The Boys adapts another exploitive Garth Ennis comic to mixed results

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Between 1995 and 2005, Garth Ennis penned the comic series ‘Preacher’, a gory, profane, anti-religious subversive adventure. I didn’t read until ten years after it ended, so maybe the impact was lessened by then, because although I enjoyed the series, it often felt exploitative for its own sake and to punch home the author’s hatred of organized religion. ‘The Boys’ was his most popular follow-up series, running from 2008 to 2013. This one was instead focused on exploitative superhero subversion, and Garth Ennis’ utter disdain for the very concepts of superheroes.

Although it was often fun to read too, I ultimately felt it was weirdly cynical and not as clever as it thought, considering ‘Watchmen’ was already pondering such concepts in 1987. But now I consider it a guilty pleasure. The same dudes behind the TV adaptation of Preacher, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, also produce this one although The Boys is showrun by Eric Kripke.

The show starts in a very similar fashion to the books, but just like Preacher, takes many new radical changes, some that work better than others, and leaving an unusually uncertain cliffhanger. In a world where superheroes number in the hundreds, caped crusading is monetized and run by mega-corporation Vought International. Chief among these ‘supes’ are The Seven, with blond Homelander (a Superman/Captain America mutation played by Anthony Starr), one lady Queen Maeve (Wonder Woman type played by Dominique McElligott), super fast dude A-Train (many of these types, played by Jessie T. Usher) and underwater Aquaman ripoff The Deep (Chace Crawford).

We start with The Seven missing a new member, and follow the journey of Annie or ‘Starlight’ (Erin Moriarty) as she auditions for and gets accepted to the elite (and successful) group. But a ‘me too’ situation happens and suddenly her zeal becomes muted, increasingly so as she discovers that the supes are more interested in making money than saving lives. Also watching over them is the Vought management led by Madelyn Stillwell (Elizabeth Shue), a cold executive with a weird, dependent relationship with Homelander.

We also follow the path of Hughie (Jack Quaid), a regular Joe who works in an electronics store with a girlfriend Robin, who is killed accidentally by A-Train in the first moments of the episode. This leads him into the clutches of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and his group ‘The Boys’, which are in theory all about taking down the supes, even if it seems impossible due to their invulnerability.

Many of the ideas and beats of the series are run through, but in very, very different ways. Part of this makes sense; in the books, a major conspiracy is about an alternate version of 9/11, and I don’t think it would play well on a mainstream streaming service. There are also a lot of problematic elements, sexist language and grotesquerie, and perhaps the least is the overwhelming gore. That last part is the most faithful inclusion here.

Oddly, The Boys works decently as a something that’s not an adaptation at all. The slow deterioration of Homelander’s psyche is completely different, if still there, as is Starlight’s disillusion. Many characters from the books are cut out (some definitely for the better), and others changed so much they are effectively other characters with the same name.

Stillwell is a gender swapped character from the books, and her personality is completely different and thus, the dynamics with the characters are different. And the season finale goes in such completely different directions with her character, I honestly have no idea where they’re going next. The ethnicities of The Deep and A-Train are switched, and both given richer, more complicated side stories. But the execution of both is muddled, leaving me unclear if we are meant to sympathize at all with these two people that have killed and sexually assaulted others.

Sometimes the show seems to forget the changed characterization, quoting the original series in ways that feel off, because they have become so different. Still, references are fun, like Simon Pegg playing Hughie’s father, as he was the visual inspiration for Hughie in the comics. But the more heavy focus on the supes leads to less on some of the other characters, like Marvin ‘Mother’s Milk’ (Laz Alonso), one of The Boys who doesn’t feel as well fleshed out.

They do a better job with ‘The Female’ (Karen Fukuhara, wasted in Suicide Squad like everything else) and ‘Frenchie’ (Tomer Kapon) and their unique relationship, even if they again change their backstories. The visual styles and effects of the show are excellent, really keeping the immersion high as we explore this dark funhouse of superhero misery. And the acting of the large cast of characters is also very good, even if Karl Urban’s accent is a bit inconsistent.

I don’t particularly care about the race or gender swapping, even if sometimes it feels meant to check some diversity boxes. The Deep was a completely pointless character in the comics, and the sheer number of side characters meant that didn’t really matter. Here, he’s interesting at least, if weirdly sympathetically portrayed. Many of the themes about superhero worship and commodifying the superhero ideal by giant corporations still work, although some are treated more subtly than others.

If you can stand the supreme levels of gore and violence, there is an interesting show and story here to see — just don’t have expectations of the comics it was based on.

The Boys has been renewed for a second season. What did you think of the first season? Tell us in the comments below!