This is a review of The Boys: Get Some by Garth Ennis (writer) and Darick Robertson (artist). You can read my review of the first volume, here. Please be aware that this volume contains challenging material that may trigger readers. I would provide a detailed content warning, but this review is only around 500 words. The point of The Boys is to push boundaries, or to say that there are no boundaries. If you do not agree, my advice is to not engage. Also: SPOILER ALERT.
The Boys are CIA sponsored team led by the Butcher that consists of Wee Hughie, Mother’s Milk, The Woman, and The Frenchman. They exist to combat the growing superhuman problem. What’s the problem with superhumans? Well, they are written as real people with superhuman powers. Anyone older than ten can figure out why that would be a problem.
The first storyline, Get Some, opens with Butcher and Wee Hughie investigating the death of a young gay man who fell off a roof. They visit a gay bar, where the bartender tells them that the person in question had a crush on SwingWing, a superhero who embraces social justice issues and whom everyone assumes is gay.
Three-and-a-half issues later, SwingWing – who is not gay and who despises gay people – confesses, and Butcher tells him that he will let him go if SwingWing becomes his snitch. Except Butcher is lying. He removes a screw from SwingWing’s jetpack, which malfunctions a few days later, causing him to plummet to his death in a scene that is not even shown. Nobody knows what happened but Butcher and the reader, and readers not paying attention might miss it.
The second storyline, Glorious Five Year Plan, is set in Russia and introduces Love Sausage. The plot involves 150 rogue superhumans, exploding heads, and a coup backed by the Russian mob and an American corporation. Except it’s not a coup, it’s more like an elaborate sales pitch that fails when Butcher finds the remote (read: kill switch) and blows 150 superhuman heads off.
The most interesting thing about The Boys is trying to figure out what makes Butcher tick. Why does he kill SwingWing the way he does, instead of sending him to jail or just outright killing him? I don’t know. Butcher is hard to read. On the surface, Garth Ennis might not seem like a very subtle writer, but appearances can be deceiving. I had to read most of these issues twice to see what was really happening.
Do I enjoy reading The Boys? Yes, I do. I’ve been reading comics for a long time and I get the comic insider jokes, which there are lots of. I don’t endorse Ennis’ use of racist/sexist/homophobic language, although his message that a person’s actions should count more than their words comes through loud and clear. People who read this after seeing the Amazon Prime series might be in for a shock, but if you like Garth Ennis without an editor, this is the series for you.
Abandoned Places 