Southern Bastards #8
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Jason Latour
After the flabbergasting conclusion of Southern Bastards’ first arc, I couldn’t have imagine the shift in character Aaron would pull off with Coach Boss. He took one of the most frightening villains in comics and made you pity him. We now understand why Coach Boss had become the horrid man he is today because of this arc. Jason Aaron has achieved an enormous level of success with this story-arc and just like its predecessor, it ends with a bang. It may not be as appalling as the first issue’s conclusion but it reaches a quality just below it. Southern Bastards is not holding back.
This arc has principally succeeded through the exploration of Euless Boss’ complex psyche and brutal origin. He’s a character that has been beaten to a pulp and put down his entire life and found his purpose in football. This issue focused on what happens when Boss is stripped of his sole purpose. He will do any callous acts to retain his position in football and his transformation is captured in one incredibly powerful moment in this issue.
A moment that makes complete sense but it still somehow finds a way to surprise the reader. Euless Boss may not be a sympathetic character but Aaron has shown us another side of him that we could believe in. Which makes his rise to power all the more heart-breaking. We know that there is potential in this character for better things but his life has buried them deep and Aaron uses one climactic moment to us just how deep. He conveys the tragedy of this character so expertly in this issue and I can’t praise his work enough for it.
Jason Latour returns to art duties after a bit of delay. The delays certainly hurt the comic a little because my excitement for this series drowns under excitement for series that ship more frequently. But they are all worth it if Jason Latour remains on art duties. He brings Jason Aaron’s world to life in a way that no other artist could. His style matches the world that Aaron has created so well that this book ends up feeling like it was done by one person. These two are working in perfect tandem here and Latour’s magnificent pencils just elevate the quality of this comic with every page.
Jason Aaron and Jason Latour have given us another amazing conclusion to a Southern Bastards arc. This issue captured Euless Boss’ transformation into the man that he is and Aaron couldn’t have made it any more tragic. This is a tragic character who is also extremely intimidating and horrifying. He could potentially be the best antagonist in any series hitting the stands today thanks to Aaron’s origin story and ability to capture his voice so well. And in addition to all the terrific character work, Aaron has set-up this series’ third arc to be the best one yet. This series is a modern classic and this issue shows exactly why.
Artist: Jason Latour
After the flabbergasting conclusion of Southern Bastards’ first arc, I couldn’t have imagine the shift in character Aaron would pull off with Coach Boss. He took one of the most frightening villains in comics and made you pity him. We now understand why Coach Boss had become the horrid man he is today because of this arc. Jason Aaron has achieved an enormous level of success with this story-arc and just like its predecessor, it ends with a bang. It may not be as appalling as the first issue’s conclusion but it reaches a quality just below it. Southern Bastards is not holding back.
This arc has principally succeeded through the exploration of Euless Boss’ complex psyche and brutal origin. He’s a character that has been beaten to a pulp and put down his entire life and found his purpose in football. This issue focused on what happens when Boss is stripped of his sole purpose. He will do any callous acts to retain his position in football and his transformation is captured in one incredibly powerful moment in this issue.
A moment that makes complete sense but it still somehow finds a way to surprise the reader. Euless Boss may not be a sympathetic character but Aaron has shown us another side of him that we could believe in. Which makes his rise to power all the more heart-breaking. We know that there is potential in this character for better things but his life has buried them deep and Aaron uses one climactic moment to us just how deep. He conveys the tragedy of this character so expertly in this issue and I can’t praise his work enough for it.
Jason Latour returns to art duties after a bit of delay. The delays certainly hurt the comic a little because my excitement for this series drowns under excitement for series that ship more frequently. But they are all worth it if Jason Latour remains on art duties. He brings Jason Aaron’s world to life in a way that no other artist could. His style matches the world that Aaron has created so well that this book ends up feeling like it was done by one person. These two are working in perfect tandem here and Latour’s magnificent pencils just elevate the quality of this comic with every page.
Jason Aaron and Jason Latour have given us another amazing conclusion to a Southern Bastards arc. This issue captured Euless Boss’ transformation into the man that he is and Aaron couldn’t have made it any more tragic. This is a tragic character who is also extremely intimidating and horrifying. He could potentially be the best antagonist in any series hitting the stands today thanks to Aaron’s origin story and ability to capture his voice so well. And in addition to all the terrific character work, Aaron has set-up this series’ third arc to be the best one yet. This series is a modern classic and this issue shows exactly why.
A Look Inside
