The Boys

Marshal Law is a comic that represented a true watershed in the landscape of superhero stories. Created by Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill, the series debuted in the early ’80s as a dark and violent parody of the genre. Not only did it radically depart from traditional heroic narratives, but it also inspired modern works like The Boys, with which it shares many of its themes and the same cynical and disillusioned view of superheroes. Garth Ennis’s work, in fact, drew inspiration from Marshal Law to explore the idea of superheroes as corrupt and morally ambiguous characters, foreshadowing many of its themes, such as the abuse of power and criticism of consumerist society.

The Boys isn’t your typical superhero comic, and thank goodness for that. If you’re tired of spandex-clad guys rescuing kittens from trees with virtuous stares, then Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson have just what you need. Here, the “supes” aren’t exactly heroes but rather sociopaths chasing glory and personal gratification. Sure, there are explosions, epic fights, and iconic characters, but every page drips with a corrosive critique of the superhero myth and the culture that worships it.

The protagonists? A group of “ordinary men” (though not quite) who decide to teach these arrogant gods a hard lesson. Billy Butcher, the team leader, is the embodiment of well-channeled hatred. A character with the charisma of a London gangster and the subtlety of a truck when it comes to morality. And then there’s Hughie, the unlucky everyman, representing the reader thrown into a world of ultra-violence and razor-sharp wit.