- Introduction by Scott Dunbier.
- A 4-page short comic made for fundraising for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
- Ennis' script for The Boys issue 4.
- Sketches and concept art by Darick Robertson.
- Series covers.
The Boys takes place in a world where costumed superheroes are a fact of life. They may have wholesome public images, but more often than not they are anything but wholesome. From corrupt to outright evil, these supes get out of line, and when they do, The Boys come in to keep them in line by any means necessary. Billy Butcher leads The Boys-- Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman, and The Female. They are back by the CIA. This is the basic premise of the series.
The story mainly follows The Boys, and much of the story centers on Wee Hughie, the newest member of the group. The story also follows The Seven, the most famous and prominent of various superhero groups; much of the story of The Seven focuses on Starlight, a.k.a. Annie January, a wholesome sincere and very innocent Christian who soon learns the dark truths of The Seven. These are the main story lines, but there are plenty of twists, turns, and side stories. This series packs a lot.
Before I go further, I do need to note this is a comic series for adults that includes sexual situations, graphic violence, and very dark humor. If you are offended easily, certain issues trigger you, and you lack a sense of humor, do not pick up this comic. Also, this is not a comic for children. It has a "mature readers" rating for a reason.
With that out of the way, I say this is a solid series that draws you in right away. Once you pick this up, it is hard to put down. Sure, we've had takes on corrupt and/or flawed superheroes before, but this series explores that in a dark, gritty, raunchy, and at times very graphic way. You can feel the suspense and tension of the stories but you also get some humor along the way. I still smile recalling the Love Sausage. To be honest, at least in this volume, a lot of the heavily graphic stuff happens early on, then the story moves from strongly shocking-- to some folks at least-- to the deeper conspiracy and corruption narrative.
A strength of the series so far is gradually learning The Boys' motivations, who they are and why they do what they do. We also learn over time how the supes operate, their hierarchies, and their corporate sponsors. Oh yes, big corporations are involved.
The first volume sets up what is to come very well. On its own it is a terrific and immersive reading experience. I will seek out the rest of the series. A positive note is that this is a completed series, and there are 6 omnibus editions.
On a side note, I have not seen the Amazon Prime series based on the comic, though my initial impression is they may have softened it a bit, Viewers who have also read the comic can feel free to comment and let me know just how close to the comics or not the series is. I will add that if all you have watched is the series, you probably should consider reading the comics.
Overall, this is a series I am enjoying, and I would personally add to my collection. Recommended for libraries with graphic novel collections, but do make note of the "mature" rating (i.e. do not shelves this next to something like My Little Pony or such).
5 out of 5 stars.
Books I have read with similar appeal:
- Watchmen by Alan Moore.
- 100 Bullets, for the conspiracy elements.
- Wanted by Mark Millar.
- Plus, if you like Ennis, you may like, or you probably already read, his Preacher series.
A quote from Billy Butcher that caught my eye because he understands how the United States works quite well. The series often has little insights like this:
"I love this country. You can get a hundred different sorts of donuts or any other old bollocks you don't need, twenty-four hours a day. An' they're all so fuckin' stupid, Hughie.
They're all so scared of losin' whatever little fortune it is they think they've got, they never dream of havin' a look over their shoulders. You're careful about it, you can get away with practically anything" (in issue 5).
Book qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges:
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