The Boys #68, by Marc Alan Fishman – Snarky Synopsis | @MDWorld

July 8, 2012 Marc Fishman 0 Comments

Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Russ Braun

In a recent conversation I had with my best mate, Kyle (of Unshaven infamy…), we came to a point of impasse regarding the Boys. See, after the big to-do a few issues back, I was truly delighted to see that there was one final arc left in Ennis’ dirty bag of plots. Kyle on the other hand, wasn’t so tickled. As he saw it… the best and biggest fight we’d waited five years to see was over. The big reveal and twist wasn’t as grandiose as we’d hoped. And all Kyle felt was left to do was “dot some i’s and cross some t’s”… In other words? Waste ink and paper. Well, I’m happy to report that by the end of this issue? Kyle better unbuckle his belt; He’s about to eat a crapload of crow.

The Boys #68 continues “The Bloody Doors Off” arc, as Wee Hughie, Mother’s Milk, The Female and Frenchie take stock with their recent intel. You see, after the apocalyptic battle in DC, Butcher Baker went off on a walkabout. Over the course of so many issues, you can barely recount it all… his cold and calculated hand becomes abundantly clear. For those who are gun-shy to spoilers, I’ll ask you to step aside. Before you go though? The Boy #68 is fantastic. If you’ve not gotten into the series by now, go start scooping up the trades. You won’t regret it. OK, are the noobs gone? Good. So, as Butcher makes clear in this issue, it’s all about the end game. Figuring he would have died at the hands of Homelander, Butcher found himself in a precarious predicament—with his biggest adversary a mushy corpse—what is there left to do? Take up knitting? Keep a desk job and deal with errant Super-Heroes from time to time? To paraphrase Mr. Baker… Bollocks no. Let’s just end every last Mother-Fucking-One-Of-Them.

Wee Hughie, now in his biggest-boy-pants, seems fit to lead the revolt against his mentor. And rightfully so. To remove all folks in the world with Compound V would mean the murder and massacre of hundred of thousands of people (potentially). That’s not what the Boys signed up for. And with it, the scene was set. From here, I honestly figured Ennis was out of steam. They’d get to Butcher a bit too late (hello Ozymandias, anyone?), there’d be some shouting, and Butcher would commit suicide. Well, by the end of this issue? It’s very apparent how much steam is left in ole’ Garth. Enough to power several locomotives to be sure. And frankly? I’m damn happy to have been along for the ride as long as I have.

While DC and Marvel scramble to reboot, relaunch, and rebrand themselves… Dynamite proves that with a solid creative team left to their own devices, a series can be consistently amazing. And when you know the end is coming? You can rightfully build to a logical end. Perhaps it’s the sincerest problem with mainstream books; When there is no end in sight, you’re never building to anything more than the next obvious big thing. In the independents, there’s an immediacy to the fiction. The shocking death at the end of The Boy #68 proves just that. While we’d been “spinning wheels” and “offing extras” over the last few books, Ennis unleashes a true game-changer with seconds left on the clock. Sixty-seven previous chapters all coalescing into this final denouement. It’s a well achieved victory fans of the series will enjoy.

Artistically speaking, Russ Braun is as well seated as series founder Darick Robertson (who I had the joy of meeting just a few weeks back—truly a friendly guy if you’ve ever met one). Braun’s expressive faces, realistic (if perhaps a bit cartoony) figures, and detailed backgrounds cement this book visually as a cut above. While the occasional gore takes the book to 11, what Braun’s real strength is… is all in the small details. In a given panel, he’s able to show us Wee Hughie’s fear and lost innocence, MM’s solace and silent strength, and the Frenchman’s underlaying tough side. Not a word bubble to the panel, but everything needing to be said is being told solely through drawings. These moments are what comics should aspire to present.

At the beginning of the series, many pegged The Boys to be just an Ennis’ dirty joke and jab at the industry. And honestly? They were basically right. But when the series moved to it’s new home, you could begin the see the real genius at work. Slowly unfolding a universe with rich history, into glib mockeries of books we were lapping up elsewhere. And when the yuck-yucks were over, and it was time show what the series was made of? Ennis, Robertson, and Braun brought it home. There’s only a handful of issues left, and folks… if you’ve the stomach for super semen, brain spatter, misogyny, hamster sodomy, and “aunt flo” mouth? You’ll enjoy easily one of the deepest, darkest, and best comics being published today—now go grab a few trades of this marvelous filth, and say thank you, for fuck’s sake.