posted
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 :-)
posted
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.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
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 :-)
From: Bamberg, Germany | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
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.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
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.
From: Bamberg, Germany | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
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.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: 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!
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: But you really think its as good as Preacher & Hitman? I've heard the usual praise in articles but wasn't aware of anyone who was actually collecting it.
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.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
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.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
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!
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
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?
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
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.
From: Turn around... | Registered: Jul 2003
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