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The Boys (Trade Paperbacks) #8
The Boys, #8: El afable escocés
HUGHIE REGRESA A ESCOCIA, Y SE LLEVA CON ÉL UNOS CUANTOS PROBLEMAS.
Cansado de palizas, emboscadas, súpers, mamadas, novias, compuesto V y conspiraciones, Hughie abandona temporalmente el grupo y vuelve a Auchterladle, el idílico pueblo escocés donde se crió y viven sus padres adoptivos. Allí las cosas siguen igu... bueno, siguen sin más, entre mafiosillos del tres al cuarto, contrabandistas de tabaco y muchas, muchas pintas de buena cerveza escocesa.
Cansado de palizas, emboscadas, súpers, mamadas, novias, compuesto V y conspiraciones, Hughie abandona temporalmente el grupo y vuelve a Auchterladle, el idílico pueblo escocés donde se crió y viven sus padres adoptivos. Allí las cosas siguen igu... bueno, siguen sin más, entre mafiosillos del tres al cuarto, contrabandistas de tabaco y muchas, muchas pintas de buena cerveza escocesa.
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2011
58 people are currently reading
925 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,632 books3,195 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
March 24, 2026
What do you do when... - you run home of course.
Although a bit too padded out, an intelligent, thought provoking, and as ever darkly comedic look at an urban liver Hughie returning to his rural home town and re-visiting the past. What becomes a great character study and a harsh look at the hypocritical way treat people according to gender. But the main thrust is about whether you can go backwards to go forwards. A bit off-kilter in this series, but for some a welcome breather before the manic final three volumes. 7.5 out of 12.
Although a bit too padded out, an intelligent, thought provoking, and as ever darkly comedic look at an urban liver Hughie returning to his rural home town and re-visiting the past. What becomes a great character study and a harsh look at the hypocritical way treat people according to gender. But the main thrust is about whether you can go backwards to go forwards. A bit off-kilter in this series, but for some a welcome breather before the manic final three volumes. 7.5 out of 12.
August 22, 2019
Hughie goes home to Scotland to see family and friends.
Turns out he's just a whiny cunt.
Ok, best thing about this one is finding out Annie's backstory. But I have to admit, the entire time she's trying to talk Hugie into taking her back, I'm just gritting teeth. It's obnoxious and he doesn't deserve her. <--which I'm pretty sure is exactly how Ennis wanted me to feel by the end of this comic.
I understand why a lot of people hate this one, but I still thought it had quite a bit of merit in the overall story. It makes you look at all of Hugie's faults and see him as less of a victim and more of a human with some serious personality flaws.
Whiny Cunt.
Turns out he's just a whiny cunt.
Ok, best thing about this one is finding out Annie's backstory. But I have to admit, the entire time she's trying to talk Hugie into taking her back, I'm just gritting teeth. It's obnoxious and he doesn't deserve her. <--which I'm pretty sure is exactly how Ennis wanted me to feel by the end of this comic.
I understand why a lot of people hate this one, but I still thought it had quite a bit of merit in the overall story. It makes you look at all of Hugie's faults and see him as less of a victim and more of a human with some serious personality flaws.
Whiny Cunt.
April 2, 2018
Wee Hughie finds out his girlfriend has a past of her own and his friends all knew about it and he's the last one to know as usual, so he goes home to Scotland to have a good ole pout.
Ennis perfectly illustrates how many people in their late 20s-mid 30s feel about going home again, i.e. you can't go home again. it's not like home is bad or your old friends are terrible or the family is embarrassing. it's the slipping into old roles, back into the role of child, back with the old friends and their old mannerisms, the petty irritations returning, the feeling that you're not your true self when you go back to your past world - the feeling that you have gone backwards into a prior iteration of yourself. the understanding that your new life is your actual home.
the author also does excellent work with Hughie and Starlight's slow reconciliation, if it can even be called that. he doesn't spare his male protagonist in the least - from the constant whining and lack of understanding, to his slut-shaming and buried homophobia, to his stupid stubbornness in resisting understanding so that he can luxuriate in feeling like a misunderstand victim. and yet he also renders Hughie as understandable, relatable, even sympathetic. when Hughie finally pulls his head out of his ass and comes to grip with his own confusions and hypocrisies, I felt like cheering.
unfortunately Ennis stumbles in a couple major ways too. the appeal of the lil' Scotsman was that he was a schlubby Everyman. going back to his amazingly strange childhood and his time as a kid detective certainly took that all away. and yet it doesn't appear as if Ennis even realized what he was doing in giving Hughie such an idiosyncratic backstory: by making him so unusual, he has rendered him less unusual, at least in terms of the comic he lives in, where everyone is unusual and has a crazy backstory. *sigh* also, the side plot about smugglers and drug dealers was eyerollingly bad. *grimace*
still, this volume continues to bring a deep level of emotion to what was a fairly shallow comic, and I can only applaud that while looking forward to reading more.
the art is okay.
Ennis perfectly illustrates how many people in their late 20s-mid 30s feel about going home again, i.e. you can't go home again. it's not like home is bad or your old friends are terrible or the family is embarrassing. it's the slipping into old roles, back into the role of child, back with the old friends and their old mannerisms, the petty irritations returning, the feeling that you're not your true self when you go back to your past world - the feeling that you have gone backwards into a prior iteration of yourself. the understanding that your new life is your actual home.
the author also does excellent work with Hughie and Starlight's slow reconciliation, if it can even be called that. he doesn't spare his male protagonist in the least - from the constant whining and lack of understanding, to his slut-shaming and buried homophobia, to his stupid stubbornness in resisting understanding so that he can luxuriate in feeling like a misunderstand victim. and yet he also renders Hughie as understandable, relatable, even sympathetic. when Hughie finally pulls his head out of his ass and comes to grip with his own confusions and hypocrisies, I felt like cheering.
unfortunately Ennis stumbles in a couple major ways too. the appeal of the lil' Scotsman was that he was a schlubby Everyman. going back to his amazingly strange childhood and his time as a kid detective certainly took that all away. and yet it doesn't appear as if Ennis even realized what he was doing in giving Hughie such an idiosyncratic backstory: by making him so unusual, he has rendered him less unusual, at least in terms of the comic he lives in, where everyone is unusual and has a crazy backstory. *sigh* also, the side plot about smugglers and drug dealers was eyerollingly bad. *grimace*
still, this volume continues to bring a deep level of emotion to what was a fairly shallow comic, and I can only applaud that while looking forward to reading more.
the art is okay.
August 11, 2022
Bullet Review:
Of all the entries in this series, this might be the most frustrating. There's nothing worse than 6 issues of your main character whinging and wangsting and navel-gazing. The first issue wasn't terrible, and after volume 7, I do feel like we had to address some of Hughie's demons. But I still am not fully clear why he went off on Annie like he did (she wasn't two-timing him, they weren't together when she did what she did), and we still haven't addressed his own abuse.
I think the best part comes in the mysterious man who left the number and "Mallory". Oh well, despite the hiccup, can't wait for the next volume.
Of all the entries in this series, this might be the most frustrating. There's nothing worse than 6 issues of your main character whinging and wangsting and navel-gazing. The first issue wasn't terrible, and after volume 7, I do feel like we had to address some of Hughie's demons. But I still am not fully clear why he went off on Annie like he did (she wasn't two-timing him, they weren't together when she did what she did), and we still haven't addressed his own abuse.
I think the best part comes in the mysterious man who left the number and "Mallory". Oh well, despite the hiccup, can't wait for the next volume.
May 6, 2021
Este volumen es 100% relleno, se puede pasar completamente y no pasa nada. El aporte a la trama principal es casi nulo, solo presenta el regreso momentáneo de uno de los personajes al hogar de sus padres, la verdad no tiene relevancia.
September 18, 2011
I don't know how he's done it but Garth Ennis has turned one of the most promising series of recent years into an uninspired, meandering, dull mess. When the series started I knew Wee Hughie was going to be the character the readers were supposed to see the series through but to be honest he isn't interesting enough to warrant his own book, and "Highland Laddie" is evidence of this.
One of the side stories to the series has been Hughie's relationship with a supe in the foremost supe team and neither of them knowing each other's true professions. Well, he finds out in the last book what his girlfriend is and how she came to join the club. If you've been following this far, and if you're reading this review then of course you have, it was kinda dark. But that's how Ennis rolls.
But that side story has somehow become the main story because it seems Ennis doesn't know how to get going on the main one. "Highland Laddie" is Hughie moping around the Scottish village he grew up in, reminiscing with his parents and friends until Starlight shows up and the soap-opera takes up again. And the book ends as you would expect.
The reason "The Boys" was so interesting was the premise of a CIA-type group policing the supes and their secret world. That storyline has been completely ignored in this book and Hughie's dull life and even duller relationship take centre stage and it really didn't need to. It could've worked as a spinoff to the series, something the hardcore fans could read, but as part of the overall series? This book doesn't add one thing to it.
I kept turning the pages wondering when anything was going to happen and then the book ended. Ennis has officially run out of ideas if this is the best he can produce for this series. If you're wondering whether or not the series has picked up with this book or whether it's worth buying this to see how the story is going, don't bother - it hasn't and it isn't. Totally missable, I'm wondering whether this series is even worth seeing to completion if this is the level of storytelling Ennis is at these days.
One of the side stories to the series has been Hughie's relationship with a supe in the foremost supe team and neither of them knowing each other's true professions. Well, he finds out in the last book what his girlfriend is and how she came to join the club. If you've been following this far, and if you're reading this review then of course you have, it was kinda dark. But that's how Ennis rolls.
But that side story has somehow become the main story because it seems Ennis doesn't know how to get going on the main one. "Highland Laddie" is Hughie moping around the Scottish village he grew up in, reminiscing with his parents and friends until Starlight shows up and the soap-opera takes up again. And the book ends as you would expect.
The reason "The Boys" was so interesting was the premise of a CIA-type group policing the supes and their secret world. That storyline has been completely ignored in this book and Hughie's dull life and even duller relationship take centre stage and it really didn't need to. It could've worked as a spinoff to the series, something the hardcore fans could read, but as part of the overall series? This book doesn't add one thing to it.
I kept turning the pages wondering when anything was going to happen and then the book ended. Ennis has officially run out of ideas if this is the best he can produce for this series. If you're wondering whether or not the series has picked up with this book or whether it's worth buying this to see how the story is going, don't bother - it hasn't and it isn't. Totally missable, I'm wondering whether this series is even worth seeing to completion if this is the level of storytelling Ennis is at these days.
December 13, 2014
To quote Wee Hughie: "I Ken sez tis shite".
This is a diversion from the Boys into a Hughie backstory/sidestory.
It could have been interesting; instead it was a meandering, boring, impossible to understand (literally, the dialogue is stupid, and I grew up with a Scottish Great Gran and neighbours, but I could barely figure some things out).
Throw in 5 issues of Hughie whining about EVERYTHING and I just wanted to bitch slap him like the boring piece of shit he acts like in this.
He visits friends and complains about them, he complains about his parents, he complains about his EX, who then shows up and of course, in a long rambling conversation, manages to get back into his good graces.
It also involves a subplot of Hughie and his mates being the Fucking Hardy Boys or some shit. (yawn) and talking to an older fellow like a free psychiatrist and taking his food for free.
By the end of the book, Hughie is a weeping baby of a pathetic sack. I have no problem emoting, and cry at Christmas commercials, but this volume did nothing but make me skim. I may just be at saturation for Ennis, or maybe it just jumped the shark, but I nearly just walked away from this book, and I'm not sure I want to rush into the rest of the series...
It makes it clear to me, that Hughie is supposed to be our entry point to relating to this, but he's too boring. This book just highlighted it and did everything in Ennis' power to undo the last 7 volumes of good work.
I couldn't suggest any stronger an option to anyone but to skip this and go right to Vol. 9 from 7.
Ugh. Terrible Shite.
Fat jokes, tranny jokes, sex jokes, dumb violence. Either Ennis slipped, or this is just what he's become and he can't hide it anymore...I was NOT impressed.
This is a diversion from the Boys into a Hughie backstory/sidestory.
It could have been interesting; instead it was a meandering, boring, impossible to understand (literally, the dialogue is stupid, and I grew up with a Scottish Great Gran and neighbours, but I could barely figure some things out).
Throw in 5 issues of Hughie whining about EVERYTHING and I just wanted to bitch slap him like the boring piece of shit he acts like in this.
He visits friends and complains about them, he complains about his parents, he complains about his EX, who then shows up and of course, in a long rambling conversation, manages to get back into his good graces.
It also involves a subplot of Hughie and his mates being the Fucking Hardy Boys or some shit. (yawn) and talking to an older fellow like a free psychiatrist and taking his food for free.
By the end of the book, Hughie is a weeping baby of a pathetic sack. I have no problem emoting, and cry at Christmas commercials, but this volume did nothing but make me skim. I may just be at saturation for Ennis, or maybe it just jumped the shark, but I nearly just walked away from this book, and I'm not sure I want to rush into the rest of the series...
It makes it clear to me, that Hughie is supposed to be our entry point to relating to this, but he's too boring. This book just highlighted it and did everything in Ennis' power to undo the last 7 volumes of good work.
I couldn't suggest any stronger an option to anyone but to skip this and go right to Vol. 9 from 7.
Ugh. Terrible Shite.
Fat jokes, tranny jokes, sex jokes, dumb violence. Either Ennis slipped, or this is just what he's become and he can't hide it anymore...I was NOT impressed.
August 24, 2019
Not only a great continuation of "The Boys" saga, but also a surprisingly poignant look at the concepts of home, morality, childhood, guilt, and forgiveness. Indeed, there are many things we can learn from the adventures and misadventures of Wee Hughie.
June 6, 2017
The pace slows down a bit with this volume, but that's fine as Hughie (and I) needed a break after volume 7. He returns to Scotland to see his family and friends and generally get his head together. We also meet someone who is probably going to be important in upcoming volumes. Not as much action in this one, but there are some fine character moments. This series continues to impress.
January 19, 2023
A Scottish interlude. Hughie goes back to the highlands for a little soul searching and finds things are both the same as they ever were and worse than he remembered. This is a reflective tome, as he considers how his relationships shaped the man he has become and realizes that, as a young man, his kind nature had been a blessing and a curse. There is a mystery to solve involving some drug running and Starlight shows up to talk about their relationship. One of the weakest books, but has a charm about it. There is some content about homophobia and a trans character which, to modern eyes, are a bit dodgy but not malicious. Some of the highland art is quite exceptional.
January 2, 2021
Somehow too much to read but gives us insights of the Hughie's past, and a good surprise.
Read
January 13, 2021Ennis got his start in the mid to late 90s, establishing a reputation as an extremist in the comics community alongside Warren Ellis, though Ennis would become the Grant Morrison to Ellis' Alan Moore, with Ennis sometimes going to extremes without letting his story threads come together in a natural way. Does that mean Ennis is a bad writer? Of course not. He wouldn't be a favorite of mine if that were the case. While The Boys doesn't entirely reach the heights of some of Ennis' finer outings like Preacher or Punisher MAX, The Boys proved itself to be another interesting series in Ennis' catalogue.
Garth Ennis is never one for the easily offended, the copious amounts of sex, violence and mayhem that inhabits this series can test even the most mentally and physically strong of people, as I said earlier Ennis is rather extreme with his content. Though luckily, Ennis does know how to pace himself and provide a good plot to keep you invested unlike some of the other artists and writers from the uber grimdark period of comics (cough cough, Rob Liefeld, cough cough, Frank Miller). Ennis, much like Alan Moore, makes a point to show that if superhumans were to exist in our world, they would bring about an apocalyptic sense of change to the world. Though unfortunately, I'm not quite as sure that Ennis is as thorough in his exploration as Moore was. He never fully goes deeper in his critique of superheroes, which is rather unfortunate. Though unlike Moore, Ennis pulls no punches when taking shots as superheroes, this is unsurprising given his well known disdain for the superhero genre, yet again, I don't find that his satire nearly goes far enough to make a grand point of it all.
While The Boys' satire is admittedly simplistic unlike something that is more nuanced like Watchmen, we see Ennis' reputation for characterization shine through, with Billy Butcher being a standout and even Ennis himself lamenting that he was his favorite character to write. Most of the characters in The Boys are strongly developed and their depth and likability is reminiscent of Preacher, but we also see how they change over time. Wee Hughie in particular changes from a mild mannered normal person into a hardened, but still well intentioned person. The satire of The Boys, while sometimes going overboard and becoming crude, usually does its job, with targets being of corporatism, crony capitalism, and the incompetence of government, in particular the Bush era.
I have often complained about how many modern comics have problems with pacing. But luckily Ennis doesn't have this issue, and I would lobby him alongside Ed Brubaker as having a mastery of pacing, as Ennis knows when he should slow things down and when to let things speed up. It is nice to find someone else to use as an example of how to pace your stories in a way to where you won't lose your audience, and Ennis definitely knows how to keep his audiences attention, for better or worse.
Few problems come through in the series, Ennis's writing teeters in quality near the end, with some unexpected twists coming in that shakes up the story at hold and not in a way that feels natural. Though luckily Ennis manages to make it work as best as he can and manages to wrap his story up in a satisfying way. While Ennis is ruthless in his mockery of the superhero genre and its conventions, some of his edgy, extreme humor doesn't really seem to go anywhere, which is a problem that pervades through much of his work. Though unlike Preacher or Punisher MAX where he manages to tamper it with volumes of excellent story, The Boys sometimes does get brought down by its over the top extremes. The art from Derrick Robertson, while very good and well drawn, I often compare to his extraordinary work on Transmetropolitan, and I found that he hasn't ever surpassed the strange and surreal visuals from that series.
Cruel and crass as The Boys may be, Ennis rarely forgets character motivation or good plotting to keep readers invested, while he may lose some of his steam by the end of the series, The Boys remains a strong and enjoyable outing from Ennis' catalogue.
Garth Ennis is never one for the easily offended, the copious amounts of sex, violence and mayhem that inhabits this series can test even the most mentally and physically strong of people, as I said earlier Ennis is rather extreme with his content. Though luckily, Ennis does know how to pace himself and provide a good plot to keep you invested unlike some of the other artists and writers from the uber grimdark period of comics (cough cough, Rob Liefeld, cough cough, Frank Miller). Ennis, much like Alan Moore, makes a point to show that if superhumans were to exist in our world, they would bring about an apocalyptic sense of change to the world. Though unfortunately, I'm not quite as sure that Ennis is as thorough in his exploration as Moore was. He never fully goes deeper in his critique of superheroes, which is rather unfortunate. Though unlike Moore, Ennis pulls no punches when taking shots as superheroes, this is unsurprising given his well known disdain for the superhero genre, yet again, I don't find that his satire nearly goes far enough to make a grand point of it all.
While The Boys' satire is admittedly simplistic unlike something that is more nuanced like Watchmen, we see Ennis' reputation for characterization shine through, with Billy Butcher being a standout and even Ennis himself lamenting that he was his favorite character to write. Most of the characters in The Boys are strongly developed and their depth and likability is reminiscent of Preacher, but we also see how they change over time. Wee Hughie in particular changes from a mild mannered normal person into a hardened, but still well intentioned person. The satire of The Boys, while sometimes going overboard and becoming crude, usually does its job, with targets being of corporatism, crony capitalism, and the incompetence of government, in particular the Bush era.
I have often complained about how many modern comics have problems with pacing. But luckily Ennis doesn't have this issue, and I would lobby him alongside Ed Brubaker as having a mastery of pacing, as Ennis knows when he should slow things down and when to let things speed up. It is nice to find someone else to use as an example of how to pace your stories in a way to where you won't lose your audience, and Ennis definitely knows how to keep his audiences attention, for better or worse.
Few problems come through in the series, Ennis's writing teeters in quality near the end, with some unexpected twists coming in that shakes up the story at hold and not in a way that feels natural. Though luckily Ennis manages to make it work as best as he can and manages to wrap his story up in a satisfying way. While Ennis is ruthless in his mockery of the superhero genre and its conventions, some of his edgy, extreme humor doesn't really seem to go anywhere, which is a problem that pervades through much of his work. Though unlike Preacher or Punisher MAX where he manages to tamper it with volumes of excellent story, The Boys sometimes does get brought down by its over the top extremes. The art from Derrick Robertson, while very good and well drawn, I often compare to his extraordinary work on Transmetropolitan, and I found that he hasn't ever surpassed the strange and surreal visuals from that series.
Cruel and crass as The Boys may be, Ennis rarely forgets character motivation or good plotting to keep readers invested, while he may lose some of his steam by the end of the series, The Boys remains a strong and enjoyable outing from Ennis' catalogue.
March 14, 2020
After the events of the "Believe" storyline, Wee Hughie goes back to his small Scottish hometown to visit his family and sort some things out. We meet Hughie's kind but overbearing adoptive parents and some of his childhood friends. While it's nice to see Hughie's childhood home and meet some of his pals, this story meanders a bit too much and probably could have been a 2-3 issue arc in the main Boys series rather than its own spin-off book.
Things don't really pick up until
The rest of the book offers a subplot about drug smuggling coming into the town that seems rather pointless beyond introducing a character into the series who we've only heard mentioned before, but we don't find out that this IS that character until the very end, so it has little actual bearing on this part of the story.
One other thing worth mentioning is the fact that one of Hughie's childhood friends has come out as transgender since he was away, and though there are...problems with how this subject matter is dealt with by today's standards, I was a bit surprised that it was handled as well as it was in a comic written by Garth Ennis in 2011. Hughie pretty much accepts that his friend has changed without much fuss and for most of the story they just carry on like nothing has changed, and that's all great. There is one cringeworthy moment where he does use a slur to refer to his friend, and there's absolutely no regard to referring to this character by different pronouns, but there was also no request from said character to use any different kind of pronouns either. It feels like Ennis himself didn't even consider that kind of thing when writing it. But if I'm being honest I probably didn't even consider it or bat an eye about it as a reader in 2011 either. I mention this because this is likely to make some readers uncomfortable, but it didn't make me cringe as much as I was afraid it would when I started reading the book. It's interesting to see how I have changed as a reader and a person in the last decade though, now being bothered by something that I don't recall troubling me on my previous read through.
2.5 STARS
Things don't really pick up until
The rest of the book offers a subplot about drug smuggling coming into the town that seems rather pointless beyond introducing a character into the series who we've only heard mentioned before, but we don't find out that this IS that character until the very end, so it has little actual bearing on this part of the story.
One other thing worth mentioning is the fact that one of Hughie's childhood friends has come out as transgender since he was away, and though there are...problems with how this subject matter is dealt with by today's standards, I was a bit surprised that it was handled as well as it was in a comic written by Garth Ennis in 2011. Hughie pretty much accepts that his friend has changed without much fuss and for most of the story they just carry on like nothing has changed, and that's all great. There is one cringeworthy moment where he does use a slur to refer to his friend, and there's absolutely no regard to referring to this character by different pronouns, but there was also no request from said character to use any different kind of pronouns either. It feels like Ennis himself didn't even consider that kind of thing when writing it. But if I'm being honest I probably didn't even consider it or bat an eye about it as a reader in 2011 either. I mention this because this is likely to make some readers uncomfortable, but it didn't make me cringe as much as I was afraid it would when I started reading the book. It's interesting to see how I have changed as a reader and a person in the last decade though, now being bothered by something that I don't recall troubling me on my previous read through.
2.5 STARS
July 26, 2022
LOVED this one!
This one detours from the chaos of the Boys and Supes and heads to Scotland with Wee Hughie, who is still reeling from recent events.
I really enjoyed this dip into Hughie's past, and I loved the reflection on changing relationships. Hughie's friends are not the comfort he remembers, and that was a really interesting dynamic. We also meet his parents, and learn a bit more about his childhood.
Hughie really is a character you can't help but feel sorry for, but somehow he still manages to figure things out and see a bit of silver lining. Here, we see him at his lowest, and I really enjoyed the realness that came with that. There's the same vulnerability he's always had, but suddenly he's not bouncing back like he always has and it's a bit of a shock to the system.
There's also background happenings to add a bit of narrative to Hughie's trip home, so that created some fun, too.
All in all, I really loved how this one strayed from all the crass and wallowed in Hughie's misery for a little bit. It's not all doom and gloom, but it's a valuable glimpse into the workings of our unlikely hero, and it strengthens our feelings for him.
Now, back to work.
This one detours from the chaos of the Boys and Supes and heads to Scotland with Wee Hughie, who is still reeling from recent events.
I really enjoyed this dip into Hughie's past, and I loved the reflection on changing relationships. Hughie's friends are not the comfort he remembers, and that was a really interesting dynamic. We also meet his parents, and learn a bit more about his childhood.
Hughie really is a character you can't help but feel sorry for, but somehow he still manages to figure things out and see a bit of silver lining. Here, we see him at his lowest, and I really enjoyed the realness that came with that. There's the same vulnerability he's always had, but suddenly he's not bouncing back like he always has and it's a bit of a shock to the system.
There's also background happenings to add a bit of narrative to Hughie's trip home, so that created some fun, too.
All in all, I really loved how this one strayed from all the crass and wallowed in Hughie's misery for a little bit. It's not all doom and gloom, but it's a valuable glimpse into the workings of our unlikely hero, and it strengthens our feelings for him.
Now, back to work.
June 7, 2017
A kinda-boring sidestory. The interesting parts could be concentrated in a single issue, diffinitely not a 6-part story. Oh well, let's get on with it.
May 16, 2024
Nessa 8ª edição de The Boys, temos algo diferente, pois esse encadernado é uma história separada, com foco em uma história de Hughie, narrando o arco “ O Rapaz Escocês”. Dessa forma, dando continuidade no que o ocorreu no encadernado anterior, após Hughie ficar frustrado com as descobertas sobre Annie, ele viaja para Escócia, para sua cidade natal, para tirar férias indeterminadas. E é a partir disso, que a história se desenvolve.
O leitor acompanha Hughie retornando a suas origens, revendo seus pais e seus amigos, e tentando dar um tempo para refletir sobre todo o ciclo de violência que viveu ultimamente com os The Boys. Assim, somos apresentados à origem de Hughie, que a partir de flashbacks, conta sobre sua infância, traumas, vivencias e aventuras com seus amigos.
Nesse quesito das origens do personagem, acredito que seja o grande atrativo da HQ, porque se tratando de uma trama descolada da narrativa total de the boys, pensa-se que não teria nada a agregar, no entanto, após conhecermos no encadernado 6 a origem dos rapazes, faltava a origem de Hughie, e é aqui que ela aparece.
Assim, o principal ganho para o leitor é entender essa origem do personagem focando em seus traumas e como eles, juntamente de sua família, moldaram a maneira como Hughie age. Isso é interessante, pois traz uma reflexão até para o leitor, porque da maneira como Hughie fica revoltado com a maneira que ele é, sendo diferente do que ele queria ser, é algo que acontece com nós indivíduos, que estamos sempre tentando ser uma figura que não somos. No caso do escocês, por conta do mundo que ele começou a frequentar com os rapazes, ele gostaria de ser mais durão e violento, como Butcher, e culpa seu modo de criação por torna-lo tão mole. No entanto, Annie e um novo amigo de Hughie o questionam do porque ele gostaria de ser assim. Annie inclusive ressalta que ele não é assim, e não precisava ser durão para ser homem ou para que ela goste dele.
Além disso, com base nesses diálogos de Hughie e em suas lembranças, passamos a entender a compaixão do rapaz, o porque ele não é violento, e como seus traumas o moldaram ao longo do tempo.
Contudo, se tratando da história além da trama de Hughie, temos uma operação de drogas ocorrendo na cidade natal do personagem, que serve apenas como plano de fundo, e em determinados momentos do final da HQ, o roteiro acaba sendo confuso, com cortes de núcleos de personagens inesperados, com rupturas repentinas.
O leitor acompanha Hughie retornando a suas origens, revendo seus pais e seus amigos, e tentando dar um tempo para refletir sobre todo o ciclo de violência que viveu ultimamente com os The Boys. Assim, somos apresentados à origem de Hughie, que a partir de flashbacks, conta sobre sua infância, traumas, vivencias e aventuras com seus amigos.
Nesse quesito das origens do personagem, acredito que seja o grande atrativo da HQ, porque se tratando de uma trama descolada da narrativa total de the boys, pensa-se que não teria nada a agregar, no entanto, após conhecermos no encadernado 6 a origem dos rapazes, faltava a origem de Hughie, e é aqui que ela aparece.
Assim, o principal ganho para o leitor é entender essa origem do personagem focando em seus traumas e como eles, juntamente de sua família, moldaram a maneira como Hughie age. Isso é interessante, pois traz uma reflexão até para o leitor, porque da maneira como Hughie fica revoltado com a maneira que ele é, sendo diferente do que ele queria ser, é algo que acontece com nós indivíduos, que estamos sempre tentando ser uma figura que não somos. No caso do escocês, por conta do mundo que ele começou a frequentar com os rapazes, ele gostaria de ser mais durão e violento, como Butcher, e culpa seu modo de criação por torna-lo tão mole. No entanto, Annie e um novo amigo de Hughie o questionam do porque ele gostaria de ser assim. Annie inclusive ressalta que ele não é assim, e não precisava ser durão para ser homem ou para que ela goste dele.
Além disso, com base nesses diálogos de Hughie e em suas lembranças, passamos a entender a compaixão do rapaz, o porque ele não é violento, e como seus traumas o moldaram ao longo do tempo.
Contudo, se tratando da história além da trama de Hughie, temos uma operação de drogas ocorrendo na cidade natal do personagem, que serve apenas como plano de fundo, e em determinados momentos do final da HQ, o roteiro acaba sendo confuso, com cortes de núcleos de personagens inesperados, com rupturas repentinas.
November 23, 2011
I find it fascinating how Ennis can take some seemingly mundane, everyday situations and infuse them with such energy, bizarre and vivid storytelling. The characters are so real and fleshed out, just by virtue of the detailed stories they tell each other, and they're like people I instantly know (and at the same time have many secrets and layers yet to reveal).
Then Ennis adds to the mix a few details of weird, hard, mean people/situations and just let's them slowly find their way to our main characters. Nothing forced, just the usual foolishness that the world gets up to (mixed of course with Ennis' touch for the outlandish, vile and/or ridiculous). Entertaining? Hell yes.
This book diverts from the momentum of the mainline series with another miniseries, which gives us a little breather and a chance I get to know another side of Hughie and his almost...normal past. Why did Ennis decide to write this? I don't know and frankly don't care much - I'd probably read his 2030 works about the seedy underbelly of his old folks' home experiences, or the incredible goings-on in a janitor's closet.
The artist isn't bad - in fact a pretty fair facsimile of Robertson's work. I find it's a bit harder to follow who's who with this guy, but also interesting to enjoy the contrast.
This story builds up to some great suspense, and now I *really* want to read the next volume. Can't come quickly enough.
Then Ennis adds to the mix a few details of weird, hard, mean people/situations and just let's them slowly find their way to our main characters. Nothing forced, just the usual foolishness that the world gets up to (mixed of course with Ennis' touch for the outlandish, vile and/or ridiculous). Entertaining? Hell yes.
This book diverts from the momentum of the mainline series with another miniseries, which gives us a little breather and a chance I get to know another side of Hughie and his almost...normal past. Why did Ennis decide to write this? I don't know and frankly don't care much - I'd probably read his 2030 works about the seedy underbelly of his old folks' home experiences, or the incredible goings-on in a janitor's closet.
The artist isn't bad - in fact a pretty fair facsimile of Robertson's work. I find it's a bit harder to follow who's who with this guy, but also interesting to enjoy the contrast.
This story builds up to some great suspense, and now I *really* want to read the next volume. Can't come quickly enough.
April 22, 2014
Garth Ennis has been one of my favourite comic authors for some time now.
I say that up front in case you think I'm biased in my writing of this review.
The Boys is the best thing he's ever created. It's disgusting, crude, completely over the top and fabulously funny. It's also an original take on the question of what morally ambiguous people might do if bestowed with super powers. And what the government would really do if they cracked the secret to the super soldier serum.
In this eighth volume, we step far away from the wild antics of the earlier works to head back to Scotland and explore our hero's past. We meet Hughie's old school chums, much changed in some ways, but in others exactly the same. We meet his foster parents and uncover a drug dealing plot involving people who swear even more than The Boys, and a rather large woman with some shears.
More importantly, we get to explore the unravelling relationship between Hughie and his super-powered girlfriend. And along the way we get a deeper look into Hughie's psyche and what makes him tick.
It's the almost perfect blend that Ennis so often strikes of ludicrously horrible and obscene comic action with real storytelling and emotional weight.
I can't recommend this series enough and while this one feels a little draggy compared to earlier ones, as a fan of comics that do more than action, i really can't complain. Would be four and a half stars if I could.
I say that up front in case you think I'm biased in my writing of this review.
The Boys is the best thing he's ever created. It's disgusting, crude, completely over the top and fabulously funny. It's also an original take on the question of what morally ambiguous people might do if bestowed with super powers. And what the government would really do if they cracked the secret to the super soldier serum.
In this eighth volume, we step far away from the wild antics of the earlier works to head back to Scotland and explore our hero's past. We meet Hughie's old school chums, much changed in some ways, but in others exactly the same. We meet his foster parents and uncover a drug dealing plot involving people who swear even more than The Boys, and a rather large woman with some shears.
More importantly, we get to explore the unravelling relationship between Hughie and his super-powered girlfriend. And along the way we get a deeper look into Hughie's psyche and what makes him tick.
It's the almost perfect blend that Ennis so often strikes of ludicrously horrible and obscene comic action with real storytelling and emotional weight.
I can't recommend this series enough and while this one feels a little draggy compared to earlier ones, as a fan of comics that do more than action, i really can't complain. Would be four and a half stars if I could.
May 31, 2016
A fairly dull diversion with Hughie.
December 9, 2019
It was nice! I liked it.
It definitely continues the story ( of Hughie ) and it adds up on the situation. Nice artwork, interesting plot.
It definitely continues the story ( of Hughie ) and it adds up on the situation. Nice artwork, interesting plot.
January 23, 2023
Man, now that I've gotten this far, I can't stop reading this, just addictive for me at this point.
March 3, 2022
Well, the title here pretty much tells you what this one’s going to be about…the wee lad. Post a devastating blow out with the lovely Annie, the wee lad goes back to Scotland to the small and slightly odd small town of his childhood, in fact, right to his childhood abode and right into the arms of his darling and loving adopted parents with whom he inexplicably has intimacy issues.
And right into the loving arms of his childhood pals who’ve become stranger than ever.
So the lad drinks and mopes and talks and on and on until Annie shows up determined to win him back and save their connection.
A strongly character driven story, much like book seven before it, with a much narrower focus and nary a superhero in sight outside of Annie’s recollections of her origin story.
The artists, once again, are changed up all too often, creating for a somewhat disjointed experience of the ever-changing same faces. But overall, a fun read. As the Boys comics tend to be.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
And right into the loving arms of his childhood pals who’ve become stranger than ever.
So the lad drinks and mopes and talks and on and on until Annie shows up determined to win him back and save their connection.
A strongly character driven story, much like book seven before it, with a much narrower focus and nary a superhero in sight outside of Annie’s recollections of her origin story.
The artists, once again, are changed up all too often, creating for a somewhat disjointed experience of the ever-changing same faces. But overall, a fun read. As the Boys comics tend to be.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
May 18, 2022
While my biggest problems with parts of The Boys series is its over-the-top, unnecessary schlock, this book suffers from being a dull waste of time.
Hughie's origin story, that he and his friends were a cut-rate Hardy Boys who all grew up to be unusual adults doesn't add anything to the story at large. It isn't until Starlight shows up, and they spend two issues hashing out their problems in a way that doesn't warrant more than three or four pages, that this series seems to have any purpose other than Garth Ennis wants to be shocking, but isn't really.
Of the two of Hughie's young friends, one smells so bad that his family and him have to wear gas masks, and the other was the town jock who is now a transvestite (not a trans person, not someone exploring being non-binary, I'm using outdated language because it is an outdated character ... the character isn't treated insultingly but nor is the character just allowed to be a person who happens to be a large man dressed in clothes that are deemed feminine). I get it, Hughie has always been an outsider. This also could have been expressed in about two or three pages, as opposed to an entire mini-series.
You can easily skip this volume entirely when reading The Boys, and just assume that Hughie and Starlight made up off-panel after volume seven. You don't lose any plot points, character development or helpful insight.
I'm also really glad that they won't have to bother even trying to incorporate a single page of this into the TV series, since pretty much every part of this story conflicts with the canon of Season One.
Hughie's origin story, that he and his friends were a cut-rate Hardy Boys who all grew up to be unusual adults doesn't add anything to the story at large. It isn't until Starlight shows up, and they spend two issues hashing out their problems in a way that doesn't warrant more than three or four pages, that this series seems to have any purpose other than Garth Ennis wants to be shocking, but isn't really.
Of the two of Hughie's young friends, one smells so bad that his family and him have to wear gas masks, and the other was the town jock who is now a transvestite (not a trans person, not someone exploring being non-binary, I'm using outdated language because it is an outdated character ... the character isn't treated insultingly but nor is the character just allowed to be a person who happens to be a large man dressed in clothes that are deemed feminine). I get it, Hughie has always been an outsider. This also could have been expressed in about two or three pages, as opposed to an entire mini-series.
You can easily skip this volume entirely when reading The Boys, and just assume that Hughie and Starlight made up off-panel after volume seven. You don't lose any plot points, character development or helpful insight.
I'm also really glad that they won't have to bother even trying to incorporate a single page of this into the TV series, since pretty much every part of this story conflicts with the canon of Season One.
March 24, 2026
Series nadir. Getting through this volume was a slog.
Plot points:
Aside from making me want to slap the piss out of him, Hughie's vexation doesn't make sense. Something got lost in the communication.
Side note: I feel disloyal for saying this, but the guest artists were a reliable improvement over Darick Robertson.
Plot points:
Aside from making me want to slap the piss out of him, Hughie's vexation doesn't make sense. Something got lost in the communication.
Side note: I feel disloyal for saying this, but the guest artists were a reliable improvement over Darick Robertson.
October 15, 2016
Dear lord am I happy Ennis redeems himself in this one by explicitly and emphatically condemning Hughie's misogyny in the last volume as a character flaw to be excoriated by the very woman who was on the receiving end of it, reducing the poorly conceived Simon Pegg lookalike to a mess of tears, rather than the righteous anger of a Nice, Regular Guy In The Face Of Foul Decadence.
While perhaps a diversion from the main superhero plot, small town Scotland and its simple-minded denizens are pretty close to what Ennis knows, and I found the low stakes drug dealer plot interspersed with scenes from Hughie's childhood pretty entertaining in all.
Big Bobby will probably send a lot of people running to the tumblr alarm bell, but in the opinion of this solitary non-binary person, I found her a fairly well-intentioned trans woman made to fit in the crudity of working class Ennis Scotland.
While perhaps a diversion from the main superhero plot, small town Scotland and its simple-minded denizens are pretty close to what Ennis knows, and I found the low stakes drug dealer plot interspersed with scenes from Hughie's childhood pretty entertaining in all.
Big Bobby will probably send a lot of people running to the tumblr alarm bell, but in the opinion of this solitary non-binary person, I found her a fairly well-intentioned trans woman made to fit in the crudity of working class Ennis Scotland.
September 21, 2016
Probably one of my favourite books in the series so far. We get to spend a great deal of time learning more about Hughie and what made him the man he is today. were introduced to two of his childhood friends, one is transitioning and the other has a nasty smell and wears a gas mask all the time.
on the outskirts of town is a little cove called smugglers cove a fitting name for some drug runners to be bringing a product into the country. this is the same location where Hughie and his friends stopped another smuggler back when they were kids.
Annie, aka Starlight, pays him a visit and proceeded to share her entire life story with him to get him to understand the events that happened when she joined The Seven.
on the outskirts of town is a little cove called smugglers cove a fitting name for some drug runners to be bringing a product into the country. this is the same location where Hughie and his friends stopped another smuggler back when they were kids.
Annie, aka Starlight, pays him a visit and proceeded to share her entire life story with him to get him to understand the events that happened when she joined The Seven.
February 27, 2024
Hughie, disenchanted from his work with the Boys and his recent break up with Annie, returns home to the Scottish highlands for some R&R. But Hughie's time in Scotland is anything but peaceful as his family and friends soon get on his nerves and Annie has also followed him home adding to the tension. In all honesty, this was a drag to read. The series has always made the character of Hughie work by having him be the normative foil against the zaniness of the supes. But focusing on Hughie for an entire miniseries is just way too much Hughie. It was a chore to get through six issues of a whining Hughie and there's limited resolution to the events from the story prior.
January 28, 2021
The hero going home or going to a place to find himself is an Ennis staple that has usually worked. So why not here? It is the bad dialogue, dull situations, lack of focus, and annoying humor. The main thing is the story tells you nothing about Hughie that you did not already know. Starlight/Annie has a chance to really shine, and the better parts belong to her for sure. But even then something was held back. Whole thing reads like a half-baked side story rushed into print before it was fully formed.
August 10, 2024
Garth finally tries to delve deeper into character and I appreciate what he’s trying to do. Unfortunately, he succeeded in making me hate Hughie with this volume. And Garth’s repeated inability to classify what the Seven did to Annie as sexual assault and his insistence that she should be ashamed of her “decision” makes it even harder for me to see how he or Hughie is going to be redeemed.
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