**Review may contain spoilers in various sections**
After reading the entire Preacher series (and having a LOT of mixed feelings about it), I ultimately decided to read another of Garth Ennis’ more popular series (and incidentally also made into a TV show): The Boys.
Similar to Preacher, this series is quite long - I read it in six fairly thick omnibus volumes - and as such contains a large amount of material to address. I had a lot of mixed feelings about the series, proving once again that Garth Ennis has a way of really capturing his audience and forcing them to think deeply about the issues he addresses in his comics (at least, I did).
So, where to start?
The Homophobia
I like to start with what stands out to me most, and this was definitely something that stood out to me right from the get-go with this series. The Boys didn’t shy away from having diverse characters and plot lines, and as such there was often a large amount of graphic language (and art) used to portray these. In volume 1 in particular there is a storyline involving a superhero known as Swingwing, and during this storyline, the use of homophobic language and slurs by various characters was difficult to read - at times I had to put the book down and seriously consider if I wanted to keep reading, the language was so offensive to me. The characters, for the most part, don’t seem to have any issue with using this language, which begs the question - do the creators/writers also not have any issue with this kind of language, or is it once again all for the sake of “shock value”?
At times Hughie makes an effort to have characters stop using slurs, seeming to come to the defense of the LGBTQ+ community, but Hughie’s character is riddled with hypocrisy when it comes to his own feelings about gay people and gender roles (I’ll get into that whole mess later). Having a witless hypocrite be the only defense against this offensive language isn’t much of a defense, and therefore sends the message that this language is all fun and games. There’s also the fact that in multiple instances homosexual behaviors are connected to negative behaviors like sexual assault, child abuse, and drug abuse. The connection further perpetuates the stereotype that being gay is bad or criminal.
The homophobia seems to be mostly centered on Swingwing’s storyline in Volume 1, and although language pops up and here and there throughout, thankfully I was able to move past Volume 1 and continue reading the rest of the series without feeling quite as upset about the whole issue.
The Superheroes
The whole premise of The Boys is essentially a satire of the Marvel and DC superheroes that are relentlessly taking the world by storm. This idea of a group of people having superhuman powers, banding together, and saving the general public from various evil plots and/or unfortunate circumstances… it’s everywhere, and it’s boring as hell.
Enter the Boys, whose job essentially is to make sure that the aforementioned superheroes are truly doing their jobs and not taking their superhuman powers for granted (spoiler: they totally are). Supes, as they’re known throughout the series, are just as terrible as the rest of the people in the world, only they have superpowers and alter egos to help them commit their darkest desires without any real consequences. I personally love this whole concept (after all, who watches the watchmen?) and it was exciting to see these glorified superheroes in another more realistic vein - of course they’re murdering children, raping women, and creating acts of terrorism for fun. It has this vein of Lord of the Flies where we get to see humanity’s true nature - when there’s nobody around to stop you (and nobody can stop you), why not just do what you want? It’s terrifying.
Additionally, the notion that superheroes are a business venture and something for companies to invest in and monetize at every opportunity is also fantastic - of course this is what would happen in the real world! Vought American was so real, with its business ventures and its unethical involvement in American (and global) politics… just a brilliant commentary and representation all around. Tv shows, comics, action figures, endorsements, sponsors… I mean, this is already happening with big names like Marvel and DC in our real world, so why not have this super-selfish corporate capitalism transfer over into the world being portrayed? It’s kind of meta and clairvoyant the way this series manages to so realistically portray how America would handle the notion of superhumans - it’s both exhilarating and disgusting all at the same time.
The Violence
True to fashion, The Boys is chock-full of violent language and imagery. Naturally, the question of shock value is raised, as from the very beginning of the series the readers are met with the type of callous and thoughtless violence the whole series is filled with. Even the opening covers are gruesomely graphic!
Considering the plot of the series and its satire on the superhero genre, the violence is refreshing and entertaining (and definitely shocking). As a person who isn’t squeamish or sensitive to violence and gore in media, I found it to be thrilling to have what would be otherwise stale conversations or interactions with these superheroes pushed over the top with their juiced-up superhero actions. It’s awesome!
However, if you are sensitive/squeamish to this type of imagery, I advise you to turn the page with caution!
The Sexism (or lack of?)
I had mixed feelings about the way women were portrayed throughout the series. It wasn’t really an open and shut case for me as to what might be truly offensive, and what was just within the scope of a character’s actions based on their personality.
Let’s start with female supes. From the start, it’s made pretty clear that, although there are just as many female supes as males, there is still a pecking order. At least within The Seven (the main American superhero group - think Avengers), male supes outrank female supes and are dominant over them - much like corporate America is in the real world. Despite women being equal to men (in this case, having just as amazing powers), the men still rule the roost and can make the women do whatever they want (like give them oral sex on command). It was frustrating to see from the beginning that this was going to be another series where women come second and won’t be in a position of power, but I also appreciated the realism of the situation - of course this is how it would be in the real world. It also gave several of the females an opportunity to overcome this sexual harassment and abuse of power, so I was eager to stay tuned.
I wasn’t disappointed. The character known only as “the Female” is indiscriminate in her violence, targeting whoever gets in her way and using her powers to essentially rid people of their faces. She isn’t portrayed as a typical female (with the only exception of her name) and is treated as a member of the Boys with equal respect and trust. Although her violent nature might make her a little difficult to be around at first, it’s made clear that she is valuable and, perhaps, one of the strongest members of the team. It was empowering to see this badass chick rip people in half without flinching and not have her abilities questioned due to her appearance or gender identity.
When it came to Starlight, however, that was where my question of sexism and gender roles came into play and I started to become a bit confused. Starlight is the exact opposite of the Female in many ways - their appearances are opposite (blonde, shiny, white woman vs. all-black wearing Japanese woman), and Starlight is very vocal throughout the series and constantly voices her opinions (whereas the Female is mute). Starlight is instantly introduced as a female subordinate to the other supes of The Seven, not just because she’s the newest member but also plainly because of the fact that she’s a female - she is submitted to sexual abuse almost immediately upon her arrival to the team headquarters. The series continues to shape her character as being subordinate to men, either with her team or with her developing relationship with Hughie. Even though she’s literally got all the power, being a supe whereas Hughie starts off as this powerless “normal” guy, she still seems to defer to him and her character seems dependent on Hughie accepting her or being pleased with her. It made me sad to see Starlight so hung up on a loser like Hughie instead of embracing her power and doing some kickass shit for the sake of herself (she gets pretty close, I’ll admit it). Even when it comes to her own exploration of her sexuality, she’s judged and limited based on Hughie’s sexist and hypocritical views (men can have multiple partners but women can’t?). He blames Starlight for her sexual abuse, claiming it’s too hard for him to picture, even though he doesn’t really address the fact that Starlight didn’t really have a choice in the matter. It’s all about him and his happiness, and poor Starlight constantly has to put her own desires and development on the backburner for the sake of her man.
Starlight’s appearance also changes throughout the series, depending on Vought American’s needs for her as an asset to the company. I appreciated the absurdity of her various costumes, with each one becoming more revealing in order to boost her appeal to the American public unless it was for a religious Christian benefit in which case she was allowed to cover up again (a delicious commentary on the hypocrisy of this nation’s values).
Overall, I wasn’t disappointed with the portrayal of females throughout the series - I felt that there was a purpose to the actions chosen for the most part (as opposed to the homophobic language which seemed a little more flagrant).
The Globalism
I was actually really thrilled to see that, while this series is ultimately focused in the United States, there are a lot of diverse and global storylines and characters. All too often I find this superhero and sci-fi stuff confined to America (everything seems to happen in the US and it’s like the rest of the world doesn’t exist unless they’re terrorists targeting the US).
I loved that characters came from all over the world, despite ending up being based in North America - characters are written with authentic accents and dialect, and characters also all don’t look like white people. Additionally, parts of the story take place in other parts of the world - sometimes it’s brief, sometimes it’s a bigger storyline with multiple parts. Either way, it was nice to be reminded that this situation of supes isn’t just happening in America (although as a global superpower country obviously there would be some focus there) and that the audience was metaphorically taken all around the world either through characters or location. It made the series refreshing and interesting.
The TV Show
Anybody who knows me will tell you that I’m not the biggest fan of book-to-screen adaptations (especially if I’ve read the book). I tend to be book-biased, and I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to hate a lot of these adaptations on the principle that they’re not “accurate” - I’m working on being more open-minded.
That being said, after finishing reading this series I decided to give the television show a chance. As I’m writing this there are 2 seasons of the show out (Amazon Prime Video), and I have watched all of season 1 and half of season 2… and I don’t think I’m going back.
I will say that the portrayal of the characters is really fantastic, with only a couple of exceptions. One exception is that I’m not a fan of Hughie - the actor is great, I just wasn’t clear on why they decided to make him American, it seemed like a boring and easy choice. The other exception is Butcher. I adore Karl Urban to bits, but his accent makes me wince every time he speaks. It’s hard to not hear New Zealand creeping out at the end of every sentence.
Other than that, I’m a huge fan of the casting choices for the characters (Antony Starr as Homelander, in particular, is a work of art with his disturbing portrayal), and usually, that’s where I first meet resistance with an adaptation.
In addition to character portrayals, another element where I get hung up is the storyline. The show (like many adaptations) made a lot of changes to the storyline of the series, some big and some small. I was surprised at how I didn’t hate these changes, although I was definitely confused with the sudden focus the show decided to have on The Deep which didn’t seem to have any point or payoff. The thing that kept me from continuing to watch the show, however, was just the overall lack of action. I felt like the comic was nonstop with action and violence and forward propulsion, whereas the show just seemed to have so much talking and the occasional fight that’s over way too quickly. Snooze.
The Rating
After analyzing my thoughts and organizing them in this review, I’ve decided to give this series 4 out of 5 stars. While I have many complaints and confusions, overall I really enjoyed reading this series and had a lot of moments where I was excited to turn the page. I had a lot of love for certain characters (my heart belongs to Frenchie). I recommend this series to anybody who loves the superhero genre, anything action-packed and violent, and anybody who’s interested in tearing down the system!
Happy reading!