Trouble is brewing in Craw County.

Roberta Tubbs has come home, and the Runnin’ Rebs have just lost their homecoming game. These parallels are not a coincidence, and Jason Aaron ties them together in a clever way. Losing the football game and the loss Roberta is feeling can both be blamed on Coach Boss. Both of these things ended very ugly, and both Roberta and Coach Boss plan to get some revenge for each of these things in their own way.

Southern Bastards #15 continues the story of not only The Tubbs family and Craw County but of Coach Boss. The Coach who has become so used to winning on and off the field has another rough day as he deals with yet another loss. Things haven’t been easy for his team since he lost his mentor and defensive coordinator, Coach Big. I won’t lie, it is fun to see Coach Boss suffer after all of the horrible things he’s done so far. While it may seem like it’s only football, to him, football is his life.

I am glad Roberta is finally home. This series puts you through the ringer unless you’re rooting for the bad guys. Jason Aaron has made us wait for another hero for the most part, and I’ll be curious to see what Roberta does as she tries to find out what happened to Earl. We’ve already got a glimpse at how capable she is as a fighter, and I’m all for seeing her beat up some more racists.

We get to see more of the Mayor and his wife, Leddy, who is running things with him being sick. This issue has some fun back and forth between former high school lovers Ms. Compson and the Sherrif. The Sheriff is becoming a very interesting character, like most in this series, and time will tell if he will truly stand up to Coach Boss, especially now that Leddy has revealed her goal.

Jason Latour has a very original art style that I really like. It is raw, and fits the book perfectly. The way he draws older angry characters like Coach Boss and Earl make me think they’re some of his favorites to draw. The arching brows, gritting teeth, and big shoulders add so much to Coach Boss. It gives you the feeling that at any minute, he’s going to bash someone’s head in. As a football fan, I also love seeing the full panels of players smashing into either other, catching a pass, or making a big play. It’s the little things that give this book the authenticity and realization that football is life to Coach Boss, and the art is a big part of that.

I love this series, and like Roberta Tubbs, I am gritting my teeth and trying to stay patient. I want to know what happens. I want to know the final score. Will a man who’s not used to losing continue to do so? Will he have to cheat to win? Is he paying too much attention to football and not enough to his other opponents? You have to wonder if Coach Boss finally has some things that he can’t beat, both on and off the field.

Story: Jason Aaron Art: Jason Latour
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review