SkullWriter
Since: Mar, 2021
03/27/2021 00:00:00
I keep edging between either seeing the series or giving up, and your review actually got me a bit more interested in checking it out. Is Butcher still an insufferably Mary Sue that can't be stopped and everyone dreads? And whose plans are unstoppable because *insert Garth Ennis fanboyism about the punisher*
KizunaTallis
Since: Oct, 2011
03/28/2021 00:00:00
Nope, not even close. While he\'s still generally dreaded and a vicious killer, he is treated more critically (the other Boys express frustration with him and he is called out for his more toxic behaviors) and his \"plans\" tend to blow up in his face more often than not.
Leave a Comment:
So, SOOOOOOO much better than the source material
I've been pretty open about my dislike of Garth Ennis' material, as I've made clear in my review of his series Crossed. So when I heard that The Boys was getting an adaptation, I was ambivalent for the most part. While it wasn't the worst thing Ennis has churned out, it still took a titanic amount of effort for me to just read the first volume of the comic before I just gave up entirely for the sake of my sanity and stomach. The story was just plain grim, the characters unlikable (with the exceptions of Hughie and Annie), the art was painful to look at, and the usual Ennis trademark of juvenile shock humor and the way the story was written in such a way to justify his hate-boner for superheroes made it fall utterly flat as an attempted deconstruction of superheroes.
That being said, I'm glad I gave the show a chance thanks to the recommendations of my friends, because it is way better than the comics.
Karl Urban's Billy Butcher is less of the borderline Punisher-style Gary Stu of the comic and is actually treated realistically. The other Boys are also given much more room to breathe and better character arcs, especially Mother's Milk, whose comic storyline just felt so needlessly over-the-top (ex-wife doing incest porn with their daughter, excuse me while I barf), and The Female, who's given much more agency and character beyond "borderline mindless killing machine". I also love that the Supes themselves are given more depth beyond just being Hate Sink caricatures like they were in the comics. Homelander especially is a highlight, and Anthony Starr's performance is absolutely perfectly chilling. The team being Badass Normals rather than being empowered with Compound V was another welcome change, as it keeps the story and stakes much more interesting beyond the usual "super tough guys duking it out", as well as allowing for much more creativity in the team's schemes to bring the Seven down.
But the biggest improvement for me is the show's more nuanced and genuinely deconstructive take on superhero media. While the comic mostly just felt like an exercise on Ennis' part to piss all over superhero comics, the show feels more methodical and a better indictment of the corporatism and commodification of the present superhero scene, as well as of celebrity culture in general, such as its incorporation of things like the "Me Too" movement and even occasional tackling of racial issues. The Stormfront plotline was especially well done in how her and Homelander's relationship is a perfect metaphor for present-day America.
I'm looking forward to Season 3 and see where it goes from here.