The Boys Volume 3: Good for the Soul

With Good for the Soul Garth Ennis fleshes out some of the supporting characters in The Boys. Of the team the Frenchman probably gets the best treatment but I'm very curious where he's taking Mother's Milk and the Female. Sometimes I find The Boys a little too explicit and there were a few points in the first arc that were a little much for me.

I did like Hughie's speech over the Blarney Cock and I liked the relationship between the Female and the Frenchman. I like how Hughie's relationship with Annie/Starbright is progressing and I can't wait to see his reaction when he finds out she's a cape.

In my opinion the second arc was the stronger of the two in the volume. I know that the Legend is obviously based on Stan Lee so when he tells Hughie the whole origin story of what's what in the world I don't know how much I believe. I know that Garth Ennis hates superheroes so it's probably closer to the truth than not. I'll give this volume a 4.

The Boys Volume 2: Get Some

Garth Ennis continues his series with a second volume containing two stories. The Boys Volume 2: Get Some, with art by Darick Robertson, continues the skewering of the superhero genre with "Get Some" and then turns the Boys into almost heroes with "The Glorious Five Year Plan".

With "Get Some" Ennis turns to all those jokes about Batman and his young ward. Using Tek Knight, his side kick Laddio, and his former side kick Swingwing to stand in for the non-powered playboy billionaire and his ward the story sets the Boys to investigating the death of a young, gay man. It's an interesting idea to explore comic books in a world where super heroes exist but once again Ennis assumes the worst. The epilogue took the story over the top and really didn't need to be written.

In "The Glorious Five Year Plan" they travel to Russia to be CIA operatives. It was a much different story than what had been being told up to this point. They're not really just spying on the heroes to get the dirt on them and then maybe have a bit of a dust up. They're being secret agents. Again, in Ennis style some things were way over the top, but Love Sausage? Really?

This one gets a 4 because it made me laugh. It might be a lower 4 but I've given myself a scale without too few gradations.

The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game

Garth Ennis hates superheroes. It's pretty obvious in most stuff he writes but with The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game (with art by Darick Robertson) it's prevalent as they're affiliated with the CIA and their whole purpose is to keep the capes in line. As a superhero fan myself I like trying to figure out who Ennis is using as source material for his "heroes". I find it gives them a bit of depth because I already have a vision of them in mind. There's a layer to them that Ennis doesn't have to try to add through exposition.

The Boys wouldn't work as well without Wee Hughie, the common man who's the counterpoint to the super man. I felt it was interesting to give Hugh the face of Simon Pegg. It immediately gave him a voice and a timing in delivery that gave him the same sort of caricature that the heroes would have.

I'm giving this one a 4 out of 5. Only because I'm a Pollyanna and believe that if superheroes were real there would be more than a few good ones.