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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I really like the concept of messed up super heros, but I just couldn't get into this. I found it boring and vaguely annoying
Thoroughly depraved, hugely problematic and massively enjoyable
This was a wild ride.
If you're in the market for a fast-paced, action packed and outright brutal comic series, this is the one for you. Violence, gore and vendettas galore - 'The Boys' has it all.
Before I get into the review-proper, there are some content warnings you should be aware of for this one: self-harm, rape, sexual assault & coercion, objectification and, as mentioned, lots of gory violence.
This volume collects the first six issues of 'The Boys', and trust me when I say you'll be glad you have issues 2 & onwards at the ready, because it hooks you in from page one.
The premise of the series is ingenious. Superpowers have developed within the population, with more and more so-called 'supes' turning up everyday. But these are normal people - the good, the bad and the sociopathic - who just happen to have extra juice, and there's no Professor X's School for Gifted Youngsters around to train them. That means there are a bunch of inhumanely powerful amateurs running around, all with the ability to help themselves to whatever they like in life. Naturally, the CIA are fully aware that if the supes were to realise it, they could overpower governments and take control; not to mention the fact that they all have human vices and many of them are morally reprehensible, to say the least. So they make an under-the-table deal with an equally dodgy bloke called Butcher, who recruits a highly motivated team of misfits to engage in some shady 'policing' of the supes, to help keep them in line.
A good plot needs great characters to see it through, and 'The Boys' is full of them. Each and every character was exactly what they needed to be in order to do the story justice. There are elements of stereotyping throughout the cast, but it works in the context of the storyline and it didn't prevent a few surprises from cropping up either.
I'm not normally a fan of the art style on display in this series, but I thought it suited the feel of this graphic novel perfectly. It was reminiscent of the old style of comics (think Marvel in the '70s), which complemented the whole premise of the plot, but was modernised enough to feel relevant to today's standards. The layout was equally well done, making it easy to follow the thread of the story.
It's dark and twisted in places, and the complete antithesis of all the things we know about superheroes & the comics that spawned them. It's bloody brilliant.
I'm gonna go ahead and wrap this review up right here, because I can't wait any longer to pick up Vol. 2. Doing the dishes and the rest of real life will just have to wait.
If you're in the market for a fast-paced, action packed and outright brutal comic series, this is the one for you. Violence, gore and vendettas galore - 'The Boys' has it all.
Before I get into the review-proper, there are some content warnings you should be aware of for this one: self-harm, rape, sexual assault & coercion, objectification and, as mentioned, lots of gory violence.
This volume collects the first six issues of 'The Boys', and trust me when I say you'll be glad you have issues 2 & onwards at the ready, because it hooks you in from page one.
The premise of the series is ingenious. Superpowers have developed within the population, with more and more so-called 'supes' turning up everyday. But these are normal people - the good, the bad and the sociopathic - who just happen to have extra juice, and there's no Professor X's School for Gifted Youngsters around to train them. That means there are a bunch of inhumanely powerful amateurs running around, all with the ability to help themselves to whatever they like in life. Naturally, the CIA are fully aware that if the supes were to realise it, they could overpower governments and take control; not to mention the fact that they all have human vices and many of them are morally reprehensible, to say the least. So they make an under-the-table deal with an equally dodgy bloke called Butcher, who recruits a highly motivated team of misfits to engage in some shady 'policing' of the supes, to help keep them in line.
A good plot needs great characters to see it through, and 'The Boys' is full of them. Each and every character was exactly what they needed to be in order to do the story justice. There are elements of stereotyping throughout the cast, but it works in the context of the storyline and it didn't prevent a few surprises from cropping up either.
I'm not normally a fan of the art style on display in this series, but I thought it suited the feel of this graphic novel perfectly. It was reminiscent of the old style of comics (think Marvel in the '70s), which complemented the whole premise of the plot, but was modernised enough to feel relevant to today's standards. The layout was equally well done, making it easy to follow the thread of the story.
It's dark and twisted in places, and the complete antithesis of all the things we know about superheroes & the comics that spawned them. It's bloody brilliant.
I'm gonna go ahead and wrap this review up right here, because I can't wait any longer to pick up Vol. 2. Doing the dishes and the rest of real life will just have to wait.
It fills the "Preacher" shaped hole in my soul. I'm always down for an edgy, subversive, super hero satire. If you like this, I would definitely recommend Rich Veich's "Bratpack" there are quite a few similarities.
One of the few examples of the show being better than the book.
Gritty. Dirty. Crass. Hateful towards superheros.
Awesome.
And there's a character modeled off of Simon Pegg in there, before he got famousie, so Simon Pegg gets to be in my comic book all day. YAY!
I look forward to the rest of this series. Not sure where it's going, but... I like it.
Awesome.
And there's a character modeled off of Simon Pegg in there, before he got famousie, so Simon Pegg gets to be in my comic book all day. YAY!
I look forward to the rest of this series. Not sure where it's going, but... I like it.
I'm giving this a reread as I'm watching the cable series, and ... the TV series is significantly better than the source material. The overall message and plot points of The Boys were intriguing at the time, and mostly hold up. But, if you've read much Ennis you know that his schlock writing and his absolute tasteleness when writing about women and people of color haven't aged well. And he hasn't gotten much better at it.
It's sort of shocking that the same person who wrote [b:Battlefields, Volume 1: Night Witches|6285182|Battlefields, Volume 1 Night Witches|Garth Ennis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347310669l/6285182._SY75_.jpg|6469266] also wrote [b:Dicks, Volume 1|95390|Dicks, Volume 1|Garth Ennis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347229422l/95390._SY75_.jpg|91957] and [b:A Train Called Love|31227419|A Train Called Love|Garth Ennis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470642552l/31227419._SY75_.jpg|51883895].
Most of the iconic scenes from the comic series made their way into the TV show, but they did a great job tweaking some of Ennis's more problematic plot points and dialog so that the anti-heroes come off as anti-heroes and not just Terrible Human Beings On The Other Side Of The Fight Than The Superheroes, and that the female characters have a sense of autonomy from the very first episode, even when horrible things are happening to them.
I'm curious to see how the comic series evolved as it went on, as I haven't picked it up since the final book came out in 2012.
While I didn't enjoy the read, it is still interesting to compare it to the TV series it spawned, and it does have some really great scenes that are unlikely to make it into the TV series. You just have to be prepped for some atrocious dialogue, and interesting points made in a bungling out-of-touch-white guy fashion.
It's sort of shocking that the same person who wrote [b:Battlefields, Volume 1: Night Witches|6285182|Battlefields, Volume 1 Night Witches|Garth Ennis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347310669l/6285182._SY75_.jpg|6469266] also wrote [b:Dicks, Volume 1|95390|Dicks, Volume 1|Garth Ennis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347229422l/95390._SY75_.jpg|91957] and [b:A Train Called Love|31227419|A Train Called Love|Garth Ennis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470642552l/31227419._SY75_.jpg|51883895].
Most of the iconic scenes from the comic series made their way into the TV show, but they did a great job tweaking some of Ennis's more problematic plot points and dialog so that the anti-heroes come off as anti-heroes and not just Terrible Human Beings On The Other Side Of The Fight Than The Superheroes, and that the female characters have a sense of autonomy from the very first episode, even when horrible things are happening to them.
I'm curious to see how the comic series evolved as it went on, as I haven't picked it up since the final book came out in 2012.
While I didn't enjoy the read, it is still interesting to compare it to the TV series it spawned, and it does have some really great scenes that are unlikely to make it into the TV series. You just have to be prepped for some atrocious dialogue, and interesting points made in a bungling out-of-touch-white guy fashion.
Actually, it's a low 3 stars on this one, which is really surprising for me, considering this is written by Garth Ennis (Preacher!). And, I liked the premise of this one, too-even if it is a bit of a copy-cat of The Watchmen. Or at least they both spring off the same question-"Who watches the watchmen?". In this world, there are quite a few super heroes running around, and apparently, they're all horrible people when they're not out saving lives. So, "The Boys" are supposed to help keep them in line. Except, they don't seem that much better, in all honesty, which is why I don't really get it. Also, I refuse to believe all people with super powers would be bad (this point is brought up once, to which a member of the "Boys" says "F*ck 'em." Which basically means that casualties are OK on both sides, which is so contradictory and hypocritical and stupid. So, sorry Ennis. I can't really get behind you on this one. The bad stuff seemed to be there jut for shock value and not creativity. There are a couple of points of interest (the only female in the "Boys"-who's only called Female-is interesting and I'd like to learn more about her-she doesn't talk). I'm also slightly interested in Starlight, the innocent girl that got roped into and used by the biggest Super Hero team (I want to know if she breaks away from them or continues to go in a downward bitter spiral being a part of them-and if she ever might get together with the main character of the "Boys" Hughie). And, I'm interested to see if Hughie eventually leaves the "Boys" because they're no good, either. I'm wondering if that point is coming up or going to be made, or if they'll just keep going as they're going. So-I might continue to read this, or return to it someday, to get those questions answered. But, in the meantime, I think I'll spend my time and money on other graphic novels.