By Daniel Vlasaty

I know Jason Latour mainly from his art in Southern Bastards. I’ve been aware that he also writes comics for a while now, most recently Marvel’s Spider-Gwen. I’ve just never read any of his stuff and I feel like starting off with Loose Ends is kind of like running a marathon when I’ve only just learned to walk. This book had the sleazy/grimy feel to it that is everything I love about crime fiction. Everyone’s up to something and no one can be trusted.

In Loose Ends, we are introduced to Sonny Gibson, a veteran who takes a job running drugs down to Florida for a friend. But this is told in flashbacks. When the story kicks off, Sonny’s drunk off his ass in some southern dive bar, but it doesn’t appear to be any random bar. Sonny’s stopped at this bar to give money to a woman named Kim, the mother of his child.

Also present at the bar at this particular time are a couple of good ol’ boys and things jump off pretty quick from there the way they tend to when everyone’s drinking and there’s a gun in play, and a pretty, curvy waitress, too.

I like it when characters feel like they have a past. Like their lives didn’t just start on page one of whatever I’m reading.

Chris Brunner is a name I’m not at all familiar with, but it doesn’t really matter because I thought the art was really good. It wasn’t great per se but it fit the tone and writing of the book and, in my opinion, that’s the main thing comic book art is supposed to do. And Rico Renzi’s almost pop surreal colors only added to the experience.

Overall, I thought this was a solid first issue and the only downside that I can think of right now is that there are only going to be four issues.

Score: 5/5

Loose Ends #1
Writer: Jason Latour
Artist: Chris Brunner
Colorist: Rico Renzi
Publisher: Image Comics