Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Out-Preachering Preacher: Ennis delivers on The Boys

The heroes of the Marvel Universe may think they have it tough with the whole Civil War thing going on, but it could be MUCH worse. Sure, they may get beat up by Iron Man if they refuse to register, or maybe even locked up by SHIELD, but at least they don't have to worry about having a huge, surly Englishman kick their face in and then stand on their testicles. Captain America is luckier than he thinks, because he doesn't have to deal with The Boys.

The Boys are a taskforce of seriously bad dudes (and one female dude) who police all the out-of-control super-powered, cape-wearing types in the world. Led by the previously mentioned surly Englishman, Mr. Butcher, these people HATE the capes. These "boys" are likely to stomp you into a bloody paste first and ask questions later.

I've had high expectations for The Boys ever since the title was first announced, because this book from DC's Wildstorm imprint is the latest creator-owned title from writer Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Punisher, Bloody Mary, War Stories, and many more). This book delivers everything his fans love about a Garth Ennis tale: wildly creative violence, the darkest of dark humor, incredibly imaginative swearing, biting social satire, deep (and deeply disturbed) characters, and some more violence. In fact, Ennis has claimed that this book will "out preacher Preacher." If you read Preacher (And if you haven't, what are you waiting for?), you know that is a serious statement.

Ennis' partner in violent crime for this series is Darick Robertson, who also collaborated with him on The Punisher and Fury. Robertson's dark, realistic art is perfect for this title. His characters are amazingly expressive. One look into team leader Billy Butcher's eyes, with his sly knowing smile, and you'll know that you would run if you saw this guy coming. We don't meet the whole cast of characters in the first issue, but another guy we do meet is the tragic Wee Hughie. Hughie is drawn by Robertson to look an awful lot like actor Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), which earns the artist points in my book.

The Boys is suggested for Mature Readers, and this warning should be taken seriously. If you are too young, or at all easily offended, this book will not be for you. However; if you think you're hard enough to handle a comic that pulls no punches, muscle up to the bar and spend some time with The Boys. I'm pretty sure Butcher would make even Iron Man cry.

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