The Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2009 at 3:19pm
McNally Robinson's reviews The Boys, a graphic novel series by and .
Although I greatly admire what writers like Ed Brubaker, Brian Bendis, Grant Morrison, and Geoff Johns are accomplishing in the field of mainstream superhero comics, it's the bold work of graphic novelist and artist that is at once reinvigorating and brutally subverting the genre.
The Boys is an ongoing series published by Dynamite Entertainment focusing on the blood and profanity-drenched exploits of a US government-funded group of superhero watchdogs. When decadent and destructive superpeople battle at the expense of human bystanders' lives, The Boys are there to reign in the cape-wearing narcissists before they cause more harm than good. The intense language and violence would make Tarantino and Scorsese blush, and 70 years of American superhero mythos is blatantly and purposefully skewered. It also occurs to the fan of Alan Moore's Watchmen that the series itself is a definitive answer to the famous question "who watches the Watchmen?". In the case of The Boys, the Watchmen are replaced by a Justice League/Avengers lookalike called The Seven, a corrupt and self-important team of superhumans, whose public face is that of the eternally righteous and respectful Superman/Captain America archetype. But, behind closed doors, they are depraved and generally unpleasant, requiring one particularly innocent applicant to perform sexual favors before being considered for membership.
DC Comics, who published the first six issues in 2006, decided to cancel the title, fearing their long-established noble heroes would suffer from the association of being published in the same building. DC have previously published work such as V For Vendetta and The Invisibles, both of which feature a decidedly ambiguous portrayal of domestic terrorism, so dumping The Boys should indicate the level of concern DC felt over the series content. Thankfully, Dynamite picked up the title and continues to solicit it monthly. Garth Ennis has expressed the intention of creating about 60 issues of the series, which would translate into eight to ten trade paperback collections.
I highly recommend this series to anyone of legal age, who occasionally feel as if their superheroes are insulting their intelligence. The only thing The Boys will insult is your delicate sensibilities.
Also recommended by writer Garth Ennis - Preacher, Vol. 1: Gone To Texas.
Also recommended by artist Darick Robertson - Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Streets.
| Categories: Reviews, Graphic Novels |
See:
The Boys Volume 1
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Trade paperback
$23.95
Reader Reward Price: $21.56
This is going to hurt! In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone's got to make sure the "supes" don't get out of line. And someone will! Billy Butcher, Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman, and The Female are The Boys: A CIA-backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth - superpower! Some superheores have to be watched. Some have to be controlled. And some of them - sometimes - need to be taken out of the picture. That's when you call in The Boys! Collecting the first volume in the hit series The Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson!
The Boys Volume 2
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Trade paperback
$27.95
Reader Reward Price: $25.16
The second volume of Garth Ennis and Darick Roberston's acclaimed series The Boys is here! BIGGER! THICKER! UNCUT! (not that Garth would ever allow this gang of idiots to cut anything!) Collecting issues #7-14 of the critically acclaimed series, The Boys, Get Some features the legend the story of the Tek-Knight and the team's journey to frozen Russia!
The Boys Volume 3
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Trade paperback
$27.95
Reader Reward Price: $25.16
This is going to hurt! In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone's got to make sure the "supes" don't get out of line. And someone will! Billy Butcher, Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman, and The Female are The Boys: A CIA-backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth - superpower! Some superheroes have to be watched. Some have to be controlled. And some of them - sometimes - need to be taken out of the picture. That's when you call in The Boys! This volume collects issues #15-22 of The Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.
