he probably lived it himself!

      I figured he was from some part of the deep south. My junior year during the big rivaly game,Moss Point vs Pascagoula,one student at Moss Point stole a tailgate off a truck at some dealership in Pascagoula. He was caught on camera. But because he was part of the football team all charges were dropped once he brought the tailgate back.

    • Ian Jane
      #4
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      Ian Jane commented
      Editing a comment
      Ha, wow.
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