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Review: The Boys Vol. 1 TPB
The Boys Vol. 1 TPB
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Darick Robertson
Published by Dynamite Entertainment. $14.99 USD
If you're an adult, and by that I don't just mean 21 or over, then you are always prepared to be wrong. Oh, sure, it stings sometimes, but after all, isn't being wrong one of the best ways to actually learn something? And isn't it comforting that you can still be surprised? When this title was first announced, I really didn't give it much thought. That is, the thoughts I gave it were a) Nasty superhero satire has been done to death; b) Garth Ennis hates superheroes too much to even understand them enough to satirize them properly, and c) Wildstorm is really in creative freefall, huh?
Well, I was maybe partially right on one or two of those thoughts, but coming late to the game, I find that in fact, The Boys is a topnotch dark superhero satire, with some genuine feeling and solid characterization to go with the gore and sodomy. And really, isn't that the kind of balance we're all looking for, in both art and life?
I'm kidding, and I've probably lost a reader or two there. But what I mean is, while the buggery and severed limbs aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea, I was quite pleasantly surprised that Ennis has come up with a good, well-paced story and some decent characters to go with it. Quite frankly, he didn't really have to put quite as much effort in, as character-lite work like Marvel Zombies and Nextwave have been successful and pretty appealing. And Ennis is not above phoning it in on occasion--he's a workhorse who's always thinking of the next project, much like a writer like John Wagner, who paved the way for him--so I appreciated the characterization he's put into Wee Hughie, the Simon Pegg lookalike and the only normal member of The Boys, the team assembled in this first story arc to keep the arrogant superheroes of the world in line. It's a fun idea that nonetheless could have been botched in the hands of the wrong artist, but Robertson proves to be the perfect choice. He's just realistic enough to get the grittiness of this world, but just cartoony enough to sell the comedy. I can't get enough of team leader Butcher's wicked smirk or the insane joy on the mug of his bulldog, Terror. And the hints at a future romance for Hughie was quite a surprise, but an exciting one. These little developments show Ennis has invested himself in his characters and is not just doing this to do yet another boring parody of superheroes that shows they're perverted. The fact DC let this title go is not surprising, but unlike all too many titles they've buried, this one gets a new lease on life at Dynamite, and it's a major score for them. I trust they know what they've got, and that they need to keep their hands off it, as these creators know what they're doing. The series is coming up to issue #12 soon, so I'll be looking forward to that second trade.
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Darick Robertson
Published by Dynamite Entertainment. $14.99 USD
If you're an adult, and by that I don't just mean 21 or over, then you are always prepared to be wrong. Oh, sure, it stings sometimes, but after all, isn't being wrong one of the best ways to actually learn something? And isn't it comforting that you can still be surprised? When this title was first announced, I really didn't give it much thought. That is, the thoughts I gave it were a) Nasty superhero satire has been done to death; b) Garth Ennis hates superheroes too much to even understand them enough to satirize them properly, and c) Wildstorm is really in creative freefall, huh?
Well, I was maybe partially right on one or two of those thoughts, but coming late to the game, I find that in fact, The Boys is a topnotch dark superhero satire, with some genuine feeling and solid characterization to go with the gore and sodomy. And really, isn't that the kind of balance we're all looking for, in both art and life?
I'm kidding, and I've probably lost a reader or two there. But what I mean is, while the buggery and severed limbs aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea, I was quite pleasantly surprised that Ennis has come up with a good, well-paced story and some decent characters to go with it. Quite frankly, he didn't really have to put quite as much effort in, as character-lite work like Marvel Zombies and Nextwave have been successful and pretty appealing. And Ennis is not above phoning it in on occasion--he's a workhorse who's always thinking of the next project, much like a writer like John Wagner, who paved the way for him--so I appreciated the characterization he's put into Wee Hughie, the Simon Pegg lookalike and the only normal member of The Boys, the team assembled in this first story arc to keep the arrogant superheroes of the world in line. It's a fun idea that nonetheless could have been botched in the hands of the wrong artist, but Robertson proves to be the perfect choice. He's just realistic enough to get the grittiness of this world, but just cartoony enough to sell the comedy. I can't get enough of team leader Butcher's wicked smirk or the insane joy on the mug of his bulldog, Terror. And the hints at a future romance for Hughie was quite a surprise, but an exciting one. These little developments show Ennis has invested himself in his characters and is not just doing this to do yet another boring parody of superheroes that shows they're perverted. The fact DC let this title go is not surprising, but unlike all too many titles they've buried, this one gets a new lease on life at Dynamite, and it's a major score for them. I trust they know what they've got, and that they need to keep their hands off it, as these creators know what they're doing. The series is coming up to issue #12 soon, so I'll be looking forward to that second trade.
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