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The Boys Omnibus
The Boys, Definitive Edition III
Garth Ennis' The Boys are back for their third "definitive" edition! But have you ever wondered what really happens during Crossovers? The Seven, Payback, Teenage Kix, Fantastico, and every other superhero on Earth team up for an annual event like no other - and where the superheroes go, can a certain "five complications and a dog" be far behind? But as the fun and games begin, it seems our heroes have set their sights on bigger game than usual (The Boys: Herogasm #1-6). And in the main The Boys series, you can only maim and murder so many superheroes before someone decides to do something about it, and in The Boys' case that means Payback - a superteam of unimaginable power, second only to the mighty Seven. Pulping teenage supes is one thing, but how will our heroes fare against Soldier Boy, Mind-Droid, Swatto, the Crimson Countess, and the Nazi juggernaut known as Stormfront? Blood flies and bones shatter, as Butcher and company meet fire with fire. And in the origin tales of Mother's Milk, the Frenchman and the Female, Hughie learns of the strange paths by which this disparate trio came to join The Boys (The Boys #31-38). All of these great stories come in one oversized hardcover with a collector's slip-case and features tons of extras, including all of the covers by Darick Robertson, sketches, script pages, and much more!
200 pages, Hardcover
First published December 15, 2010
164 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,623 books3,172 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 167 reviews
June 16, 2022
This omnibus covers another 2 volumes - The Boys, Volume 5: Herogasm- In the Marvel & DC universes there's often a big annual event in which all the superheroes, and even some of the villains unite against some super big (usually alien) enemy in space or another dimension. In this cracker of a volume Garth Ennis says, yeah, more like they pretend to go off on a mission, whilst really they get a week off at a hedonistic retreat packed full of booze, prostitutes, drugs and whatever else they need! Welcome to Herogasm. The Boys infiltrate the event as part of a mission to just see how compromised the US Government is! From concept through to production this is another Ennis' masterclass. The way the tensions are played between the primary heroes and the Vought American corporate handlers is written so well. The over the top satirising of the mainstream comic book publishers' annual events is also sublime. Best of all is the underlying about who the real heroes are and the nature of patriotism and flag waving. SUPERB. 9 out of 12.
Next is The Boys, Volume 6: The Self-Preservation Society - Both Vought American and the Homelander himself have had enough of The Boys, so one of the top powered being teams in the worlds is sent after them. The result is CARNAGE! After reading this battle between a group of powered beings you'll never take Marvel or D.C. 'battles' seriously again. Ellis and Robertson almost lovingly create ultra violence on the page alongside levels of dark comedy. Then amazingly they keep up the momentum in the 2nd half of the volume with some unsettling almost horrific origin stories of the team members. LOVE IT! 10 out of effing 12. Boom!
2022 read, 2019 read, 2017 read
Next is The Boys, Volume 6: The Self-Preservation Society - Both Vought American and the Homelander himself have had enough of The Boys, so one of the top powered being teams in the worlds is sent after them. The result is CARNAGE! After reading this battle between a group of powered beings you'll never take Marvel or D.C. 'battles' seriously again. Ellis and Robertson almost lovingly create ultra violence on the page alongside levels of dark comedy. Then amazingly they keep up the momentum in the 2nd half of the volume with some unsettling almost horrific origin stories of the team members. LOVE IT! 10 out of effing 12. Boom!
2022 read, 2019 read, 2017 read
September 9, 2020
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.
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.
October 19, 2020
Well, well, well..garth Ennis has surprised me. The third volume of The Boys omnibus is just as huge a tome as the other two. I will admit , at first, the story was starting to drag. It seemed like most of the shoch, humor and strange twists was over. Nope.
It is the final third of the story that truly makes it. Without spoilers, we will find out the huge Homelander secret (and it's a big one), not to mention the mysterious Black Noir and even a great twist with the Butcher's real goal. These final aspects make this a great story and a very good way to finish out this story.
The Boys was quite an entertaining story. All three Omnibus editions were wel worth my time and this is a great series from Ennis. The twists make the story more interesting and this will be a significant entry in the long list of Garth Ennis hits.
While the crudity and vulgarity, that is a Ennis hallmark, is here is loads, but there are some interesting ideas about the role of super heroes and what they really are.
While not for everyone, Ennis fans will enjoy this series.
It is the final third of the story that truly makes it. Without spoilers, we will find out the huge Homelander secret (and it's a big one), not to mention the mysterious Black Noir and even a great twist with the Butcher's real goal. These final aspects make this a great story and a very good way to finish out this story.
The Boys was quite an entertaining story. All three Omnibus editions were wel worth my time and this is a great series from Ennis. The twists make the story more interesting and this will be a significant entry in the long list of Garth Ennis hits.
While the crudity and vulgarity, that is a Ennis hallmark, is here is loads, but there are some interesting ideas about the role of super heroes and what they really are.
While not for everyone, Ennis fans will enjoy this series.
September 23, 2020
Vol. 3’s first half has plenty of supers acting like super freaks on a outrageous Herogasm party, and the second half is surprisingly personal as we see the harsh backstories of three of the Boys. A- (91%/Excellent)
September 26, 2019
3.5 stars
It’s still wildly entertaining, but not much movement in this volume
It’s still wildly entertaining, but not much movement in this volume
November 2, 2020
This was a good one. I particularly liked how they fleshed out MM's, Frenchie's, and The Female's backstories.
September 8, 2022
I feel maybe the first omnibus was trying to set a tone and world build, so it was a lot weaker and didn't flow right, to me. But like the seond omnibus, this third one was also a great read. As shocking, gory and violent, with more of a solid story, with the mini stories in each issue. I feel the forced shock factor in the first omnibus (the forced slurs etc), has evened itself out, it doesn't feel as forced and the dark humour hits right.
Firstly: Herogasm... Bloody hell.
Secondly: I loved how we got a back story to each of the member (Mother's Milk, Frenchie and The Female), my fave being Mother's Milk and The Female.
Thirdly: I am most certainly looking forward to the bigger story coming together, the foreshadowing and story hints for what to come has kept me intrigued with these comics.
Hoping the next omnibus is as good!
Firstly: Herogasm... Bloody hell.
Secondly: I loved how we got a back story to each of the member (Mother's Milk, Frenchie and The Female), my fave being Mother's Milk and The Female.
Thirdly: I am most certainly looking forward to the bigger story coming together, the foreshadowing and story hints for what to come has kept me intrigued with these comics.
Hoping the next omnibus is as good!
June 28, 2020
This collection includes Vol. 5: Herogasm - I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. “Herogasm” is Ennis’ take on the “all of the world’s heroes (and villains) have to join together to save the Earth from alien peril” trope – and it’s pretty sordid. On one hand, this installment spent a lot of time beating the “supes are depraved, uncaring fuckups with a plethora of personal issues” drum, which I feel has already been covered in previous issues. On the other hand, the reader gets more information on the overarching plot of Vought-American working to take control of the US government (and a bit more about what REALLY happened in this world’s 9-11). The Homelander’s plans for the future (which seem to diverge from those of his masters at V-A) are hinted at but not really advanced much. I did like the Secret Service sideplot. This book doesn’t have much on the Wee Hughie-Annie/Starlight relationship. I’ll give this a very high 2 stars – overall it advances the series plot and had some good bits but I felt like almost half of it was wasted space.
Vol 6: The Self Preservation Society - Solid installment in the series, but this one has less background and plot advancement and more straightforward ass-kickery. In addition to "the Boys" battle with "Payback" (the #2 Superhero team - which includes "Soldier Boy" - this world's Captain America - and "Stormfront" - an actual, but theoretically, but actually not really, rehabilitated Nazi), the storyline includes Victory Comics attempt to "rebrand" Starlight into a darker/edgier character, an attempt that is not going over well.
And also the origin stories of Mothers Milk (Nothing Like it in the World), Frenchie (La Plum de Ma Tante Este Sur La Table), and the Female (The Instant White Hot Wild). The First is the best of the three, with the second seeming like it was 90% played for laughs (I'm actually not sure if Frenchie was just jerking Wee Hughie's chain when he tells it - it's just so over-the-top French. I mean, for god's sake, it includes baguette jousting!), and the third pretty basic (also, what's the deal with the extended "Aliens" quotes from the Japanese security team?). The collection also has "The Comic that Got the Legend Fired" (Nosferina vs. the Blonde Blade), issue #37 scripts, and several sketchbooks.
Vol 6: The Self Preservation Society - Solid installment in the series, but this one has less background and plot advancement and more straightforward ass-kickery. In addition to "the Boys" battle with "Payback" (the #2 Superhero team - which includes "Soldier Boy" - this world's Captain America - and "Stormfront" - an actual, but theoretically, but actually not really, rehabilitated Nazi), the storyline includes Victory Comics attempt to "rebrand" Starlight into a darker/edgier character, an attempt that is not going over well.
And also the origin stories of Mothers Milk (Nothing Like it in the World), Frenchie (La Plum de Ma Tante Este Sur La Table), and the Female (The Instant White Hot Wild). The First is the best of the three, with the second seeming like it was 90% played for laughs (I'm actually not sure if Frenchie was just jerking Wee Hughie's chain when he tells it - it's just so over-the-top French. I mean, for god's sake, it includes baguette jousting!), and the third pretty basic (also, what's the deal with the extended "Aliens" quotes from the Japanese security team?). The collection also has "The Comic that Got the Legend Fired" (Nosferina vs. the Blonde Blade), issue #37 scripts, and several sketchbooks.
June 18, 2024
I thought it might get just a little better… it didnt
October 19, 2020
Good read. I really enjoyed the backstories behind most of the Boys and Herogasm was a fun read
September 5, 2019
The comic continues to deliver.
The underlying plot of conspiracy among Vought-American is back in force, now with the added weight of everything learned in the previous volume. Vic the Veep is here, and Vought is more than ready to continue to flex their power. Their main goal? Why not have superheroes in the military? After all, wouldn't that drive sales? The only problem - Homelander seems to have his own ideas as to what it means to be a superhero and just how much power they might have. After all - they're superheroes. Why might they need handlers? Also - if there's a hero named Stormfront doesn't he have to be a Nazi?
The second half of the book is what we've all been waiting for. Here we learn the backstories of Mother's Milk, the Frenchman, and the Female. How much is true and how much is fiction? Who knows. All I know is that this comic handled what going through 9/11 was like better than anything I've ever read on the issue. I wasn't expecting to cry while reading The Boys, but man, it really got to me.
Ain't that something.
The underlying plot of conspiracy among Vought-American is back in force, now with the added weight of everything learned in the previous volume. Vic the Veep is here, and Vought is more than ready to continue to flex their power. Their main goal? Why not have superheroes in the military? After all, wouldn't that drive sales? The only problem - Homelander seems to have his own ideas as to what it means to be a superhero and just how much power they might have. After all - they're superheroes. Why might they need handlers? Also - if there's a hero named Stormfront doesn't he have to be a Nazi?
The second half of the book is what we've all been waiting for. Here we learn the backstories of Mother's Milk, the Frenchman, and the Female. How much is true and how much is fiction? Who knows. All I know is that this comic handled what going through 9/11 was like better than anything I've ever read on the issue. I wasn't expecting to cry while reading The Boys, but man, it really got to me.
Ain't that something.
March 6, 2022
This review contains no spoilers.
Back in elementary school, I'd spend the day at home if I was sick. I wasn't happy about being ill, and I actually wasn't a huge fan of missing school. But there was one part I really enjoyed on those days, a rare treat that would always boost my spirits, no matter how unhealthy I was. And, no, I don't mean The Price is Right (though I loved being home to watch that, too). These moments didn't happen all the time, but they occurred often enough that they're what I remember most about sick days at home: comic books. My folks would frequently bring a few with them when they swung home for lunch. I was a DC fan, mostly. Green Lantern, Justice League, Batman, The Flash. Loved 'em. But I enjoyed some Marvel stuff, too. Spider-Man and The Hulk, mostly. The stories and artwork in all those comics just carried me away, captivated me, made me forget all about my illnesses.
Why, you may ask, am I bringing up all those long-ago comics, those heroes of yesteryear?
Because you need to know that The Boys is *nothing* like those comic books at all. As they say, it's not your father's comic book. Well, except that it is if you're one of my kids reading this (and the odds are extremely high that you are). So let's just say it's not your father-when-he-was-a-kid's comic book. And this omnibus volume really drives that home. Rough language, nudity, sex, violence. Nothing you'd ever see in one of those comic books from my youth. But I'm not disparaging any of it. Everything you see is in line with the tone and nature of the wild world of The Boys. And the artwork is beautiful and stunning. The imagery is so unique that I believe I'll remember some of the more intense scenes for quite a while. Much of what goes down in The Boys is genuinely shocking, but - again - that's not a bad thing. Memorable is good, especially at the age I am now. And it's all part of a strong story that's slowly unfolding, a story that has some sly humor and incisive commentary about both our world and the world of superheroes, in general. Some of the references are a bit subtle but well worth the effort to recognize what part of mainstream superhero lore is being skewered; others are more blatant but are no less funny for it. The whole thing is a crazy ride and one well worth climbing aboard.
Thumbs up. Looking forward to Volume 4!
Back in elementary school, I'd spend the day at home if I was sick. I wasn't happy about being ill, and I actually wasn't a huge fan of missing school. But there was one part I really enjoyed on those days, a rare treat that would always boost my spirits, no matter how unhealthy I was. And, no, I don't mean The Price is Right (though I loved being home to watch that, too). These moments didn't happen all the time, but they occurred often enough that they're what I remember most about sick days at home: comic books. My folks would frequently bring a few with them when they swung home for lunch. I was a DC fan, mostly. Green Lantern, Justice League, Batman, The Flash. Loved 'em. But I enjoyed some Marvel stuff, too. Spider-Man and The Hulk, mostly. The stories and artwork in all those comics just carried me away, captivated me, made me forget all about my illnesses.
Why, you may ask, am I bringing up all those long-ago comics, those heroes of yesteryear?
Because you need to know that The Boys is *nothing* like those comic books at all. As they say, it's not your father's comic book. Well, except that it is if you're one of my kids reading this (and the odds are extremely high that you are). So let's just say it's not your father-when-he-was-a-kid's comic book. And this omnibus volume really drives that home. Rough language, nudity, sex, violence. Nothing you'd ever see in one of those comic books from my youth. But I'm not disparaging any of it. Everything you see is in line with the tone and nature of the wild world of The Boys. And the artwork is beautiful and stunning. The imagery is so unique that I believe I'll remember some of the more intense scenes for quite a while. Much of what goes down in The Boys is genuinely shocking, but - again - that's not a bad thing. Memorable is good, especially at the age I am now. And it's all part of a strong story that's slowly unfolding, a story that has some sly humor and incisive commentary about both our world and the world of superheroes, in general. Some of the references are a bit subtle but well worth the effort to recognize what part of mainstream superhero lore is being skewered; others are more blatant but are no less funny for it. The whole thing is a crazy ride and one well worth climbing aboard.
Thumbs up. Looking forward to Volume 4!
September 6, 2022
The WW2 flashback was 50% of this book. Bit of a snoozefest in the second half but it wraps up nicely. Looking forward to coming back into the present in volume 4.
December 5, 2019
The Boys continues to seesaw in and out of being unnecessarily over-the-top and brilliantly satirical. The opening storyline in this volume, "Herogasm," is completely ludicrous and started to once again make me hate this series. It mostly feels like just an excuse to draw a billion superheroes having sex with each other, and does very little to further the actual plot of the series.
But then, once we get past this nonsense, it's right back into a thrilling, page-turning plot with a lot to say about abuses of power and the lack of empathy in government. Also, we finally get origin stories for all of the Boys themselves. I genuinely enjoyed most of these, though I was desperate to actually get some grounded character work for Frenchie, and instead Ennis opted for an absurd story about how exceedingly French he is. It's kind of a waste of time and a big disappointment, but the rest of the book makes up for these stumbles.
So, while I still think this series is very hit-and-miss, when it hits, it hits hard, and that's enough to keep me reading.
But then, once we get past this nonsense, it's right back into a thrilling, page-turning plot with a lot to say about abuses of power and the lack of empathy in government. Also, we finally get origin stories for all of the Boys themselves. I genuinely enjoyed most of these, though I was desperate to actually get some grounded character work for Frenchie, and instead Ennis opted for an absurd story about how exceedingly French he is. It's kind of a waste of time and a big disappointment, but the rest of the book makes up for these stumbles.
So, while I still think this series is very hit-and-miss, when it hits, it hits hard, and that's enough to keep me reading.
February 25, 2020
"Had me one o' them big Klan hatshhhhh.
Let us have a big round of applause for Uncle Dreams."
This was OK, a bit OTT to begin with all the indulgences. I can see what Ennis was trying to do, and the idea was good, and I am sure the story was but it didn't work for me, I feel it slowed down the main arc, but I feel that what was in this will be felt throughout the main arc. The art was a little sloppy too at times...
"I had been made the way I was by men. By their violation of nature. By their treatment of me, attempting to remake me in an image of their own devising. But I found a new life with The Boys."
This volume went from one extreme to the other, so violent, aggressive and over the top racism/sexism to being rather touching and sweet. Most of this was back stories for Frenchie, Mothers Milk and The Girl, which were all great. I feel this was a bit of a 'bridge' between story arcs and I usually hate them as they are mostly filler but I liked this one, it had great character development...
Let us have a big round of applause for Uncle Dreams."
This was OK, a bit OTT to begin with all the indulgences. I can see what Ennis was trying to do, and the idea was good, and I am sure the story was but it didn't work for me, I feel it slowed down the main arc, but I feel that what was in this will be felt throughout the main arc. The art was a little sloppy too at times...
"I had been made the way I was by men. By their violation of nature. By their treatment of me, attempting to remake me in an image of their own devising. But I found a new life with The Boys."
This volume went from one extreme to the other, so violent, aggressive and over the top racism/sexism to being rather touching and sweet. Most of this was back stories for Frenchie, Mothers Milk and The Girl, which were all great. I feel this was a bit of a 'bridge' between story arcs and I usually hate them as they are mostly filler but I liked this one, it had great character development...
December 31, 2022
(Zero spoiler review for the oversized omnibus collecting this volume) 3.5/5
Well, that was certainly a fall from grace of sorts. After the ball bustingly good opening salvo that was the oversized omnibus volume one, things go a little bit off the rails here. Losing sight of a great many things that made volume one so special. First off, the art. Darick Robertson is The Boys, just as much as Ennis is. The fact that his art encompassed almost the entire first volume, yet ew get precious little of it here goes a long way towards why this was a much less enjoyable read. I believe there were three, if not four alternative artists on this collection, so we got little in the way of consistency when it came to replacements either. None of them could hold a candle to Robertson, with their far more cartoonish style losing much in the way of storytelling ability. Robertson is a pro when it comes to subtlety and nuance in his artwork, having the characters tell the story as much as Ennis' words. All others failed to varying degrees at this. With character models fluctuating wildly, and quality in general resembling the yoyo of a kid after a gallon of red cordial. Russ Braun being the only one who came close to imitating Robertson' style. Why we couldn't have him do all the issues Robertson couldn't, I'll never know. But then again, why we couldn't just have Robertson... His issues were by the far the best collected here, and I refuse to believe it was simply cause Ennis brought his A game to those ones alone.
Story wise, we get an awful lot of wheel spinning here. The opening volume was tight, well plotted, well paced, and quite intriguing. Here, whilst certain plot threads are continued, its lost much of the allure, much of the appeal these storylines had initially. Mostly because the stories surrounding these ongoing threads aren't as interesting, and the better elements are tainted by association.
The 'edgy' elements here, much as I dislike that term, don't feel as organic as they did originally, and as a result, it comes across as trying just a little bit too hard. But then again, I really was quite dejected looking at the significant downgrade in art, so I imagine that did affect my enjoyment of thee stories maybe a tad more than they should. But the final arc, the Hughie spin off was a very bland and boring finish to an up and down collection. It might just have sneaked a higher 3, and thus four stars, but this last arc really was twice as long and twice as boring as it should have been.
Don't see myself rereading much of anything contained here, sadly. Hopefully volume three ups its game for a stronger finish, and we actually get a decent amount of Robertson art to go with it. I'm not holding my breath, though. 3.5/5
OmniBen.
Well, that was certainly a fall from grace of sorts. After the ball bustingly good opening salvo that was the oversized omnibus volume one, things go a little bit off the rails here. Losing sight of a great many things that made volume one so special. First off, the art. Darick Robertson is The Boys, just as much as Ennis is. The fact that his art encompassed almost the entire first volume, yet ew get precious little of it here goes a long way towards why this was a much less enjoyable read. I believe there were three, if not four alternative artists on this collection, so we got little in the way of consistency when it came to replacements either. None of them could hold a candle to Robertson, with their far more cartoonish style losing much in the way of storytelling ability. Robertson is a pro when it comes to subtlety and nuance in his artwork, having the characters tell the story as much as Ennis' words. All others failed to varying degrees at this. With character models fluctuating wildly, and quality in general resembling the yoyo of a kid after a gallon of red cordial. Russ Braun being the only one who came close to imitating Robertson' style. Why we couldn't have him do all the issues Robertson couldn't, I'll never know. But then again, why we couldn't just have Robertson... His issues were by the far the best collected here, and I refuse to believe it was simply cause Ennis brought his A game to those ones alone.
Story wise, we get an awful lot of wheel spinning here. The opening volume was tight, well plotted, well paced, and quite intriguing. Here, whilst certain plot threads are continued, its lost much of the allure, much of the appeal these storylines had initially. Mostly because the stories surrounding these ongoing threads aren't as interesting, and the better elements are tainted by association.
The 'edgy' elements here, much as I dislike that term, don't feel as organic as they did originally, and as a result, it comes across as trying just a little bit too hard. But then again, I really was quite dejected looking at the significant downgrade in art, so I imagine that did affect my enjoyment of thee stories maybe a tad more than they should. But the final arc, the Hughie spin off was a very bland and boring finish to an up and down collection. It might just have sneaked a higher 3, and thus four stars, but this last arc really was twice as long and twice as boring as it should have been.
Don't see myself rereading much of anything contained here, sadly. Hopefully volume three ups its game for a stronger finish, and we actually get a decent amount of Robertson art to go with it. I'm not holding my breath, though. 3.5/5
OmniBen.
September 13, 2020
The Boys Omnibus Vol. 3 collects The Boys: Herogasm 1-6, The Boys 31-38, and the short "The Comic That Got The Legend Fired."
Heroes around the world are rewarded once a year with Herogasm - a party held in the middle of the Pacific where anything goes including orgies, drugs, and gambling. Vaught-American arranges the party each year and explains the heroes disappearance that they are offworld battling an alien threat. This year, the Vice President joins in on the festivities as Vaught-American is arranging the death of the current President.
After the removal of the G-Men, Vaught-American is ready to take care of the Boys and sends in their second most popular team: Payback - a parody of The Avengers. Things do not go well for Payback. This all leads Hughie to question his motivations and if he still wants to be part of The Boys. To help convince Hughie to stay, Mother's Milk, The Frenchmen, and The Female all explain their origins and how they found there way into the group.
Volume 3 was much better than Volume 2. Herogasm was incredibly raunchy and set a lot of new story elements into motion. The origins of The Boys was also pretty interesting with Mother's Milk's origin hitting a lot of great points about 9/11 and terrorism. The Boys is an interesting comic because you get a lot of depravity and filth and then all of sudden a really thought provoking idea emerges.
Heroes around the world are rewarded once a year with Herogasm - a party held in the middle of the Pacific where anything goes including orgies, drugs, and gambling. Vaught-American arranges the party each year and explains the heroes disappearance that they are offworld battling an alien threat. This year, the Vice President joins in on the festivities as Vaught-American is arranging the death of the current President.
After the removal of the G-Men, Vaught-American is ready to take care of the Boys and sends in their second most popular team: Payback - a parody of The Avengers. Things do not go well for Payback. This all leads Hughie to question his motivations and if he still wants to be part of The Boys. To help convince Hughie to stay, Mother's Milk, The Frenchmen, and The Female all explain their origins and how they found there way into the group.
Volume 3 was much better than Volume 2. Herogasm was incredibly raunchy and set a lot of new story elements into motion. The origins of The Boys was also pretty interesting with Mother's Milk's origin hitting a lot of great points about 9/11 and terrorism. The Boys is an interesting comic because you get a lot of depravity and filth and then all of sudden a really thought provoking idea emerges.
May 6, 2024
Make no mistake … none of the Supes (that we know of) chose Compound V. Someone else played genetic roulette with them. After that, though, each Supe had his/her own choices to make.
Did the House use every trick in the book to entice the Supes to pick the Vought way? Yup. They sure did. And those tricks are on full display here. The other thing on full display? The utter depravity at the core of just about every one of the Supes. Not only are they susceptible to the House’s tricksy ways, they live for them. Oh, they’ve made their choices alright.
We also see The Boys forced to make choices of their own as Vought launches a counter assault. How will those choices define who they are? Will they be the heroes? Just another set of villains? Maybe something in between.
Then, having survived the assault, some of The Boys share their personal histories with Hughie. The hands they we were dealt weren’t necessarily any better than the ones the Supes got. But The Boys made a different set of choices. Did their choices make a difference?
Did the House use every trick in the book to entice the Supes to pick the Vought way? Yup. They sure did. And those tricks are on full display here. The other thing on full display? The utter depravity at the core of just about every one of the Supes. Not only are they susceptible to the House’s tricksy ways, they live for them. Oh, they’ve made their choices alright.
We also see The Boys forced to make choices of their own as Vought launches a counter assault. How will those choices define who they are? Will they be the heroes? Just another set of villains? Maybe something in between.
Then, having survived the assault, some of The Boys share their personal histories with Hughie. The hands they we were dealt weren’t necessarily any better than the ones the Supes got. But The Boys made a different set of choices. Did their choices make a difference?
March 14, 2021
More extremely entertaining times. It's just so outrageously funny and has absolutely no shame about showing the extremes in life. Everything is just a perfect representation of how the real world really is.
We got backstories for most of The Boys crew which was obviously a mixture of dark and hilarious. Also Annie is starting to get badass. Can't wait to read more.
We got backstories for most of The Boys crew which was obviously a mixture of dark and hilarious. Also Annie is starting to get badass. Can't wait to read more.
September 1, 2022
Definitely the best of the three volumes so far. Herogasm specifically finds the series finally finding the balance between shock factor and storytelling with an arc not for the faint of heart. The rest of the volume finds a showdown between The Boys and Payback, as well as some long overdue origin stories. All in all, a good halfway point for the series.
November 12, 2023
I guess the omnibuses I've read are different to the one listed here as it was all in 3 volumes not 6. Not gonna remark it all.
Felt like the ending was rushed and the story after the big fight wasn't as good, but a nice enough ending. Definitely grittier than the tv show but perhaps not as good all round.
Felt like the ending was rushed and the story after the big fight wasn't as good, but a nice enough ending. Definitely grittier than the tv show but perhaps not as good all round.
September 12, 2019
Awesome. Like the whole series was. 5 stars.
January 16, 2022
Secret Origins and such.
April 5, 2022
Things get crazy. I love the Graphic Audio!
July 5, 2022
ICEEEE i loved this one sm
September 22, 2020
Definitely violent and graphic and bordering on absurd. Very enjoyable
July 8, 2022
This felt like a really well rounded volume. Starts with supes indulging themselves in all sorts of filth during "Herogasm", and ends with a lot of backstory on M.M, Frenchie and The Female.
Frenchies story (if true) is absurd and amazing. Love that we're getting a bit more info about everyone.
Frenchies story (if true) is absurd and amazing. Love that we're getting a bit more info about everyone.
July 4, 2024
I think a 3 is fair for this. Very much gratuitous for it's own sale in places. The satire is very much on point although it's not so much subtle as hitting you around the head with it. As a fan of the show too I am very glad it's doing its own thing because most of this would be unfilmable
September 18, 2019
Takes the foot off the pedal a bit, and some of the extra artists ... didn't really do it for me. But whilst there are some sags here and there, there are still compelling plots, backstory and world-building going on in-between.
January 6, 2025
7.5/10 Rather Torn on these volumes, I liked parts of herogasms with the funny supes however it became a little too political for me. Same with Vol 6, The Boys fighting Payback was good but the intermissions of politics and behind the scenes stuff was boring, and the backstories of the boys are…. Okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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