The Boys - We Gotta Go Now...
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Boys: We Gotta Go Now... (Ennis / Robertson): In the fourth volume of Garth Ennis' The Boys, Wee Hughie is sent off to investigate 'G-Force' - this world's analogue of the X-Men.
There are a half-dozen different G-teams, all of which operate under slightly different rules from the rest of Vought American's superhero 'franchises'. Still, they're incredibly profitable (everyone loves to buy gear supporting these 'outsider' heroes), so they're left to their own devices. However, when a founding member of 'G-force' commits suicide in a spectacular fashion, a lot of parties - including the Boys - decide it may finally be time to intervene...
Wee Hughie is sent in undercover to join the junior G-Force team (think this world's New Mutants equivalent). What he finds is a lot of seriously warped kids living in a superheroic frat house, complete with porn room. While he investigates from the inside, MM goes off on some detective work, and the rest of the Boys sit tight (mostly trying to control their psychopathic impulses).
Although another entertaining instalment, the series is starting to run out of ways to maintain its early days of shock & awe. The ridiculous fratboy antics of the G-teams are mostly just gross-out tactics from the writer. In the earlier collections, Ennis combined his dark & salty humor with surprising revelations and intriguing plot twists. 'We Gotta Go Now...' feels a little stale in comparison. Although the comedy is still there, the ultimate revelations feel a little predictable and a little forced.
This does, however, seem like a blip (a 'dip' down from 'excellence' to 'good') - and this collection does set up bigger and better things for Volume 5. The Boys has been a unique take on 'superheroics' since the first issue, and continues to toe its unrelenting, no holds barred approach.