“I’m glad to see you’re doin’ well.
Now get the **** outta Craw County. Fast as you damn well can.”
[dropcap size=small]C[/dropcap]raw County, Alabama. A small community that boasts just about everything you’d expect in a Southern town—finger-lickin’ Barbeque, big trucks waving Confederate flags, and a state champion high school football team – the Runnin’ Rebs.
But not everything is as it seems in Craw County, and everyone’s got a secret.
Enter Earl Tubb: a grumpy old Vietnam veteran with a no-nonsense attitude and a very big stick. When Tubb’s former-sheriff father dies, Earl must return to Craw County – the place he was all too eager to get out of. He plans on staying just a few days to pack up and sell the now vacant home he grew up in.
That’s when Earl realizes that a lot has changed since he left. He slowly begins to uncover a tale of greed, corruption, and murder surrounding the Runnin’ Rebs football team– and their coach, Euless Boss. Earl Tubb wants answers, and Earl Tubb is going to get them.
This new series by Image Comics just wrapped up it’s first story arc, titled Here Was A Man.
This is definitely one of the best titles on shelves. Jason Aaron, who writes the story, and artist Jason Latour masterfully create the world of Craw County and all its colorful inhabitants. The story plays out like a cinematic suspenseful action thriller. With a storytelling style reminiscent of films like Walking Tall, Deliverance, and some of the darker works of The Coen Brothers. It’s impossible to put down, and at the end of each issue– just like with a rack of ribs from Boss BBQ–you’re left craving more.
The first few issues are a nail-biting build-up to an epic showdown between Tubb and Coach Boss. The final pages of the arc are utterly jaw-dropping, and hit like a ton of bricks. Just when you think you’ve figured out where the story is going, Aaron flips the script, resulting in one of the most intense cliff-hanger endings in recent comics. Just like in Craw County, with the Southern Bastards comic, nothing is as it seems.
With intriguing characters, wildly fun dialogue, and an immersive and atmospheric setting, this book definitely needs to be on your pull list.
Southern Bastards Vol 1: Here Was A Man collects issues #1-4, and is available now in trade paperback.
