The Boys Vol. 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis

The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis

2007, Dynamite Entertainment

Series: Book 1 of The Boys

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Rating

Synopsis: THIS IS GOING TO HURT! In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone's got to make sure the "supes" don't get out of line. And someone will. Billy Butcher, Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman and The Female are The Boys: A CIA backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth-superpower. Some superheroes have to be watched. Some have to be controlled. And some of them-sometimes-need to be taken out of the picture That's when you call in THE BOYS

The Good: What happens when the superheroes are the bad guys? That's the basic premise of this graphic novel. Unlimited power goes to superheroes heads and them become lazy and corrupt. More concerned with merchandising and getting laid than keeping citizens safe. It's a really fun premise and the execution is brutally vivid and violent. Lots of possibility for future volumes.

The Bad: A friend recommended this series and I should have really considered his tastes before getting my hopes up. The attempt at being edgy misses the mark as often as it hits it. The humor tries to be shocking, but is way too often juvenile at best. It feels like an awesome story being mangled by a 13 year old trying to make it hardcore.