The Boys(comics)

The Boysis anadultsuperhero comic bookseries, co-created, and written byGarth Ennisand co-created, designed, and illustrated byDarick Robertson.Thefirst volumewas published byWildStorm,which canceled it after six issues; the series was picked up byDynamite Entertainment,which published the following eight volumes:Get Some,Good for the Soul,We Gotta Go Now,The Self-Preservation Society,The Innocents,The Big Ride,Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men,andThe Bloody Doors Off.Debuting in October 2006, the series concluded in November 2012 after 72 issues were published. In thefourth volume,the series is revealed to be set in the samefictional universeas Ennis' previous 1995–2000DC Vertigoseries,Preacher,with former vampireProinsias Cassidycameoing as a bartender. Three 6-issue spin-offlimited serieswere also produced during the series' original run:Herogasm,Highland Laddie,andButcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker,with an 8-issue epilogue series,Dear Becky,published from June–December 2020.

The Boys
Cover ofThe Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game(June 2007), depicting the titular group (clockwise from top left: The Frenchman,Mother’s Milk,The Female,Wee Hughie,andBilly Butcher.)
Publication information
Publisher	WildStorm/DC Comics(#1–6) Dynamite Entertainment(#7–72,Dear Becky)
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	October 2006 – November 2012
No.of issues	72
Main character(s)	The Boys The Seven The G-Men Vought-American The U.S. Government
Creative team
Created by	Garth Ennis Darick Robertson
Written by	Garth Ennis
Artist(s)	Darick Robertson Peter Snejbjerg(#13–14) John Higgins(#26, #28) Carlos Ezquerra(#31–32, #34) Richard P. Clark (#42–43, #72) Russ Braun (#44–51, #56–71)
Penciller(s)	John McCrea(#33, #39, #52–55, #65) Keith Burns (#33, #39, #52–55, #65) Russ Braun (#65)
Inker(s)	Rodney Ramos (#11–12) Matt Jacobs (#22) Hector Ezquerra (#31–32, #34) John McCrea (#33, #39, #52–55, #65) Keith Burns (#33, #39, #52–55, #65) Russ Braun (#65)
Letterer(s)	Greg Thompson (#1–6) Simon Bowland (#7–72)
Colorist(s)	Tony Aviña
Editor(s)	Ben Abernathy(#1–6) Kristy Quinn (#1–6)
Collected editions
The Name of the Game	ISBN91-33-30546-3
Get Some	ISBN19-33-30568-1
Good for the Soul	ISBN19-33-30592-4
We Gotta Go Now	ISBN18-48-56298-5
Herogasm	ISBN16-06-90082-X
The Self-Preservation Society	ISBN16-06-90125-7
The Innocents	ISBN16-06-90150-8
Highland Laddie	ISBN16-06-90207-5
The Big Ride	ISBN16-06-90220-2
Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker	ISBN16-06-90264-4
Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men	ISBN16-06-90341-1
The Bloody Doors Off	ISBN16-06-90373-X
Dear Becky	ISBN15-24-11990-3

The book was adapted byAmazon StudiosandSony Pictures Televisioninto a five-seasontelevision seriesthat premiered July 26, 2019 onAmazon Prime Video,from which afranchisewas launched comprising theweb seriesSeven on 7 with Cameron Coleman,which premiered July 7, 2021, thespin-offanimatedanthology series,Diabolical,which premiered March 4, 2022 (of which the third episode, "I'm Your Pusher", is set in the samecontinuityas the comic series), and the live-action spin-off seriesGen V,which premiered September 29, 2023.

Publication history

The first six issues ofThe Boyswere published byWildstorm,starting in 2006. On January 24, 2007, the series was abruptly canceled with issue 6. Ennis later explained that this was becauseDC Comics(of which Wildstorm was animprintbefore it was disbanded) were uneasy with the anti-superhero tone of the work.The planned collection of said issues was also canceled. Co-creator Darick Robertson said that "DC is being good about reverting our rights so we can find a new publisher and we're in the process of doing that now".Ennis then released a statement that some other publishers had expressed interest, and that issue 7 and atrade paperbackof the first six issues would be available. While Robertson was on exclusive contract to DC, he was given special dispensation to continue working onThe Boys.In February 2007 the series was picked up byDynamite Entertainmentand it resumed in May, Dynamite also publishing a collected edition of the first six issues,The Name of the Game,with a foreword bySimon Pegg,the model on whom the character Wee Hughie was based in how he was drawn by Robertson.

In February 2009, Dynamite announced aspin-offminiseries,Herogasm,with art fromJohn McCreaand Keith Burns; subsequent miniseries includeHighland LaddieandButcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker,with the three series each later being compiled as volumes ofThe Boys.

AfterThe Boyswas completed, Ennis toldCBRthat the comic had benefitted from Wildstorm cancelling it, in that Dynamite gave him far more freedom than DC ever would have, saying, "We'd have died on the vine [at DC]. The book would have been chipped and chipped away at until writing it was pure frustration." He also admitted to "a sigh of relief" as Wildstorm had been dissolved as an imprint not long after the move.

An eight-issueepilogueseries,Dear Becky,was published from June to November 2020.

Plot

The series is set between 2006 and 2008in a world wheresuperheroesexist, and9/11had marked the destruction ofthe Brooklyn Bridgeinstead ofthe Twin Towers.However, most of the superheroes in the series' universe are corrupted by theircelebritystatus and often engage in reckless behavior, compromising the safety of the world. The story follows a smallclandestineCIAsquad, informally known as "The Boys", led byBilly Butcherand comprisingMother's Milk,the Frenchman, the Female, and new addition"Wee Hughie" Campbell,who are charged with monitoring the superhero community, often leading to gruesome confrontations and dreadful results; in parallel, a key subplot followsAnnie "Starlight" January,a young and naive superhero who joins theVought-American-sanctioned superhero team called The Seven, the most prestigious—and corrupt—superhero group in the world and The Boys' most powerful enemies.

Characters

Main article:List of The Boys characters

Collected editions

Dynamite releases both hardcover andtrade paperbackcollections on an ongoing basis (including those comics previously published byWildstorm). In addition, Dynamite also releases "Definitive" slipcased hardcovers, which contain two trade/hardcover collections to an "omnibus."

#	Title	TPB ISBN	TPB Release date	TPB page number	Collected material
1	The Name of the Game	ISBN91-33-30546-3	June 2007	152	The Boys#1–6
2	Get Some	ISBN1-933305-68-1	March 2008	192	The Boys#7–14
3	Good for the Soul	ISBN1-933305-92-4	October 2008	192	The Boys#15–22
4	We Gotta Go Now	ISBN1-84856-298-5	July 2009	192	The Boys#23–30
5	Herogasm	ISBN1-60690-082-X	November 2009	144	Herogasm#1–6
6	The Self-Preservation Society	ISBN1-60690-125-7	March 2010	192	The Boys#31–38
7	The Innocents	ISBN1-60690-150-8	December 2010	216	The Boys#39–47
8	Highland Laddie	ISBN1-60690-207-5	April 2011	144	Highland Laddie#1–6
9	The Big Ride	ISBN1-60690-220-2	November 9, 2011	276	The Boys#48–59
10	Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker	ISBN1-60690-264-4	March 6, 2012	144	Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker#1–6
11	Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men	ISBN1-60690-341-1	June/July 2012	152	The Boys#60–65
12	The Bloody Doors Off	ISBN1-60690-373-X	December 2012	170	The Boys#66–72
13	Dear Becky	ISBN978-1524119904	February 23, 2021	176	Dear Becky#1–8

Definitive Editions

#	Title	THB ISBN	THB Release date	THB page number	Collected material
1	The Boys: Definitive Edition 1	ISBN1-933305-80-0	December 2008	344	The Boys#1–14
2	The Boys: Definitive Edition 2	ISBN1-60690-073-0	December 23, 2009	384	The Boys#15–30
3	The Boys: Definitive Edition 3	ISBN1-60690-165-6	April 5, 2011	552	The Boys#31–38 +Herogasm
4	The Boys: Definitive Edition 4	ISBN1-60690-340-3	July 2012	370+ pages	The Boys#39–47 +Highland Laddie
5	The Boys: Definitive Edition 5	ISBN978-1606904121	July 2013	430 pages	The Boys#48–59+Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker
6	The Boys: Definitive Edition 6	ISBN978-1606904350	February 2014	320 pages	The Boys#60–72

Oversized Hardcover Omnibus

#	Title	THB ISBN	THB Release date	THB page number	Collected Material
1	The Boys: Oversized Hardcover Omnibus Volume 1	ISBN978-1-5241-2177-8	April 27, 2022	792	The Boys#1–30
2	The Boys: Oversized Hardcover Omnibus Volume 2	ISBN978-1-5241-2180-8	June 22, 2022	792	The Boys#31–47 +Herogasm+Highland Laddie
3	The Boys: Oversized Hardcover Omnibus Volume 3	ISBN978-1-5241-2183-9	July 20, 2022	800	The Boys#48–72 +Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker

Awards

• 2008: Nominated, "Best Continuing Series",Eisner Award.
• 2009: Nominated, "Comic Book of the Year Under $3.00", Diamond Comic Distributor Gem Awards.
• 2010: Nominated, "Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel",Scream Awards.

Adaptations

Further information:The Boys (franchise)

Scrapped film

Varietyreported in February 2008 thatColumbia Pictureshadoptionedthe comic for a film adaptation, to be produced byNeal H. Moritz.andPhil HayandMatt Manfrediwriting the screenplay.In August 2010,Adam McKaysaid that he had been signed on to direct the film. McKay added, "They already have a script and we're doing a rewrite on it so hopefully getting the whole thing into shape in the Fall with maybe a shoot happening in January."Columbia Pictures reported in February 2012 that it had dropped its option regarding a film adaptation ofThe Boys.However, Adam McKay said in a Twitter response thatParamount Pictureshad picked it up, and that it was still in the works.On April 30, 2013, Manfredi and Hay were hired by Paramount to write the film,though the project never came to fruition.

Television series

Main article:The Boys (TV series)

In October 2015, it was reported thatCinemaxgreenlit a television series adaptation ofThe Boys,and thatSeth Rogen,Evan GoldbergandEric Kripkewere producing the series.In September 2017,Varietyreported thatAmazon Studioshad picked up the series.The series premiered itsfirst seasonon July 26, 2019.Thesecond seasonpremiered on September 4, 2020,while thethird seasonpremiered on June 3, 2022, and thefourth seasonpremiered on June 13, 2024.In May 2024, the series was renewed for a fifth and final season.

Audiobook series

All 98 issues of the comic series have been adapted into 7 audiobooks produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music byGraphicAudio.Volume 1 was released on May 4, 2020.Volume 7 adapts theDear Beckyepilogue series and concluded the audiobook production on May 20, 2022. The entire series lasts 31 hours, retains the 2006–2008 setting and the dialogue is a very close match to Garth Ennis' original scripts. The content rating is Ages 18+.

Animated series

Main article:The Boys Presents: Diabolical

An animatedspin-offseries ofThe Boys,The Boys Presents: Diabolical,was released on March 4, 2022.

"We Gotta Go Now" adaptation

Main article:Gen V

A live-actionspin-offseries ofThe Boys,Gen V(formerlyThe Boys Presents: Varsity), serving as a stand-alone adaptation of the "We Gotta Go Now"arc from the comic series, focused onMarieand theG-Menand inspired byThe Hunger Games,was announced on September 20, 2020, and premiered onAmazon Prime Videoon September 29, 2023.

External links

• Sullivan, Michael Patrick (April 19, 2007)."The Boys" Are Back in Town: Ennis & Robertson Speak.CBR.
• Kurt Amacker, columnist (August 23, 2006)."Hanging with the Boys: Ten Questions for Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson".Mania (ref article originally at cinescape ).Archived fromthe originalon March 27, 2008.