The Boys

[Leo656]

Anyone else reading this? It's by Garth Ennis, the guy who wrote Preacher, so if you read that you can probably tell what it's like. Hilariously deconstructs comic book superheroes with plenty of sex and violence thrown in.

Great stuff, the first book I read that week whenever it comes out. Just wondering if anyone else was into it.

[Brodie]

His Punisher books are far superior.

[Leo656]

I wouldn't doubt that, I just never got around to picking any of that stuff up yet. Someday, probably.

I admit that I admire the depths this book is willing to go for shock value, but it's also genuinely clever.

[Anarky]

There are more clever things around, some of which are also by Ennis. But the Boys still is fun. It has its ups and downs and good art and bad art, but it's fun.

Ennis' Punisher does reign supreme, though. Garth really did well with Frank.

[joe-eyeball]

Yeah, I must admit that I love almost everything Ennis has had a hand in creating. The Boys is a pretty good series. But the ulimate Ennis is Preacher and of course his take on the Punisher. Also, don't forget Hitman from DC a while ago. That stuff was pretty cool.

[Andrew NDB]

Is there any chance they'll continue the comics now?

[Leo656]

One never knows, but it ended pretty definitively.

For one thing, pretty much everyone is dead.

Along the way they also did several prequels, side stories, etc., so there really wasn't much they didn't touch on. Like Preacher, it was never designed to last forever, it was essentially one long story with a definite beginning, middle and ending. And they told a LOT of story along the way. There really wasn't much more to say with it. It ended because it was finished, and I think it actually ran way longer than it was originally planned to.

Now, cynically speaking, in theory could someone come up with a bunch of new characters and find a way to stretch a dangling plot thread into a whole new series? Anything is possible, but it's probably best that they don't. That story is pretty much Done. Doing more would be just that, Just Doing More. The story had its points to make about many things, and it made those points well and clear. I have a strong feeling that a continuation would simply be for the sake of spectacle rather than story. There's simply nothing left for it to say, and if there's no underlying point to the material, then it's just tits and gore and bestiality, and all that stuff had already become mundane halfway through the run. It only transcended the shock value stuff because it was always ultimately ABOUT something. Once the point is made, it's best to move on.

That's my opinion. They could, but they shouldn't.

[joe-eyeball]

One never knows, but it ended pretty definitively.

For one thing, pretty much everyone is dead.

Along the way they also did several prequels, side stories, etc., so there really wasn't much they didn't touch on. Like Preacher, it was never designed to last forever, it was essentially one long story with a definite beginning, middle and ending. And they told a LOT of story along the way. There really wasn't much more to say with it. It ended because it was finished, and I think it actually ran way longer than it was originally planned to.

Now, cynically speaking, in theory could someone come up with a bunch of new characters and find a way to stretch a dangling plot thread into a whole new series? Anything is possible, but it's probably best that they don't. That story is pretty much Done. Doing more would be just that, Just Doing More. The story had its points to make about many things, and it made those points well and clear. I have a strong feeling that a continuation would simply be for the sake of spectacle rather than story. There's simply nothing left for it to say, and if there's no underlying point to the material, then it's just tits and gore and bestiality, and all that stuff had already become mundane halfway through the run. It only transcended the shock value stuff because it was always ultimately ABOUT something. Once the point is made, it's best to move on.

That's my opinion. They could, but they shouldn't.

Agreed! The series ended just fine and there is no need to continue it. Garth Ennis knows the stories he wants to tell and ends them appropriately. Series done!

[Leo656]

One of the things that made it so great was that it had so many themes, and went deep into exploring and debating those themes at length - sometimes subtly, other times less so. But aside from being merely, "The gory, T&A-filled super-hero satire" that it appeared to be at a glance, it explored so many relevant and various topics, such as but not entirely limited to...

- Hero-worship (both literal and figurative)
- Government conspiracy and thought control, and the role of the mainstream media in same.
- The relevance and role of religion and faith in not just modern society, but post-superhuman society
- Objectivist theory; specifically, "Does simply having the power to do something unimpeded give someone the right to do those things," and further, do individuals who are "special" have any obligation at all to obey the rules and laws of society? Is being "superior" in and of itself a "free pass" to do whatever you want, especially if people like you?

And so on and so forth. And Ennis went deep into exploring these (and other) themes. It all came together in a very satisfying way, and only a couple of times ever felt preachy or pretentious. Not to mention, obviously, the satire; half the fun was figuring out which DC or Marvel character was being riffed on, and the rather creative ways in which they'd do so. But it was so much MORE than all that, too. I admit, the shock value stuff is what made me purchase the first trade paperback initially, but altogether it's one of the smartest books I've ever read.

It did such a good job that they really didn't have anything left to say, and at the end it was just as tight as it ever was. I wouldn't change a thing.