olichoreno's review against another edition
3.0
The best one so far, in sagas and tv, the max point reached by its creators (speaking of sequels) always comes in number 3, it's when enough time has passed to understand the world building and its characters. Although this one it's number 6, is when become what the first drafts and predecessors promised, what follows from here can go up or down.
myeshatiara's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Favorite Quote: “Vought ain’t cilmbin’ out of a hole this goddamn big.”~Mothers Milk aka M.M.
What can I say, a phenomenal ending to a series with characters I will think of often. So many twist and turns I couldn’t put it down.
What can I say, a phenomenal ending to a series with characters I will think of often. So many twist and turns I couldn’t put it down.
genmegusta's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
xalin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The conclusion to the boys is something I didn't expect (idk is this is because I've watched the show and influenced by that story)
Am I happy with the ending, no really but it was good. Loved the characters.
Am I happy with the ending, no really but it was good. Loved the characters.
Spoiler
I'm a sucker for found family stories and for Butcher to turn on everyone hurt.some_okie_dude27's review against another edition
Ennis got his start in the mid to late 90s, establishing a reputation as an extremist in the comics community alongside Warren Ellis, though Ennis would become the Grant Morrison to Ellis' Alan Moore, with Ennis sometimes going to extremes without letting his story threads come together in a natural way. Does that mean Ennis is a bad writer? Of course not. He wouldn't be a favorite of mine if that were the case. While The Boys doesn't entirely reach the heights of some of Ennis' finer outings like Preacher or Punisher MAX, The Boys proved itself to be another interesting series in Ennis' catalogue.
Garth Ennis is never one for the easily offended, the copious amounts of sex, violence and mayhem that inhabits this series can test even the most mentally and physically strong of people, as I said earlier Ennis is rather extreme with his content. Though luckily, Ennis does know how to pace himself and provide a good plot to keep you invested unlike some of the other artists and writers from the uber grimdark period of comics (cough cough, Rob Liefeld, cough cough, Frank Miller). Ennis, much like Alan Moore, makes a point to show that if superhumans were to exist in our world, they would bring about an apocalyptic sense of change to the world. Though unfortunately, I'm not quite as sure that Ennis is as thorough in his exploration as Moore was. He never fully goes deeper in his critique of superheroes, which is rather unfortunate. Though unlike Moore, Ennis pulls no punches when taking shots as superheroes, this is unsurprising given his well known disdain for the superhero genre, yet again, I don't find that his satire nearly goes far enough to make a grand point of it all.
While The Boys' satire is admittedly simplistic unlike something that is more nuanced like Watchmen, we see Ennis' reputation for characterization shine through, with Billy Butcher being a standout and even Ennis himself lamenting that he was his favorite character to write. Most of the characters in The Boys are strongly developed and their depth and likability is reminiscent of Preacher, but we also see how they change over time. Wee Hughie in particular changes from a mild mannered normal person into a hardened, but still well intentioned person. The satire of The Boys, while sometimes going overboard and becoming crude, usually does its job, with targets being of corporatism, crony capitalism, and the incompetence of government, in particular the Bush era.
I have often complained about how many modern comics have problems with pacing. But luckily Ennis doesn't have this issue, and I would lobby him alongside Ed Brubaker as having a mastery of pacing, as Ennis knows when he should slow things down and when to let things speed up. It is nice to find someone else to use as an example of how to pace your stories in a way to where you won't lose your audience, and Ennis definitely knows how to keep his audiences attention, for better or worse.
Few problems come through in the series, Ennis's writing teeters in quality near the end, with some unexpected twists coming in that shakes up the story at hold and not in a way that feels natural. Though luckily Ennis manages to make it work as best as he can and manages to wrap his story up in a satisfying way. While Ennis is ruthless in his mockery of the superhero genre and its conventions, some of his edgy, extreme humor doesn't really seem to go anywhere, which is a problem that pervades through much of his work. Though unlike Preacher or Punisher MAX where he manages to tamper it with volumes of excellent story, The Boys sometimes does get brought down by its over the top extremes. The art from Derrick Robertson, while very good and well drawn, I often compare to his extraordinary work on Transmetropolitan, and I found that he hasn't ever surpassed the strange and surreal visuals from that series.
Cruel and crass as The Boys may be, Ennis rarely forgets character motivation or good plotting to keep readers invested, while he may lose some of his steam by the end of the series, The Boys remains a strong and enjoyable outing from Ennis' catalogue.
Garth Ennis is never one for the easily offended, the copious amounts of sex, violence and mayhem that inhabits this series can test even the most mentally and physically strong of people, as I said earlier Ennis is rather extreme with his content. Though luckily, Ennis does know how to pace himself and provide a good plot to keep you invested unlike some of the other artists and writers from the uber grimdark period of comics (cough cough, Rob Liefeld, cough cough, Frank Miller). Ennis, much like Alan Moore, makes a point to show that if superhumans were to exist in our world, they would bring about an apocalyptic sense of change to the world. Though unfortunately, I'm not quite as sure that Ennis is as thorough in his exploration as Moore was. He never fully goes deeper in his critique of superheroes, which is rather unfortunate. Though unlike Moore, Ennis pulls no punches when taking shots as superheroes, this is unsurprising given his well known disdain for the superhero genre, yet again, I don't find that his satire nearly goes far enough to make a grand point of it all.
While The Boys' satire is admittedly simplistic unlike something that is more nuanced like Watchmen, we see Ennis' reputation for characterization shine through, with Billy Butcher being a standout and even Ennis himself lamenting that he was his favorite character to write. Most of the characters in The Boys are strongly developed and their depth and likability is reminiscent of Preacher, but we also see how they change over time. Wee Hughie in particular changes from a mild mannered normal person into a hardened, but still well intentioned person. The satire of The Boys, while sometimes going overboard and becoming crude, usually does its job, with targets being of corporatism, crony capitalism, and the incompetence of government, in particular the Bush era.
I have often complained about how many modern comics have problems with pacing. But luckily Ennis doesn't have this issue, and I would lobby him alongside Ed Brubaker as having a mastery of pacing, as Ennis knows when he should slow things down and when to let things speed up. It is nice to find someone else to use as an example of how to pace your stories in a way to where you won't lose your audience, and Ennis definitely knows how to keep his audiences attention, for better or worse.
Few problems come through in the series, Ennis's writing teeters in quality near the end, with some unexpected twists coming in that shakes up the story at hold and not in a way that feels natural. Though luckily Ennis manages to make it work as best as he can and manages to wrap his story up in a satisfying way. While Ennis is ruthless in his mockery of the superhero genre and its conventions, some of his edgy, extreme humor doesn't really seem to go anywhere, which is a problem that pervades through much of his work. Though unlike Preacher or Punisher MAX where he manages to tamper it with volumes of excellent story, The Boys sometimes does get brought down by its over the top extremes. The art from Derrick Robertson, while very good and well drawn, I often compare to his extraordinary work on Transmetropolitan, and I found that he hasn't ever surpassed the strange and surreal visuals from that series.
Cruel and crass as The Boys may be, Ennis rarely forgets character motivation or good plotting to keep readers invested, while he may lose some of his steam by the end of the series, The Boys remains a strong and enjoyable outing from Ennis' catalogue.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
1.0
I'm sorry but PR teams who create comics for the supe's and use RAPE as an origin story is a no-go for me. Only Hughie and Marrie were it for me. I even lost every respect I had for Butch, even if the theory i have in mind about him and Homeland is true.
I can't continue this...
I can't continue this...
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
2.0
I wish this had been broken into two collections, as it would have allowed me to enjoy The Boys battle with Payback and Stormfront, and throw away the awful origin stories that fill the latter half of this volume.
If you enjoy the first half of this volume, I strongly advise putting it down at the end of The Self-Preservation Society (it concludes in issue four), tear the rest of the pages out, and burn them.
They're not overly offensive (not completely inoffensive, but a much easier read than volume 3), they're just lazily written.
"Let me tell you a tale about my origin story." Mother's Milk says, and then Frenchie says, and then Frenchie alters it slightly saying "Let me tell you a tale about The Female's origin story, since she doesn't talk." They're all dull, paint by number Ennis stories, by which I mean that they aim to shock, and miss wildly.
All praise Seth Rogen and the TV production team for sparing us this garbage. Their origin and placement of The Female's origin is way more interesting. And I would be happy if they never reveal anything about MM or Frenchie's background.
If you enjoy the first half of this volume, I strongly advise putting it down at the end of The Self-Preservation Society (it concludes in issue four), tear the rest of the pages out, and burn them.
They're not overly offensive (not completely inoffensive, but a much easier read than volume 3), they're just lazily written.
"Let me tell you a tale about my origin story." Mother's Milk says, and then Frenchie says, and then Frenchie alters it slightly saying "Let me tell you a tale about The Female's origin story, since she doesn't talk." They're all dull, paint by number Ennis stories, by which I mean that they aim to shock, and miss wildly.
All praise Seth Rogen and the TV production team for sparing us this garbage. Their origin and placement of The Female's origin is way more interesting. And I would be happy if they never reveal anything about MM or Frenchie's background.
ria_mhrj's review against another edition
5.0
I was a little exhausted by some of the more excessive elements of Herogasm (which I appreciate is quite a "well duh" kind of statement when applied to a Garth Ennis series, but hey, it's the truth) so the first half of The Self-Preservation Society, whilst entertaining as ever, had me a bit worried that I would lose interest in the series. But then the second half came along and put my mind to rest, providing delightfully demented back stories for three of The Boys as well as showing more tantalising glimpses of a shadowy figure that I for one want to know more about. This volume has also made Frenchie my favourite character. Hilarious and surprisingly thought-provoking stuff.
guillebook1012's review against another edition
4.0
Este volumen estuvo lleno de tensión, por primera vez los protagonistas tienen una amenaza real y se están adentrando en algo más peligroso. Me encantó.