Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Garth Ennis' The Boys

I just got the first TPB (##1-6) and have to say... WOW! The art is great, but the writing is totally cool. The way Garth Ennis shows a corrupted Justice League rip-off, a huge bunch of reckless teenage heroes and has no fear of graphic violence and sexuality is really... something... totally daring approach, I love it :-)

Would love to talk about the book if somebody has read it as well. For example about when exactly DC got afraid of it and stopped publishing the book :-)

I've been buying it since it was a DC book but didn't get past the first two issues. Only due to time though. Loved the art (using Simon Pegg's visage was awesome) and I've always enjoyed Ennis' writing.

I have the singles released by DC and the trade plus all of the new issues published by Dynamite. I think I'll take them with me on my next road trip to catch up.

Just read #8, but am missing #7. Thought it was slowing down a bit. The first storyline was just great - let me know what you think about it :-)

Breezed through the first trade, loved it. Caroline even picked it up and read it in one setting. I thought it might have been a bit too violent for her but she enjoyed it as well.

I'm really excited to see this story unfold. It's a book you like reading for the readings sake, but Ennis talked about having a large plan for the next years so I guess we're in for a ride.

Guess I'll check this out on my next trades order from IST...

Ennis fans, is this close to Preacher and Hitman? Those are two of my all time favorite comics runs of all time, especially Preacher, which is probably in my top ten.

But I picked up an issue and found it...well, kind of 'meh'. Maybe I didn't give it a long enough chance? I like Ennis off-beat, often over the top disgusting, humor, but I felt it was a little too 'disgustingly funny thing happen to super-heroes' for me.

Prove my initial assessment wrong. I'm a HUGE Ennis fan.

Des, having just reread the first trade and read the second for the first time, I think The Boys is a worthy successor to Ennis' work on Preacher and Hitman, IMO. If you recall, both of those had many absurd and parodic elements to them, and The Boys has those in spades. But also like those two, The Boys has memorable and fascinating characters.

Butcher and Wee Hughie are emerging as some of his best ever. There's a lot more to both of them than is immediately apparent in the first storyline. Butcher, for example, is not so much the Frank Castle type as might be apparent from first impressions.

My main caveat so far has been the apparent misogynistic tendencies. No well-rounded female characters like Tulip so far. Starlight is pretty sympathetic, but her initiation into The Seven doesn't refute the misogyny complaint at all. We'll see where her character goes from there.

In my opinion The Boys is the best thing I've seen from Ennis since those two great projects. Everything else since had been either a little too silly/gross or just too damn serious. The Boys seems to give us that perfect balance that Preacher and Hitman had to give us our first taste of the Garth Ennis we Americans fell for in the decade since those series both ended. At least, that's how it's shaping up for me after two trades.

P.S. Darick Robertson's art is freakin' AWESOME--right up there with Steve Dillon and John McCrea with the synergy with Garth's scripts! Darick's stuff never grabbed me before, but he's got me by the cajones now!

P.P.S. In the second trade we meet ex-hero Love Sausage and we learn what his Kryptonite is in a scene that made my wife bawl with laughter!

Is it a deathgrip, or more of a gentle cupping?

from the GB&U thread...

As good remains to be seen, Des, but The Boys definitely is the best Ennis work I've seen since those two series ended. It has Ennis's trademark dark humor touches and gross-outs, but what really makes it work are the trademark Ennis character moments.

What's different here is that Ennis' satirical irreverant view of the superhero genre, only glimpsed in Hitman, is on full display here as he creates his own superhero universe for the first time. Each and every hero here has his dark underbelly with most of them being totally selfish and out of control with their excesses. The Boys are there to take care of any who cross the line.

You see, superheroes have never been Garth's cup of tea, so he's approached the subject in a way that suits him. There are a lot of analogues for more mainstream characters obviously. But just like with all the madness surrounding the main characters in Preacher and Hitman, it's the main characters who ground the story and make you come back for more. It makes for a fun reading experience.

I'll admit I'm intrigued. I do plan to do an 'every 6 months TPB mass order' sometime soon so maybe the Boyz will make it in (though I do have to catch up on Scalped, Walking Dead and Invicible, etc. )

Since you are talking about all things Ennis, let me again reiterate my high recommendation for his Battlefields mini-war comic arcs.

The Boyz does look more in line with Hitman than Preacher; that isn't a bad thing since Hitman is one of my favorite series of all time.

In the last couple of weeks, I finally got all caught up with The Boys up to last month's issue. You see, after reading the first two trades, I decided to buy all the individual issues slowly over time thru my CBS since my guy there had all the issues in stock. He put them on hold for me, and I slowly bought all of them as I could. Just last month, I cleared the last few stragglers out and at that point finally read them from beginning to end (issues 15-40).

Wow! I'd have to say that Garth's story really builds and deepens very well from the foundation laid in those first two trades! Without ruining every plot development it becomes clear that the story works as a huge metaphor for corporate corruption and their control over society. That may not sound very entertaining, but trust me, it is!

As much as Garth makes fun of superhero tropes and finds ways to twist our perceptions of such old reliable conventions as the almighty JLA or Avengers or of the outcast heroes like the X-Men or the teen teams like the Titans or New Mutants (and trust me, you won't BELIEVE some of what he comes up with!), what he's really doing is indicting our real 'heroes' and how they're made of paper. Politicians, actors, sports heroes--they rarely live up to the pedestal we've put them on. Hell, just look at the headlines!

In this Garth Ennis universe there's nary a real hero to be found. They are all corporate shills with faked-up origin stories whose fuck-ups are spun by their corporate sponsors to make them seem like triumphs, or maybe they're blamed on some other poor losers. Sound familiar?

And, yes, the Boys is also an indictment of the Big Two comics companies and their superheroes and their lack of guts to tell new or lasting stories. Especially, it's an indictment of their corporate mentalities doing everything they possibly can to make their properties more profitable. Reading these forty issues, it's no wonder The Boys didn't make it far with DC!

But you know what? The Boys is more than just a satire, it's really funny! Yes, most of the gags are indeed gagworthy--I mean the visual sexual joke in #17 alone-OMG! Okay, Garth takes things a good bit farther in The Boys than he ever did in Preacher, but if you loved the gross-out humor parts in Preacher, I think you'll be okay with what he does in The Boys! If you barely made it past that stuff before, well, stay clear, 'kay?

But it's more than just funny, it's got great characters! Like I said above, Butcher and Wee Hughie are classic Ennis characters. Hughie's pretty much the conscious of the team, and Butcher's the brains and driving force. Mother's Milk gets a lot of development after those first two trades. Frenchie and the Female are a bit enigmatic (especially the latter) and often comic relief, but there's a dynamic between them that is very loving and affectionate as the story continues. And Starlight becomes more and more a well-rounded and sympathetic character as the series moves on.

And the bad guys are pretty compelling. Vought-American is the corporation behind all the "Supes" and will do whatever it takes to maintain their control over their interests. Then, there's the Homelander, who is supposed to be this world's premier superhero but is really one sick son of a bitch. He and most of the Seven (the JLA-like group) are total scumbags. And wait'll you meet this world's version of Charles Xavier...:shiver:

What's most impressive with the writing is how Garth has developed a very deep mythology for the backstory behind the development of superpowers and how its roots were in defense contractors trying to one-up each other to land government contracts as far back as World War I. The story behind what happened in this world's 9/11 is a real barn-burner also.

I think The Boys is an absolutely terrific comic! If you don't like Garth's Punisher, Hitman or Preacher work, I don't think this'll be the one to change your mind, but if you did--what are ya waiting for? A kick in the head?!?! Go try it, damn you!

I'm looking forward to reading this on a monthly basis. It's one comic that's been consistently worth the price of admission!

Hmmm...guess no one currently posting is picking this up? I know somebody recognized the Love Sausage reference on the Amalgame when I used it awhile ago. Was it Dev?

I want to read this book, but have not had the chance. Need to check, I think B&N near me has the first 2 trades in their used section.

Ah-HA!!

It was Kent! Chime in, oh sage one!

Highly recommended, Dev! As long as you read my two reviews above and feel like it may be your cup of tea, of course.

I know the general premise, and there's really not much out there that can turn me off to a comic, if well written.

The sheer favt that one of the characters is Simon Pegg (he actually had to sign off on it at one point) makes it all the more appealing.

I wonder which issue you read? I'd guess one of the earliest issues. Not that later ones are bereft of same, but I think the story really shifts into a different gear around the "I Tell You No Lie G.I." arc in issues 19-22 where you see how well thought-out the mythology of the series really is. before that point, the series often reads as a well done superhero parody. But from there, you get a sense of the larger story and that this has a planned end like Hitman and Preacher. I would never recommend skipping to that story, though, as everything before helps set the context so well.

Also, can't say enough about the work of series artist Darick Robertson! He's always been very capable, but this is career-defining work along the lines of Steve Dillon's work on Preacher. Unlike Steve, Darick needs fill-in art teams to help him out from time to time, but he does do lots of amazingly good work on the series. And the guest artists are all past Ennis collaborators like Carlos Esquerra, John McCrea and Peter Snejbjerg, so there's never a poor art job turned in.

But Darick's stuff?

I'd compare it to Bendis and Oeming's Powers series in a way. It's very similar to how that series shows the sexual deviances of superheroes a lot and has lots of jaw-dropping ultra-violence. But those are surface similarities only. For one, I'd say Walker and Pilgrim in that series were a lot more wooden as characters than Hughie and the gang. I think you root for the Boys a little more even despite some of the outrageous character traits.

I actually lost track of The Boys around #30. But I highly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who can appreciate Ennis' dark humor (once you accept that, the great writing becomes obvious).

I recently read the issue #5 of the Boys spin-off miniseries, Highland Laddie. I'm a huge fan of the regular series, and my picking up this mini focusing on series protagonist Wee Hughie was a sure bet!

The mini is about Hughie's quest to go back to his roots in the aftermath of learning the truth about his girlfriend Annie January. Anni and Hughie met early on in the core series and started a relationship without knowing the other's secret. Annie is a member of The Seven, the premier hero group in the Boys universe. And Hughie is part of the CIA-funded black ops team ("the Boys") that's determined to police all "supes". Hughie learned her secret in dramatic fashion while watching surveillance tapes of the Seven. Moreover, he witnessed her very unsavory (to say the least!) initiation and then confronted her in a very ugly, gut-wrenching scene.

So he's taken a leave from the Boys and returned to his hometown in Scotland where we meet his doting adopted parents and his two bestfriends, a lumbering cross-dresser and a gas-mask wearing germaphobe. If you know your garth Ennis you know the latter two illustrate Garth's pentient for oddball, out-there characters. There's also an amusing preacher character who speaks in the form of comic book scripts and a more normal older guy who Hughie befriends and confides in. (I wonder if the latter may be Hughie's biological father?)

Hughie finds the experience to be both affirming and mind-numbing at the same time. He's learning more and more that he's outgrown this town and no longer fits in all that well. At the same time he's not so sure he belongs with the Boys anymore, either.

Concurrently, there's a subplot about drug smugglers running thru the town. We learn in flashbacks that Hughie and his two friends had a little bit of Hardy Boys in them as youths, and this subplot seems to be slowly enveloping them into it, beginning to come to a head in this, the penultimate issue of the series.

Complicating things is the arrival of Annie last issue as she attempts to reconcile with Hughie. Garth handles these scenes very well and fairly realistically as the two don't exactly fall into bed together and can't get past their problems. The two major sticking points are what Annie did to get into the Seven (even though it predates their relationship) and the fact that Hughie is still feeling guilty because he hasn't revealed his secret (about being in the Boys) to her, in turn. Annie lets absolutely everything hang out with Hughie, but he won't budge about his secret. Fans of the series waited 4 years for Hughie to find out about Annie, but we're left wondering whether the mini's conclusion will drop the other shoe.

The art by John McCrea is good but not quite up to the standards of Boys series artists Darick Robertson and Russ Braun. Particularly, it doesn't seem as suited for all of the more introspective and emotional aspects of the mini. McCrea's art isn't as refined as it was on projects such as Hitman. In the latter book McCrea was either self-inked or inked by Garry Leach. Here, he shares both pencilling and inking duties, so there may lie the problem. It isn't bad at all, but Boys fans have been spoiled by Robertson and Braun.

I don't think I could recommend Highland Laddie to readers who are not already fans of The Boys. It just doesn't resonate without that context. But if you currently are or are considering reading The Boys, you certainly don't want to skip this quirky, change of pace mini focusing on the series' most beloved character.

Lardy's rating for Highland Laddie #5: 3.5 Donuts (out of 5)!

Well, it's once again time to revisit in Gym'll's that great book that pretty much none of you seem to read: this time it's The Boys #57.

I'll restate that I think The Boys is right up there with Garth Ennis's other classic books like Hitman and Preacher. Really! It's NOT a redheaded stepchild! It actually probably has a deeper backstory and sense of history built into its history than either of those! And the lead characters are at least as memorable, though in their own ways!

That said, issue 57 isn't anything like a good jumping-on point. I'd say the only true jumping-on point for The Boys is the Volume One trade. Then read Vol. 2, and then Vol. 3, etc. preacher wasn't really all that accessible to new readers, either. Hitman...maybe. So The Boys isn't really an aberration in that regard. I recommend it highly to experience it that way, and I think, if not after Volume 1, by Volume 3 you'll absolutely HAVE to read everything that comes after!

57 continues a recent trend in the series for Garth to wring every bit of backstory out of the complex history of this twisted superhero world, even as he has his crack "supes"-busters look into a case involving one of the coveted superteam The Seven, Jack of Jupiter, that disturbingly feels like a set-up because the case against jack seems so cut-and-dry. Meanwhile, Hughie struggles with his return to the Boys, wrestling with whether to be a good soldier or really rock the boat by pushing team leader Butcher on his methods and motivations.

It's a good read, though a bit unsatisfying. I don't feel like garth usually "writes for the trade" in this series, but this and the last couple of arcs feel like they might read better with all the exposition. It's fascinating in its own way but feels a bit unsatisfying as the reader just knows the upcoming conclusion to the series over the next year is gonna be a wild and crazy ride filled with jaw-dropping developments and leaving a lot more blood all over the floor.

The issue does its job, providing some continued but slower plot and character development but isn't all that satisfying, even with a kind of WTF moment to close out the issue.

The art by Russ Braun is undeniably terrific as usual and has been ever since he took over from Darick Robertson as regular artist. Braun, like, Robertson, is adept at giving all the characters distinctive unmistakeable looks and very expressive faces as well as having a clean, excellent grasp of storytelling. the lines are thicker than average and show a confidence in his craft.

Again, if some over-the-top violence and a tendency to get a little kinky here and there (Preacher had these, too) aren't automatic turn-offs, I think you'll be rewarded should you choose to go back and catch up with the latest and (arguably in some ways) greatest garth ennis epic...to be concluded in about a year!

Interesting--the series is concluding in a year? Maybe I'll finally get around to checking it out? I never read a Preacher comic until the series was in it's final months and now I hold that among my most sacred series.

I read issue two of the spin-off mini The Boys: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker recently. This mini, at long last, tells the untold story of the enigmatic Billy Butcher, the leader of the black ops team known as the Boys.

Last issue dealt with Butcher's troubled childhood. This one shows his time with the British Royal Marines, opening with his experience fighting against Argentina during the Falkland Islands War. I found this pretty fascinating because, though I recall the general incident when it happened, I never really had any concept of the breadth and scale of it. As Ennis fans know, Garth excels at telling war stories and has done so through several different enterprises. I didn't know, for example, that some British Navy vessels were sunk in the conflict. Now, I'm interested to know more about the conflict.

So we see the already street-tough Butcher get hardened in the arts of war as he and his platoon get stuck in a very dicey situation. He survives while all or most of his fellows fall but finds that he really enjoys the rush of combat. Unfortunately, when Butcher returns home, he finds he has no outlet for his aggression. He picks fights and gets thrown out of the Marines.

Co-creator Darick Robertson is back for the art on this series, and it's good to see him! Much as I like what Russ Braun has done on the series since Robertson left, Robertson OWNS Billy Butcher like no one else. Maybe he'll return to the core series before it ends, so I can see him draw Hughie and the rest on interiors again as well. Robertson's facial expressions and detailed renderings are some of the best in the biz for my $4!

Good solid second of six issues that look to blow the other Boys-related minis out of the water!