The Boys: Gnadenlos-Edition Band 1

The Boys Deluxe #1

by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson (Illustrator), Bernd Kronsbein (Translator)

GNADENLOS GEGEN PERVERSE AUS STAHL

Superhelden beschützen die Welt mit ihren übermenschlichen Kräften - und hinterlassen dabei eine Spur aus menschlichen Kollateralschäden. Richtig übel wird es außerdem, wenn die von ihrer eigenen Macht korrumpierten Supermänner und Superstars das Gefühl haben, sich alles herausnehmen und im Grunde mit jedem perversen Scheiß durchkommen zu können. Wer soll die Menschheit vor den mächtigsten Arschlöchern der Erde beschützen, wenn diese mal wieder über die Stränge schlagen? Natürlich Butcher und seine krasse CIA-Einsatztruppe The Boys, die den überheblichen Pissern aus Stahl den Kampf ansagen...

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Superheroes, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

340 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Ennis 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

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a superhero brands' dominated corporate America only two people really stand in the way of their ultimate goal of global wealth generation domination - one of them is the President of the United States, the other is CIA Black Ops specialist, and one-time UK marine, the hard to reach and at times extremely ruthless Billy Butcher. This collection of the first two volumes cover the introduction Butcher and the regrouping of his team 'The Boys' with his new recruit the impressionable Scot 'wee' Hughie, the major supergroup 'The Seven'; and the lay of the political climate and ongoing 'war' between the corporate 'Vought' and Butcher and the CIA.

This is a Garth Ennis' tour de force of stark and brutal violence, near-explicit sex and fucking foul language, all underlined with some great dark humour. Everything that Ennis had written previously, he simply seems to have taken the best of it all, and put it in this series! You might've watched the quite good TV show, well this is generally darker and more complex in ongoing plotting!

There's loads of blatant and very subtle possible foreshadowing; a slow reveal of the backgrounds and rationales of the entire cast, and an open window to the darkness at the heart of the corporate backed superheroes and their superiors. Included are some gorgeous understated digs at the 'new world order', political correctness and gender inequality(!), and at espionage in general. A deserving 9 out of 12 Four Star read, although on first read this series utterly blew my mind; on later readings it has proven to be just very good... very very good... although the artwork gets worse every time I read it!

2022 read, 2019 read via single volumes, 2017 read via single volumes

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, so good!




I'll be the 1st to admit that I only finally picked this up because of the impending tv show on Amazon, but in my defense, I'd heard from multiple people that this title started off strong and then ended up shit. <--We'll see.



Right now, I can only say that I'm loving the whole concept of a group of crazy, morally ambiguous killers working for a government agency to keep superheroes in line.
The characters are actually really cool, and the storyline is sufficiently action-y and mysterious enough to keep my interest level high. If this does go to shit, I'm gonna be kind of sad.

[Tina Haigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, this got dark fast. I wasn't sure what to expect with yet another superhero comic book, but this is most definitely not DC or Marvel's world. So buckle up, because it gets wild. You've been warned.

I picked this up because Amazon recently adapted it into a TV show. It stars Karl Urban, whom I love, so I figured why not. As an added bonus, it's written by the same guy who wrote Preacher. Suffice it to say, it's not for kids. This is definitely an adult graphic novel, and honestly, I think that just made it better. I liked it more because it was rough, because it was gritty, because it was noir. They didn't have to hold back, and they sure as hell didn't pull any punches. Instead they went at it full bore. It's gory, sexually graphic, homophobic, and has its fair share of misogynistic asshole characters that are far from politically correct.

If you are easily offended, this is not the book for you. However, if you like getting down and dirty, give this one a go. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I, for one, am certainly looking to Volume 2.

[Alejandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

The TV series is WAY better than the comic!

Since I haven't the time that I used to have, I will comment only in this first collected edition, and basically since I want to say that while I am huge fan of the TV series adapted from this material, I was disappointed that in my very personal opinion that the comic book isn't nearly as good as the TV adaptation.

Just to avoid confusion, my comments here will be about the entire saga, not only this first collected volume.

I have read many other similar comics like The Authority, Top10, Astro City,Watchmen , etc... and The Boys appeared at the end, once all those mentioned did their own impact in the comic book industry with originality and good taste, but sadly The Boys isn't that original and the few good things there, the author managed to ruin them (don't worry I won't spoil anything) but in my case, I was sad how wrong the comic book turned at the end...

...not to mention that the road wasn't that inspired, since anybody can write profanities and violence, you don't need many talent for that...

...I was honestly excited to read the comic book, and I was expecting something different than the TV series...

...BUT...

...still something good and enjoyable...

...however that wasn't the case.

I am pretty sure that many people love the comic and that's okay, anybody is entitled to an opinion...

...I just left mine here.

P.D.

WATCH THE TV SERIES!

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUahahahahahaha

What a grand treat this is! I mean, I fell in love with the Amazon show and I've been a diehard fan of the Preacher (also Garth Ennis), so it's kinda a no-brainer that I would have gone gung-ho over this one as well.

What I DIDN'T expect was just how far, how raunchy, how purely, gloriously satirical Ennis would take it!

A lot of the iconic scenes and character twists are exactly the same in both the tv show and the comic, but in some cases, it's much MORE. Starlight, for example, got cornered by three of the Seven on first meet-and-greet. The Serum is much more widespread than we were lead to believe in the show, as well. And the embarrassing moments? The blackmail attempts? The full-out craziness of the supes, everywhere? These are worse in the comics. And by worse, I mean deliciously horrific and entertaining.

The satire is god-awful brilliant. I was really blown away by Tech-Knight (aka Batman) and his little problem. Getting to know The Legend (aka Stan Lee) was also great. But you know what blew me away the most? The f**k-up with the airplane. It was this alternate history's 9/11, taking out the Brooklyn Bridge. And the cluster-F surrounding big corporations owning the government is pretty much the same... only the big players are different. Supes are BIG BUSINESS, ya know?!

So delicious. And I'm only a third done in the Big Omnibus. I can't wait to see how this war ENDS. :)

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of a group of people who kick the shit out of errant superheroes is still great, but everything about the execution feels embarrassingly outdated.

The way sexual and racial slurs are thrown around feels like when a hyperviolent movie is supposed to be anti-violence.

Women come in only a couple of flavours: prostitutes, to be abused or tiny and hyperviolent, without anything to say.

And the art is just plain ugly. Butcher's face changes every 4 or 5 panels.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so, so devilishly good.

Garth Ennis is the Dave Chapelle of the comic writers – he’ll make fun, outrageously, of everyone.

Just about on the level of Watchmen, this is a scathing satire about just about everything – comics, government, media, religion, and even the gullibility of John Q. Public. And all the while he also tells a damn fine comic story himself.

Other reviewers have said they liked the Amazon Prime series better, and I liked the TV show, but it doesn’t compare to Ennis’ rapier wit IMHO.

Telling the story of a world where the “supes” are not all good, in fact most are riotously bad, a small band of also bad supes correct some wrongs and might just save the day. The real hero here is Ennis who keeps it real and if you’re easily offended, don’t even pick it up.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished season 2 of the show and wanted to compare and contrast a little bit. The show is definitely better, but this wasn't bad.
The story in general is very original and refreshing from the run-of-the-mill superhero story. I think it depicts a more realistic option of what would happen if we had superheroes in the real world.

The show is awesome and I can't wait for Jensen Ackles in season 3😍🥰

[Lucien · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I don’t understand what’s so subversive and special about it. In the first few pages there are two “women in refrigerators” situations, rape, and a whole lot of men putting women and girls “in their place.” The only female character on the team is literally called the Female, and she doesn’t speak. This is not subversive. This is status quo.

[Andrew✌️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike what I've read in many reviews, I learned about the series from the TV show trailers, but I choose to read the comic first. I already knew Garth Ennis from the Preacher series that I read some time ago. I really enjoyed it and was very curious to read this one.

In order to avoid spoilers, I won't dwell too much on the plot. It remembers a lot of Watchmen, but in a more modern way. Here superheroes (generally named "super") are globally celebrated, followed as rock stars with marketing and advertising revenue. The Boys of the title, led by Billy Butcher, are a group of bizarre individuals who try to keep them under control and bring them back in line when they go too far (for supers, with great power doesn't come great responsibility).

Garth Ennis' style is irreverent, brutal, the dialogues are often vulgar and full of dark humor, he makes you laugh in one scene and then punches you in the stomach in the next. From the very first pages the reader is thrown into the action, there is no preparation phase and it's not a story about good feelings. There is sex, violence, gory scenes and foul language.

There is no shortage of singular characters in the Boys group or amusing ones, such as Butcher's dog Terror, but just look at their names: Butcher, The Female, Mother's Milk, Frenchie and The Legend. And more will meet as the story progresses.

In the world where the story takes place it's not all black and white, all the boys have to get their hands dirty, to do what is right and necessary. But there's always Wee Hugie, the latest arrival, the only one who is still innocent. Who knows what Garth has in store for him? Will he be able to remain himself?

A note on the versions I read: I started this series with the first volume translated in Italian, which follows the English structure of the series. Later I discovered a Deluxe edition composed of six volumes, published by Panini, which collects more or less 14-15 issues each volume. Now that I have the books available, you can bet that I will read everything to the end and then it will be the turn of the TV series!

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh, had to change the version. It said "Kindle" version and that is not me. I despise audiobooks and their bastard spawn-the e-readers. Sorry, I'll stick to books.

So, rant over, this version is the paperback. The "Boys" have become more popular recently due to the the tv show. If you think the tv show is funny, dark and a wee bit over the top in terms of violence or shock value-then it is obvious you have not read the comic.

The Boys takes place in a world where superheroes are kings and do as they please. A mega-corporation runs the heroes and manages their publicity. But, a rouge or even uncaring superhero can have terrible consequences for humanity. This isn't Marvel or DC with their huge wars that end up destroying cities and then you find out 2 people died but the rest "evacuated". No. Not in Garth Ennis' twisted world.

This is how we meet Wee Hughie, who has his girlfriend killed by a superhero. He turns to the Boys, a semi-US governmental organization that works with the CIA to handle superheroes.
The Boys have a group of anti-heroes who take "V" a substance that gives you super pwoers and they fight the corrupt and often cruel superheroes.

The Boys is typical of Garth Ennis' humor. It can offend some people and others just might find it too vulgar. If you have those kinds of feelings, may I suggest you avoid any Garth Ennis? His medium of art requires a decent amount of shock value. But, for all that, there is dark humor prevalent throughout this story.

The Boys is a subversive ride through a world where the Superheroes aren't that super and a group exists to police them. Using excess violence and vulgarity, Ennis crafts an amusing and different tale. While not for everyone, this is a damn fine comic for those who are looking for something different. If you consider yourself an Ennis fan, then there is no reason for you not to get this excellent 1st volume. My edition also had some cool extra information in the back about the Boys and its members.

[Niklas · Rating 2 out of 5]

See, everybody in this world is an asshole. So you need bigger assholes to put the assholes in their place. You see, the superheroes misuse their superpowers so The Boys - who also have superpowers - have to put them in their place by misusing their own superpowers. And if you're a woman - prepare to either have sex or be raped because those are the two things you'll be doing in this comic.
Garth Ennis was 14 when he wrote this, right?

[alexis · Rating 1 out of 5]

For how much The Boys television series loves to play up the sex and violence angle, I think it’s largely a pretty silly show. It’s gotten more interesting over time, and Antony Starr is obviously acting his heart out, but to me, it’s mostly pretty mindless entertainment. The comic makes it look like the highest, most advanced form of art. Michelangelo might as well have painted every episode on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Absolute dogshit. Racist, sexist, and in particular homophobic to an almost like. Confusing degree. The writing feels genuinely stupid. The art is also shockingly miserable to look at. I hate even the general idea of Simon Pegg at this point. Every drawing of two characters having sex makes me panic and look for the door. I don’t think the colorist is the biggest villain here by any means, but also I would fist fight the colorist in the street.

[Tori (InToriLex) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pleasantly offensive exploration of what happens in a world where super hero's lack a moral compass. If you've watched the show this is more sexually explicit and gory then that, but in a good way. The way heros in the comic save the day usually involve a vulgar twist that will keep you laughing. The boys is a group of misfits who are going after the revered supes that tend to get away with far too much. It group includes The Female but on brand with it's unapologetic misogyny she is silent, deadly and essential to their operation.

For readers who enjoy offensive, funny, and gory entertainment. I will be reading Vol. 2 soon.

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a comic book about a group of vigilantes (the Boys) backed by the CIA, who made it their goal to monitor (and sometimes punish) superheroes. I don’t usually read comics (growing up in the USSR I couldn’t have then as a kid and now it is a little too late to enter that rather interesting art medium), but I saw the trailer of the TV series and decided to try it.

The story starts with a girlfriend of one of the protagonists accidentally killed by a super (as can be seen in the trailer). He is then recruited by a shady character named Butcher to join the team that fights supers. At the same time in a parallel story, the superteam #1, the Seven, get a new member, a girl named Starlight. In order to show us the true nature of the supers she ordered as a “final exam” to suck dicks (there is a lot of explicit of content in the book, not as much as directly graphical, but strong innuendos) of the male part of the team. Then the Seven seat around not discussing how to save the world, but who will get what share of team’s royalties. So, we are shown that these supers are bastards and ‘our’ Boys are right to go get them.

The story has a ton of allusions to DС and Marvel universes and characters (here the leader of the Seven is Homelander, a mix of Supernan and Captain America). The sideline story arc about a latent gay Tek-Knight, who is clearly a parody of Batman. There are supers in Russia (the Soviet tem called “Glorious Five Year Plan”).

The book tries to shock the reader by explicit sex, race and ‘perv’ stories, not always successfully. It also goes the wrong way from what I would like to see – ordinary men and women against supers, mind against power. So, 5-star idea but implementation is average.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the latest installment in my "Superhero Deconstruction" reading marathon. Not satisfied with just simple deconstruction of superhero myth, Garth Ennis's The Boys takes a big flaming shit all over the idealistic mythology and then puts it on display. In true irreverent Ennis fashion, he takes the idea of selfless champions fighting for truth, justice, and the American Way, and turns it on its ass, showing us another possibility of what could happen if superpowered beings existed in our world.



The "Supers" here are egotistical, vindictive, sex-crazed, drug-addicted, or beholden to corporate agendas, and so there needs to be a force that can keep them in check. That's where the Boys (and The Female) come in, but this ragtag group might not be all that different from the Supers. It's funny, action-packed, and comes close to crossing the line of obscenity, but it always kept me reading.

[Amanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the spoiler free review of the first three Omnibus volumes of the graphic novel series The Boys. If you would like to read the spoiler full review complete with all the sex and violence please visit https://amanjareads.com/2020/09/09/th...

The Boys is a graphic novel series in 6 huge omnibus volumes. It is also now a show on amazon prime streaming. I have not yet watched the show, I've heard good things.

The graphic novel is just as violent as I was expecting it to be but it's also a lot more. It has WAY more graphic sex and sexual violence than I was prepared for, for one. But it also is way smarter and more profound than I thought it would be as well.

The basic premise is that this team called The Boys needs to be established in order to keep the other teams of super heroes in check. They've let power and fame throw them into hedonism and sadism that is rampantly out of control. They are doing far more harm than good.

The whole series is a commentary on a dense web of corruption that we can see paralleled in our own societies. Commentaries on the military industrial complex, the corruption of power and fame, and the true price of capitalism.

It's a smart book. It balances the ultra violence with satire and well informed politics. However, that makes it all very dense.

I was expecting a lighter read. These first three volumes made for a tough binge. It's going to be better to space it out a bit. There is some really rough material in these pages, lots of trigger warnings could be applied.

Although the book overall is smartly written and has a lot to say the structure leaves something to be desired. It's episodic and becomes repetitive. The main plot takes a back seat to meandering side missions that ultimately don't add much to the experience.

Many of these missions are entertaining but when read back to back they start to blend into each other. It becomes a melange of sex and violence that looses individual flavors.

The standout of the book, in my opinion, is a young naive new superhero named Annie, aka Starlight. She is the most interesting character in the whole book and deserves even more page time. Honestly, she is why I will even finish the series.

Her story is tragic and, although extreme, unfortunately relatable for any woman who's ever been in a male dominated field. She's the star of the book, not any member of The Boys or any other team of super heroes.

I do intend to finish the other three volumes of this series. It is definitely entertaining and interesting. But I can't do it all in one go. It's a big bite to chew and needs a few palate cleansers as I go.

If you do decide to venture into the corruption of this universe bring along some light reading for in between volumes. There's only so much the average reader can take at once.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This kicks off perfectly, establishing the premise of a world filled with superheroes, many who are simply worthless scums simply playing the game for various vices within arm's reach.

Once the story-arc focused on the recruitment of The Boys concludes, the pacing slows down immensely. The story doesn't revolve much around the Seven and mostly looks into various secondary superheroes and the insane stuff they're into.

It's the Batman-and-Robin satiric take that really dragged on for far too long, killing the main story's intrigue quite quickly with a story centered around homophobia.

The artwork isn't that impressive either, especially later on when it dramatically changes for no good reason.

For those diving into this series because of the Amazon Prime TV series, just go in without expecting the main story of the show. Some ideas come straight from the comics, but it mostly explores side stuff.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the TV version of The Boys, with all its crazy dark violence and humor, but I could barely tolerate the graphic novel. Not planning to read further in the series.

[Eliash Strongowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Без спойлерів і загалом, оскільки враження вже відлежалися і стосуються всієї серії (72 основні випуски і 3 додаткові арки).
Мені дуже сподобалася екранізація, до такої міри, що я пішов і взяв першоджерело на humblebundle. І, загалом, першоджерело теж мені сподобалося.
"Пацани" як серіял це дотепна деконструкція діснеївської, гадаю, всюдисущости: мегаімперія, яка здатна вигадувати повістку, формувати її і керувати враженнями натовпу, все заради грошей. Дотепно, що екранізовує це инша мегакорпорація, яка теж всіляко працює заради прибутку. Актори пасують, спецефекти на рівні, але найцінніше в екранізації, що її, крім сеттінґу і настрою, нічого з коміксами не ріднить. Це окрема історія з новими акцентами і подачею, яка працює геть незалежно від того чи читали ви ориґінал Енніса. З позитиву варто зауважити і збільшену ролю Енн "Старлайт" Дженюарі, бо в коміксі вона взагалі третьорядний персонаж.
"Пацани" як комікс це сильно більша, епічніша і глибша історія... обіцяв же без спойлерів... про те, що суперсили не роблять тебе кращою чи гіршою людиною, вони як збільшувальне скло просто масштабують те, що у нас всередині є. Предметом для пародії в коміксі є комікс-індустрія загалом (згадаємо, що писався твір у 2006-2012 рр, коли кінокомікси тільки злітали і ми не загрузли ще в приквелах сиквелів) і, боюся, зчитати всі конкретні алюзії на Марвел і ДіСі мені не вистачило бекґраунду. Але навіть і так, основні паралелі зчитуються і впізнаються. Підняті питання справді епічні – де межа корупції? Скільки грошей вистачить, якщо платити за них кров'ю і життям громадян? – в прямому сенсі. Скільки зла можна зробити, щоби вірити, що досі працюєш на благо? Радує, що питанні ці підняті не побіжно, а міркуванням – нічим не ушкодженим екшеном і розвитком дії – приділено достатньо простору. Жарти радують, кров і кишки повсюдно, діялоги смачні і доречні, лексикон персонажів зможе розширити ваш словниковий запас (особливо в плані матюччя), місцями квітне журавлина, але розумієш, що це частина загального щирого гумору. Сценарно це дуже жвава, переконлива і розвиваюча річ.
То чому три зірки?
Малюнок. Весь тиждень читання я боровся з фізичною огидою від роботи Деріка Робертсона. Це настільки дешеве, паскудне і примітивне фотошопне молотилово, що опиняєшся в постійній дихотомії радости від того, що читаєш і нудоти від того, як це подано. Десь на на другій третині я навчився вихоплювати тільки загальну картину й візуальні дотепи і лише це змогло уможливити подальше читання/сприйняття. І хоча в коміксах я поки новачок, нічого гіршого за візуал "Пацанів" мені ще не траплялося. Час, звісно, покаже.

Радити це чи ні я навіть не знаю, адже навіть якщо вам зайде малюнок, твір все одно створений з м'яса, киш, крови, порно і матюків. За ними ховається дуже гідна історія про пошук себе в світі з яскравою вивіскою та гнилим нутром, але продертися зможуть не всі.

[Fred Klein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in this because I love the series on Amazon Prime. I wanted to check out the source material. Well, I think it’s crap. Great artwork. Incomprehensible plots. Just an excuse to show gratuitous violence. I’m not going to continue. In fact, I couldn’t finish this. Why bother? I’ll continue watching the show. It’s awesome. This is a piece of shit though.

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The graphic comic book 'The Boys, Omnibus 1' is a gorefest consisting of 14 issues of the comic. It's an extreme horrowshow full of vivid scenes of violence and sex, hand-drawn and colorized beautifully page after page. The images have become standardized by video games like Mortal Kombat and the darkest M-rated horror movies. Thankfully, there are also several well-written plots and interesting characters filling out the reasons for the violence and deaths and torture.

When I think back to how the movie 'The Exorcist' sickened me so bad when I was eighteen years old that I walked out before the ending, and now when I compare the cheesy effects of that movie to what I watch and look at today, I must sit down and reflect a bit about how jaded I've become...

Oh well. I do still feel sickened by extremely over-the-top violent visual effects or graphic comics. 'The Boys' crosses into that territory for me. I was appalled. But. 'The Boys' is definitely witty art, a dark dark social satire and a sophisticated comedic snarky noir commentary. Perhaps perversely, I pick up, and sometimes only skim, these horribly graphic works despite that I have actually lived through some real-life shit. These fictional dark fantasy stories are exaggerated and hysterical, yet they mirror real life daily violence in the real world so artfully and compellingly. I have had years of therapy and I no longer have PTSD, I think. No worries, gentle reader. One of the methodologies of psychology is normalizing the experience of whatever is causing fears one may have, like of seeing spiders or using elevators. No psychologist would recommend reading this kind of pulp pop-culture fiction, though. But why I'm drawn to read or watch these dark tales of fictionalized horrors, idk. I see and admire the wit, the acid sarcasm, and the bitter bitter burning rage of the writers and artists. Maybe that's why.

I have copied the book blurb below because it is accurate:

"All-new printing collecting the first 14 issues of the critically acclaimed series, now heading to live-action on Amazon Prime! 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! After the opening story arc introducing Hughie to the team (issues 1-6), Dark avenger Tek-Knight and his ex-partner Swingwing are in trouble (issues 7-14). Big trouble. One has lost control of his terrifyingly overactive sex-drive, and the other might just be a murderer. It's up to Hughie and Butcher to work out which is which, in Get Some.

Then, in Glorious Five-Year Plan, The Boys travel to Russia - where their corporate opponents are working with the mob, in a super-conspiracy that threatens to spiral lethally out of control. Good thing our heroes have Love Sausage on their side.

Featuring some ever-so-slight tweaks the creators have meticulously restored, The Boys Omnibus Volume 1. It also features bonus art materials, the script to issue #1 by Garth Ennis, a complete cover gallery, and more! "

Of course, viewers of all ages can watch bloody movies and TV shows every day, with commercial breaks advertising munchies, on the SyFy and the FX channels among many other 'regular' cable-TV channels. We have choices of fictionalized bloody, bloodier, and bloodiest movies and TV shows. This kind of stuff, believe it or not, used to be only obtainable in specialty S&M shops in red-light areas of big cities. Even if you yourself ARE only watching the Hallmark channel or family dramedies, many others are watching the now normalized everyday viewing of S&M plots, undisguised except by appearing without being spoken and named out loud by the actors, scriptwriters and producers. Adults can watch even more graphically uncensored violence and visually-imagined S&M deaths and voyeuristic explicit sex acts on the elite, commercial-free, subscription channels. The only thing I've noticed that is still out of bounds unless it is an X-rated show, is real sex penetration. Fake penetration (of mouth or nether regions) is good to go for an R-rating.

Mainstream CBS, NBC and ABC and Fox channels have supposedly PG shows showing graphic simulated operations of people having surgery with doctors smeared in blood squirting out of abdominal cavities or open chests, along with sound effects, such as of saws on skulls or limbs, with sometimes a discreet sheet or having the camera swoop into a close up of the surgeons to 'hide' the seemingly act of cutting that is happening. Not to mention the many many many scenes and sounds of breaking bones in fights.

Quite amazing, really, what visual effect artists and sound engineers can do with their life/education skills and imagination. But of course, even if talented visual and sound artists have been in a war, or are serial killers or American-city police officers, or have seen or done surgeries, most of the rest of us have seen smashed up roadkill, and some of us hunt deer. We all, well, most of us, cook meat for dinner.

'The Boys' is rubbing our noses in what violence looks like without gauzy subterfuges. A case can be made for 'The Boys' series having artistic values besides that of simply salacious sadism because: 1. beautiful and realistic artwork (argumentatively, right?); 2. witty social satire on the having of power over others in all of its rawest, most obvious forms; 3. the moral and psychological corruptions of fighting fire with fire to defeat genuine Evil. Absolutes of being only Good means dealing with the Bad Guys as always a Good person results in the Bad guys winning a lot, even all of the time.

Doctor Who occasionally realized genocide and murder was a necessity, as did Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings books). The problem is in not being taken over by the darkness of moral depravities and human evils. Hughie is that kind of Goodness and somewhat walking-in-the-Light anchor for 'The Boys' team, much like Doctor Who's human companions are for the Doctor or how Sam was for Frodo. Books are an excellent Goodness anchor through vicariously feeding readers justice, too, even if only in a fictional story.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Ennis’s closest run to preacher, but with some brutal well executed British humo(u)r.

This is obviously far different from preacher, but it has that same feel. Gritty characters, strong women, gratuitous sex and violence plus a killer story.


Who watches the watchmen? The Boys do!

[Sara the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone needs a little raunchy sex and violence with a working class British accent now and then.

[Artemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I thought I was ready for it, this book was pretty tough to get through. But not because of the violence and gross-out stuff, but because of too much politics, surprisingly. I did not enjoy those parts all that much, they were kinda boring and not too imaginative, to be honest. I really want to see much more of the characters from the Boys, not this Vought-American crap that the whole second half of the volume was devoted to. I understand its purpose, put seriously, it was not that well done.
On the plus side, it is positively brutal, angry and satirical. It is feels a lot like the mix of Transmet and Preacher with much more violence and shit and over-the-top humour. It is very funny at times. The art is good, even though not nearly as great as Robertson's work on Transmet. I really like all of the characters from the Boys and damn do I want to know more about the Female, who seems to be the awesomest one of them.
So, mixed feelings, but good nonetheless. Not as good as I thought it would be, but hey, I'm sure it will pick up the pace later on.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve seen this title before and didn’t know what to make of it. But there’s a show being made now from the people that adapted Preacher by this same author, so I decided as a “book first” person I’d give it a shot.

I’m surprised how much I liked this.

Normally I prefer more optimistic or surrealist comic book stories. This is much more in the darker cynical “Wanted” or “Watchmen” style category, in my opinion. While I don’t normally go for this sort of thing, like the previously mentioned titles, I like it sometimes. Moreover while some people like one tone or another, I think there’s a place for all of it, as long as it’s done well.

This is done well.

Despite the fact this is dark, cynical, and crass (and it is), it also has an original bent to a “superhero” story.

There’s also surprisingly some thoughtful commentary for a comic that, **content warning**, had a superhero who could stop having sex with everything die stopping an asteroid by...um...yeah.

I’m going to have to read the rest of this series and now I’m also excited for the show.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost a DNF. Probably should have been one. The Boys is aggressively shock-hungry, to the point that there's little-to-no story, just superheroes fucking and the main character using every homophobic slur in the books. Like, holy shit, how did this ever get published with all those slurs? How did it get republished in the year of our Lord, 2019, in a big omnibus edition?

Aside from the terrible potty-mouths, the art is painfully ugly. I'll look at characters boning all day, I've no problem with that, but I do have a problem with the grossly misshapen heads that Darick Robertson draws. Even looking past the art, there's just no substance to The Boys. There's very little world-building and almost no overarching plot to keep me interested. I can see how "superheroes are actually dicks and someone needs to rein them in" would be a good idea for a comic book series, but The Boys is an absolute let-down. This series should have been relegated to the storage bin, not republished all shiny and new.

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't want to be a total heathen, I picked up The Boys Omnibus purely by chance, but loved the show so was happy to look into the original source.

Its' not bad but I have to confess I was surprised to see the already extremely irreverent show was actually fairly toned down for TV (I feel like this isn't the way of things since the year 2000)! Like, my God the comic is soooo sexual , and I tend not to be too prudish (I've read Anti Blake dammit).

Compared to the show, the source comic focuses more heavily on the politics and 'The Boys' themselves, where the show divides its time with The Seven (perhaps the show is just more condensed?). In a disturbing way The Boys feels like a successor to Moore's the Watchmen, but rather than a gloomy cold war cynical slog, we have an irreverent, terrifying cynically bombastic take on superheroes.

I think I will work my way through the rest of these - but seriously I'm 6000 times more excited for Karl Urban and Anthony Star to re-appear!

[Shane Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Garth Ennis, so I really wanted to like this a lot. Turns out I liked it just okay. Don’t get me wrong, the concept and potential are great. The execution in this omnibus (the first 14 issues), though is lacking. It feels hyper violent and overly crude just for the sake of being violent and crude. Ennis has a fixation in largely belittling gay people and using the word “f*ggot.” I tried to assume it’s because we aren’t really supposed to LIKE the Boys. I get that the protagonist isn’t always going to be a good person, but no member of our main group of heroes behaves well. Hughie, the audience POV character, is just as homophobic as Billy. He gets a bit better, but I wasn’t really comfortable with any of the characters. I’m willing to give Ennis the benefit of the doubt and try one more omnibus because I really did enjoy the concept of this, but overall I was a bit turned off.

[Stephen Richter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this after I saw the very entertaining Prime Video series based on this. Glad the TV series toned this down because the violence was way over the top. Lots of story arcs that were jettison in the series muddy the story here. While I like the TV series, I think I am done with this series in print form.