A Gallery of Rogues is a semi-regular noir fiction blog that will contain reviews of games, books and movies as well as topic articles (Blog Theme and Background Sound: The Pine Box Boys.

These Bastards Sure Are Southern.

The Good

Now I've never been to the good ol' US of A before, let alone the American South but through books and movies I think I have a good feel for it and it's always been the part of the country I have the most affinity for. To my eyes the South has a lot in common with Scotland (where I'm from) which is ironic considering they are both at different ends of their respective countries and both have completely different climates. Yet both are very rural places that are fiercely protective of their cultural identities. Football (be it American or not) is a big deal in both areas. Religion is always a background tension in both areas. And the population of both areas are thought of as a bit more gruff and harder and are often looked down upon by the rest of the country. So because of this I'm a fan of any fiction that features Southern Americana and this is one prime example.

Southern Bastards is steeped in the South. Everything from the warm colour schemes provided by Rico Renzi and Jason LaTour, to the drawl that Jason Aaron gives to every character in the book. From the second you meet the main character Earl Tubbs, you just know you're in for a home cooked revenge thriller that couldn't have been set anywhere other than south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Speaking of the art, it's fantastic. Aaron made all the write calls when he was deciding when he needed to add text and when he could just sit back and let LaTour spell it all out for us with his amazing art. Just with a few choice panels we get a feeling for who these characters are and what their relationships were like and the mood is established from the get go.

The Bad

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I got nothing.

The Verdict

Southerns Basterds is a gritty rural noir that couldn't be more southern if it was rustling cattle while whistling Dixie. Jason and Jason kick the series off with a perfect blend of story, mood and action that should hook any reader in to the world of Coach Boss and Earl Tubbs.

5 Out Of 5 Stars *****