The Boys (comics)

The Boys is a comic book series, written by Garth Ennis and

The Boys
co-created, designed, and illustrated by Darick Robertson. It
was originally published by WildStorm (DC Comics), before
being cancelled after its first volume, and revived by Dynamite
Entertainment, who published the following eight volumes.[1]
Debuting in October 2006, the series concluded in November
2012 with the release of the 72nd and final issue. In the fourth
volume, the series is revealed to be set in the same fictional
universe as Ennis' previous 1995–2000 DC Vertigo series,
Preacher, with former vampire Proinsias Cassidy cameoing as
a bartender. Three 6-issue spin-off limited series were also
produced during the series' original run: Herogasm, Highland
Laddie, and Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker, with an 8-issue
epilogue series, Dear Becky, published from January–
December 2020.

The book was adapted by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures

Television into a streaming television series that premiered on
Cover of The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the
Amazon Prime Video on July 26, 2019, through a brand
Game (June 2007), depicting the titular group
licensing rights agreement with Dynamite Entertainment, from (clockwise from top left: The Frenchman, Mother’s
which a franchise was launched—web series Seven on 7 with Milk, The Female, Wee Hughie and Billy Butcher.)
Cameron Coleman, which premiered July 7, 2021—spin-off Publication information
animated anthology series, Diabolical, which premiered on Publisher WildStorm (#1–6)
March 4, 2022 (of which the third episode, "I'm Your Pusher", is Dynamite Entertainment (#7–
set in the same continuity as the comic series)—and live-action 72, Dear Becky)

spin-off series Gen V, which is set to premiere in 2023.[1][2] Schedule Monthly

Format Completed
Contents [hide]
Genre Superhero
1 Publication history Publication date October 2006 – November
2 Plot 2012
3 Characters No. of issues 72
4 Collected editions Main character(s) (List of characters)
4.1 Definitive Editions Creative team
5 Awards Created by Garth Ennis
6 Adaptations Darick Robertson
6.1 Scrapped film Written by Garth Ennis
6.2 Television series Artist(s) Darick Robertson
6.3 Audiobook series Peter Snejbjerg (#13–14)
6.4 Animated series John Higgins (#26, #28)
Carlos Ezquerra (#31–32,
6.5 "We Gotta Go Now" adaptation
#34)
7 References Richard P. Clark (#42–43,
8 External links #72)
Russ Braun (#44–51, #56–
71)

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Publication history [ edit ]
Penciller(s) John McCrea (#33, #39, #52–
55, #65)
The first six issues of The Boys were published by Wildstorm, Keith Burns (#33, #39, #52–
starting in 2006. On January 24, 2007, the series was abruptly 55, #65)
Russ Braun (#65)
canceled with issue 6. Ennis later explained that this was
Inker(s) Rodney Ramos (#11–12)
because DC Comics (of which Wildstorm was an imprint before
Matt Jacobs (#22)
it was disbanded) were uneasy with the anti-superhero tone of Hector Ezquerra (#31–32,
the work.[3] The planned collection of said issues was also #34)
canceled. Co-creator Darick Robertson said that "DC is being John McCrea (#33, #39, #52–
55, #65)
good about reverting our rights so we can find a new publisher
Keith Burns (#33, #39, #52–
and we're in the process of doing that now".[4] Ennis then 55, #65)
released a statement that some other publishers had Russ Braun (#65)
expressed interest, and that issue 7 and a trade paperback of Letterer(s) Greg Thompson (#1–6)
the first six issues would be available. While Robertson was on Simon Bowland (#7–72)
exclusive contract to DC, he was given special dispensation to Colorist(s) Tony Aviña
continue working on The Boys.[5] In February 2007 the series Editor(s) Ben Abernathy (#1–6)
was picked up by Dynamite Entertainment[6] and it resumed in Kristy Quinn (#1–6)
May. A collected edition of the first six issues was also Collected editions
published by Dynamite, with a foreword by Simon Pegg. Pegg The Name of the ISBN 91-33-30546-3
was the model on whom the character Hughie was based in the Game

way he was drawn in the comics by Robertson.[7] Get Some ISBN 1933305681
Good for the Soul ISBN 1933305924
In February 2009, Dynamite announced a spin-off mini-series,
We Gotta Go Now ISBN 1848562985
Herogasm, with art from John McCrea and Keith Burns;
Herogasm ISBN 160690082X
subsequent miniseries included Highland Laddie and Butcher,
Baker, Candlestick Maker, with the three series each later The Self- ISBN 1606901257
Preservation
being compiled as volumes of The Boys.[8]
Society
After The Boys was completed, Ennis told CBR.com that the The Innocents ISBN 1606901508
comic had benefitted from Wildstorm cancelling it, in that Highland Laddie ISBN 1606902075
Dynamite gave him far more freedom than DC ever would The Big Ride ISBN 1606902202
have, saying, "We'd have died on the vine [at DC]. The book Butcher, Baker, ISBN 1606902644
would have been chipped and chipped away at until writing it Candlestickmaker
was pure frustration." He also admitted to "a sigh of relief" as Over the Hill with ISBN 1606903411
Wildstorm had been dissolved as an imprint not long after the the Swords of a
move.[9] Thousand Men
The Bloody Doors ISBN 160690373X
An eight-issue epilogue series, Dear Becky, was published from Off
June to November 2020.[10] Dear Becky ISBN 1524119903

Plot [ edit ]

The series is set between 2006 and 2008[11] in a world where superheroes exist. However, most of the
superheroes in the series' universe are corrupted by their celebrity status and often engage in reckless behavior,
compromising the safety of the world. The story follows a small clandestine CIA squad, informally known as "The
Boys", led by Billy Butcher and comprising Mother'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 follows Annie "Starlight" January, a young and naive

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superhero who joins the Seven, the most prestigious—and corrupted—superhero group in the world and The
Boys' most powerful enemies.

Characters [ edit ]

Main article: List of The Boys characters

Collected editions [ edit ]

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

TPB
TPB page
# Title TPB ISBN Release Collected material
number
date
ISBN 91-33-
1 The Name of the Game June 2007 152 The Boys #1–6
30546-3
ISBN 1-
2 Get Some March 2008 192 The Boys #7–14
933305-68-1
ISBN 1- October
3 Good for the Soul 192 The Boys #15–22
933305-92-4 2008
ISBN 1-
4 We Gotta Go Now July 2009 192 The Boys #23–30
84856-298-5
ISBN 1- November
5 Herogasm 144 Herogasm #1–6
60690-082-X 2009
ISBN 1-
6 The Self-Preservation Society March 2010 192 The Boys #31–38
60690-125-7
ISBN 1- December
7 The Innocents 216 The Boys #39–47
60690-150-8 2010
ISBN 1-
8 Highland Laddie April 2011 144 Highland Laddie #1–6
60690-207-5
ISBN 1- November
9 The Big Ride 276 The Boys #48–59
60690-220-2 9, 2011
Butcher, Baker, ISBN 1- March 6, Butcher, Baker,
10 144
Candlestickmaker 60690-264-4 2012 Candlestickmaker #1–6
Over the Hill with the Swords of ISBN 1- June/July
11 152 The Boys #60–65
a Thousand Men 60690-341-1 2012
ISBN 1- December
12 The Bloody Doors Off 170 The Boys #66–72
60690-373-X 2012
ISBN 978- February
13 Dear Becky 176 Dear Becky #1–8
1524119904 23, 2021

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Definitive Editions [ edit ]

THB
THB page
# Title THB ISBN Release Collected material
number
date
The Boys: Definitive ISBN 1- December
1 344 The Boys #1–14
Edition 1 933305-80-0 2008
The Boys: Definitive ISBN 1-60690- December
2 384 The Boys #15–30
Edition 2 073-0 23, 2009
The Boys: Definitive ISBN 1-60690-
3 April 5, 2011 552 The Boys #31–38 + Herogasm
Edition 3 165-6
The Boys: Definitive ISBN 1-60690-
4 July 2012 370+ pages The Boys #39–47 + Highland Laddie
Edition 4 340-3
The Boys: Definitive ISBN 978- The Boys #48–59 + Butcher, Baker,
5 July 2013 430 pages
Edition 5 1606904121 Candlestickmaker
The Boys: Definitive ISBN 978- February
6 320 pages The Boys #60–72
Edition 6 1606904350 2014

Awards [ edit ]

2008: Nominated, "Best Continuing Series", Eisner Award.[12]

2009: Nominated, "Comic Book of the Year Under $3.00", Diamond Comic Distributor Gem Awards.[13]
2010: Nominated, "Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel", Scream Awards.[14]

Adaptations [ edit ]

Further information: The Boys (franchise)

Scrapped film [ edit ]

Variety reported in February 2008 that Columbia Pictures had optioned the comic for a film adaptation, to be
produced by Neal H. Moritz.[15] and Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi writing the screenplay.[16] In August 2010, Adam
McKay said 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."[17] Columbia Pictures reported in February 2012 that it had dropped its option regarding a film
adaptation of The Boys.[18] However, Adam McKay said in a Twitter response that Paramount Pictures had
picked it up, and that it was still in the works.[19] On April 30, 2013, Manfredi and Hay were hired by Paramount to
write the film,[20] though the project never came to fruition.

Television series [ edit ]

Main article: The Boys (TV series)

In October 2015 it was reported that Cinemax greenlit a television series adaptation of The Boys,[21] and that
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Eric Kripke were producing the series.[22] In September 2017, Variety reported
that Amazon Studios had picked up the series.[23] The series premiered on July 26, 2019.[2] The second season
premiered on September 4, 2020,[24] while the third season premiered on June 3, 2022.[25]

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Audiobook series [ edit ]

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 by GraphicAudio. Volume 1 was released on May 4, 2020.[26]
Volume 7 adapts the Dear Becky epilogue 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 [ edit ]

Main article: The Boys Presents: Diabolical

An animated spin-off series of The Boys, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, was released on March 4, 2022.[27]

"We Gotta Go Now" adaptation [ edit ]

Main article: Gen V

A live-action spin-off series of The Boys, Gen V (formerly The Boys Presents: Varsity), serving as a stand-alone
adaptation of the "We Gotta Go Now" arc from the comic series, focused on the G-Men and inspired by The
Hunger Games, was announced on September 20, 2020, set for a 2023 release.[28][29]

References [ edit ]

1. ^ a b "Inside The Boy's publisher Dynamite Entertainment after the series success" . Forbes. October 17, 2020.
Retrieved August 30, 2021.
2. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (November 8, 2017). "Amazon Orders 'The Boys' Superhero Drama Series Based On Comic
From Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen" . Deadline. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
3. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (February 9, 2007). "Garth Ennis talks The Boys and more (interview)" . Publishers Weekly.
Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
4. ^ The Boys Ends At Wildstorm Archived February 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Newsarama, January 24,
2007
5. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (January 24, 2007). "So long, Boys — Ennis's Statement" . Publishers Weekly. Archived from
the original on January 28, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
6. ^ Brady, Matt (February 7, 2007). "The Boys Lands @ Dynamite Entertainment" . Newsarama. Archived from the
original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
7. ^ Longridge, Chris (July 26, 2019). "Why *that* cameo in Amazon's The Boys is more significant than it looks" .
Digital Spy.
8. ^ Ennis & McCrea Bring You to Herogasm (press release), Comic Book Resources, February 27, 2009
9. ^ "Saying Goodbye To "The Boys" with Garth Ennis, Part 1" . CBR.com. September 25, 2012.
10. ^ Abbate, Jake (September 20, 2020). "Garth Ennis Hints at New Discoveries in The Boys: Dear Becky" .
11. ^ Ennis, Garth (May 3, 2012). "Garth Ennis Commentary On The Boys #66" . Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
12. ^ 2008 Eisner Award Nominees Named Archived January 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (press release),
Newsarama, April 14, 2008
13. ^ Diamond Announces 2009 GEM AWARD Nominees (press release), Newsarama, January 4, 2010
14. ^ Scream (awards) nominees announced Archived September 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine,
ComicsBeat.com, September 3, 2010
15. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (February 20, 2008). "Columbia, Moritz call on 'The Boys' " . Variety. Reed Business Information.
Retrieved August 7, 2010.
16. ^ Kit, Borys (August 26, 2008). "Two men will adapt 'Boys' " . The Hollywood Reporter. e5 Global Media. Archived
from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2010.

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 17. ^ Oldham, Stuart (August 6, 2010). "Q&A with 'The Other Guys' director Adam McKay" . Boffo on Variety. Reed
Business Information. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
18. ^ Kit, Borys. "Columbia Pictures Drops Comic Book Adaptation 'The Boys' (Exclusive)" . The Hollywood Reporter.
19. ^ "Adam McKay on Twitter" .
20. ^ "Screenwriters Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay Talk THE BOYS Movie, Adam McKay's Vision, the Involvement of Garth
Ennis, and More" . Collider. April 30, 2013.
21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 12, 2015). " 'The Boys' Drama Based On Comic Book Set At Cinemax With Seth Rogen,
Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke, Original Film & Sony" . Deadline.
22. ^ Farchi, Devin (October 12, 2015). "Seth Rogen Is Shopping An Adaptation Of THE BOYS To Cable Nets" .
Birth.Movies.Death.
23. ^ Cynthia Littleton; Daniel Holloway (September 8, 2017). "Amazon Orders Fred Armisen-Maya Rudolph Comedy,
Wong Kar-wai Drama, 3 Other Projects (EXCLUSIVE)" . Variety. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
24. ^ [1] , Season 2 release date.
25. ^ Gelman, Vlada (January 7, 2022). "The Boys Season 3 Gets Premiere Date — Watch Announcement Video" .
TVLine. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
26. ^ "The Boys Volume 1" . May 1, 2020.
27. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (January 18, 2022). "Diabolical: Amazon Sets Premiere Date For The Boys Spinoff Animated
Series" . Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
28. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 27, 2021). " 'The Boys' Spinoff Series Developed by Amazon with Michele Fazekas &
Tara Butters as Showrunners" . Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
29. ^ Maas, Jennifer (October 2, 2020). "The Boys Supe College Spinoff Is 'Loosely Inspired' by X-Men Parody From
Comics, Eric Kripke Says" . TheWrap. Retrieved October 2, 2020.

External links [ edit ]

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

Categories: WildStorm titles Superhero comics The Boys (comics) 2006 comics debuts
2012 comics endings Comics adapted into television series Comics by Garth Ennis
Comics critical of religion Comics set in New York City Dynamite Entertainment titles

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