Southern Bastards #9
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Jason Latour
Southern Bastards has proved itself to be one of the best ongoing series with its intense and grounded tone that is sure to have any reader invested within the first few pages. Every time I open an issue of Southern Bastards, I mentally prepare myself to read something that doesn’t hold up to the previous issues. This book has achieved such a high quality that it simply cannot last forever. I prepared myself for this upon opening Southern Bastards #9, and once again this proved to be completely useless. Somehow, Jason Aaron and Jason Latour manage to return to their beloved series with a new focus and not only maintain the quality of the second arc, but exceed it.
The most impressive part of Southern Bastards has been Aaron’s adept handle on all of his characters. His talent for creating three-dimensional people is never accentuated as much as in Southern Bastards. Following an arc that focused on Coach Boss, I didn’t know if he would continue telling the story through the villain’s perspective and in issue #9 he doesn’t. Instead, Aaron takes a minor character from the first two arcs and puts him front and center. Sheriff Hardy never seemed to be someone too important in the grander scheme of Craw County’s story but Jason Aaron has big plans for this character.
He opens the issue with a monologue about the defining moments in someone’s life and how they can affect you going forward. He creates an instant sense of melancholy surrounding his protagonist that adds him with layers of complexity.
A complexity that is furthered with every single page in this comic.
Sheriff Hardy was a star football player in high school. He had colleges offering him scholarships, people praising him as one of the best players Craw County had ever seen. This was the peak of a man who fell into a pit of corruption and misery ever since. Coach Boss’ ego couldn’t allow Hardy the success he deserved so the coach brought him down just the way he was torn down as a young man. He figured if he couldn’t play college football, no one else could. Boss took away what made Hardy a star and the sport that meant most to him. Boss made Hardy experience his own tragedies.
The relationship between these two men is the driving force of this issue as we shift from the present, and past of Hardy’s life. However, Aaron still manages to give his villain excellent moments. The finale of the second arc showed a gruesome suicide of the man who made Boos who he is today. It’s blatantly obvious that this was suicide but Boss doesn’t want to accept it. He’s in denial of his only friend’s suicide because he knows that he was the one who caused it. He's constantly attempting to convince himself and everyone else that it was a murder throughout this issue.
After arresting teenagers who were drunkenly hunting down the murderer, Hardy confronts Boss about his denial, resulting in one of the best scenes in this titles history. Jason Aaron brought his A-game to this issue and it shows in the complexities of the characters and their relationships alone.
But Aaron can only do so much on his own. The excellent script is only bolstered by Jason Latour’s grim and moody art. He’s perfectly able to convey the sense of dread, corruption and sadness in Aaron’s script. Character-driven issues can be difficult for certain artist but this is where Latour excels. This series is a masterpiece not only because of Aaron but because of Latour’s art too.
There are some stories that I could spend entire days experiencing. Where I can sit and read/watch for hours and still be fascinated by everything that I see. Southern Bastards is at the top of that list. This is a grounded, powerful, and riveting book that continues to astonish me with every issue. I didn’t know if the Jasons could hold up the incredible quality of this book past the second arc but issue #9 guarantees they will. Southern Bastards is a special kind of story and no one should miss out on something this special.
Artist: Jason Latour
Southern Bastards has proved itself to be one of the best ongoing series with its intense and grounded tone that is sure to have any reader invested within the first few pages. Every time I open an issue of Southern Bastards, I mentally prepare myself to read something that doesn’t hold up to the previous issues. This book has achieved such a high quality that it simply cannot last forever. I prepared myself for this upon opening Southern Bastards #9, and once again this proved to be completely useless. Somehow, Jason Aaron and Jason Latour manage to return to their beloved series with a new focus and not only maintain the quality of the second arc, but exceed it.
The most impressive part of Southern Bastards has been Aaron’s adept handle on all of his characters. His talent for creating three-dimensional people is never accentuated as much as in Southern Bastards. Following an arc that focused on Coach Boss, I didn’t know if he would continue telling the story through the villain’s perspective and in issue #9 he doesn’t. Instead, Aaron takes a minor character from the first two arcs and puts him front and center. Sheriff Hardy never seemed to be someone too important in the grander scheme of Craw County’s story but Jason Aaron has big plans for this character.
He opens the issue with a monologue about the defining moments in someone’s life and how they can affect you going forward. He creates an instant sense of melancholy surrounding his protagonist that adds him with layers of complexity.
A complexity that is furthered with every single page in this comic.
Sheriff Hardy was a star football player in high school. He had colleges offering him scholarships, people praising him as one of the best players Craw County had ever seen. This was the peak of a man who fell into a pit of corruption and misery ever since. Coach Boss’ ego couldn’t allow Hardy the success he deserved so the coach brought him down just the way he was torn down as a young man. He figured if he couldn’t play college football, no one else could. Boss took away what made Hardy a star and the sport that meant most to him. Boss made Hardy experience his own tragedies.
The relationship between these two men is the driving force of this issue as we shift from the present, and past of Hardy’s life. However, Aaron still manages to give his villain excellent moments. The finale of the second arc showed a gruesome suicide of the man who made Boos who he is today. It’s blatantly obvious that this was suicide but Boss doesn’t want to accept it. He’s in denial of his only friend’s suicide because he knows that he was the one who caused it. He's constantly attempting to convince himself and everyone else that it was a murder throughout this issue.
After arresting teenagers who were drunkenly hunting down the murderer, Hardy confronts Boss about his denial, resulting in one of the best scenes in this titles history. Jason Aaron brought his A-game to this issue and it shows in the complexities of the characters and their relationships alone.
But Aaron can only do so much on his own. The excellent script is only bolstered by Jason Latour’s grim and moody art. He’s perfectly able to convey the sense of dread, corruption and sadness in Aaron’s script. Character-driven issues can be difficult for certain artist but this is where Latour excels. This series is a masterpiece not only because of Aaron but because of Latour’s art too.
There are some stories that I could spend entire days experiencing. Where I can sit and read/watch for hours and still be fascinated by everything that I see. Southern Bastards is at the top of that list. This is a grounded, powerful, and riveting book that continues to astonish me with every issue. I didn’t know if the Jasons could hold up the incredible quality of this book past the second arc but issue #9 guarantees they will. Southern Bastards is a special kind of story and no one should miss out on something this special.
A Look Inside
