''The Boys'' is a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

, written by

Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dari ...

and co-created, designed, and illustrated by

Darick Robertson Darick W. Robertson is an American artist best known for his work as a comic book illustrator on series he co-created, notably ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002) and '' The Boys'' (2006–2012; 2020). Robertson has illustrated hundreds of comic ...

. It was originally published by

WildStorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...

(

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

), before being cancelled after its first volume, and revived by

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...

, who published the following eight volumes. 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 A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

as Ennis' previous 1995–2000 DC Vertigo series, ''

Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...

'', with former

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

Proinsias Cassidy Proinsias Cassidy, also known mononymously simply as Proinsias or Cassidy, is a fictional Character (arts), character and antihero in the Garth Ennis comic book series ''Preacher (comics), Preacher'' and ''The Boys (comics), The Boys'', respecti ...

cameoing as a

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...

. Three 6-issue spin-off

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

were also produced during the series' original run: ''

Herogasm ''Herogasm'' is a six-issue comic book limited series by Garth Ennis, John McCrea and Keith Burns. Originally published as a spin-off of ''The Boys'', set between issues #30 and #31, ''Herogasm'' was collected in trade paperback in November 200 ...

'', ''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 Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...

and

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainm ...

into a

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

that premiered on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

on July 26, 2019, through a brand licensing rights agreement with Dynamite Entertainment, from which a

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

was launched—

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

'' Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman'', which premiered July 7, 2021— spin-off

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...

, '' Diabolical'', which premiered on March 4, 2022 (of which the third episode, "I'm Your Pusher", is set in the same continuity as the comic series)—and live-action spin-off series ''

Gen V ''Gen V'' (also known as ''The Boys: Gen V'') is an upcoming American superhero streaming television series, developed by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, serving as a spin-off of '' The Boys'' by Eric Kripke, and based on '' The Boys'' comic boo ...

'', which is set to premiere in 2023.

Publication history

The first six issues of ''The Boys'' were published by

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...

, starting in 2006. On January 24, 2007, the series was abruptly canceled with issue 6. Ennis later explained that this was because DC Comics (of which Wildstorm was an

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

before 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 a trade paperback of the first six issues would be available. While Robertson was on exclusive contract to DC, he was given special dispensation to continue working on ''The Boys''. In February 2007 the series was picked up by

and it resumed in May. A collected edition of the first six issues was also published by Dynamite, with a foreword by

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...

. Pegg was the model on whom the character Hughie was based in the way he was drawn in the comics by Robertson. In February 2009, Dynamite announced a spin-off mini-series, ''

'', with art from John McCrea and Keith Burns; subsequent miniseries included Highland Laddie and ''

Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker The second season of the American superhero television series '' The Boys'', the first series in the franchise based on the comic book series of the same name written by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, was developed for television by American ...

'', with the three series each later being compiled as volumes of ''The Boys''. After ''The Boys'' was completed, Ennis told

CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

that 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

t DC T, or t, is the twentieth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabe ...

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-issue

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the w ...

series, Dear Becky, was published from June to November 2020.

Plot

The series is set between 2006 and 2008 in a world where

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es exist. However, most of the superheroes in the series' universe are corrupted by their

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

status and often engage in reckless behavior, compromising the safety of the world. The story follows a small

clandestine Clandestine may refer to: * Secrecy, the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals * Clandestine operation, a secret intelligence or military activity Music and entertainme ...

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

squad, informally known as "The Boys", led by

Billy Butcher William J. "Billy" Butcher, or "Billy the Butcher", is a fictional character and antihero in the comic book and Amazon Prime series '' The Boys'', created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. He is the leader of The Boys, a group of CIA-sponsore ...

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

Characters

Collected editions

Dynamite releases both hardcover and trade paperback collections on an ongoing basis (including those comics previously published by

). In addition, Dynamite also releases "Definitive" slipcased hardcovers, which contain two trade/hardcover collections to an "omnibus."

Definitive Editions

Awards

* 2008: Nominated, "Best Continuing Series",

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

. * 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 The Scream Awards was an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films. Originally only having ''Scream Queen'' and ''Heroic Performance'' awards for actors, the personnel awards have expanded to include actors a ...

Adaptations

Scrapped film

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reported in February 2008 that

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

had

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

the comic for a film adaptation, to be produced by

Neal H. Moritz Neal H. Moritz (born June 6, 1959) is an American film producer and founder of Original Film. He has produced over 70 major motion pictures which have grossed a total of over $11 billion worldwide as of 2021. He is best known for the ''Fast & Fu ...

. and Phil Hay and

Matt Manfredi Matt Manfredi is an American screenwriter. Early life and education Manfredi is from Palos Verdes, California,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." Columbia Pictures reported in February 2012 that it had dropped its option regarding a film adaptation of ''The Boys''. However, Adam McKay said in a Twitter response that

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

had 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

In October 2015 it was reported that

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent ...

greenlit a television series adaptation of ''The Boys'', and that

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...

Evan Goldberg Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American filmmaker and comedian. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on the films '' Superbad'', ''Pineapple Express'', ''This Is the End'', '' The Interview'', and '' ...

and

Eric Kripke Eric Kripke (born 1974) is an American writer and television producer. He came to prominence as the creator of the fantasy drama series ''Supernatural'' (2005–2020) which aired on The CW. He served as the showrunner during the first five seasons ...

were producing the series. In September 2017, ''Variety'' reported that

had picked up the series. The series premiered on July 26, 2019. The second season premiered on September 4, 2020, while the third season premiered on June 3, 2022.

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 by GraphicAudio. Volume 1 was released on May 4, 2020. 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

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

"We Gotta Go Now" adaptation

A live-action spin-off series of ''The Boys'', ''

'' (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 ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...

'', was announced on September 20, 2020, set for a 2023 release.

References

External links

* Sullivan, Michael Patrick (April 19, 2007)
"The Boys" Are Back in Town: Ennis & Robertson Speak

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boys, The 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 Superhero comics