#antisuperhero

The Boys - Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson

Issues 1-6

The tone of The Boys is like nothing I've ever read. The writing is complex and thoughtful; you take your tentative steps into the world of the superheroes with Hughie as he is hired to become part of Butcher's team.

The absolute depravity and awfulness of all the superheroes we meet make them very unlikable. That is apart from Butcher's team, The Boys.

The sex, from both sides, but especially the young superheroes they are spying on, is a bit much. But it is titillating if that is what Ennis is going for; then it works.

I actually didn't realise that Butcher and The Boys were the good guys until close to the end of Issue 6. 

The heart-to-heart that he has with Hughie goes right to the core of superheroes, and it hasn't been addressed anywhere I have seen before.

Who gives the heroes the right to do what they do? They don't have any training. Just because they have powers doesn't mean they should be in control. That's where The Boys come in. They stop the heroes from running over everyone.

I love the team that Butcher is putting together. Every time we see them, I just want to learn more about them.

They are just so cool and mysterious. I actually think we should have so little backstory and, like Highie, seem to come in halfway through the story.

Butcher actually seems like a great bloke and cares about Hughie. But beyond that and the team, there aren't heaps here to love.