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Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM |
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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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The Boys #4
Reviewer: Chris Nuttall "Jings!" Some long time ago, I read a short article by Larry Niven (who actually had a hand in writing some DC comics, mainly Green Lantern) about some of the….ah, sexual problems involved in superhuman existence. A man, referred to as Kal-El, and a woman called LL, were used as the examples…man of steel, woman of Kleenex was the general conclusion. The unnamed superhero – nudge, nudge, wink, wink – would simultaneously crush the poor woman, rip her right open, and blow the top of her head off at the moment of climax. I’ll leave you to imagine the gory details for yourself. Actually don’t. It’ll put you off nudge nudge, wink wink for life. There is little doubt that this issue is definitely a part two; the storyline reads as a split between Annie January’s inauguration to the Seven – ever wondered what superheroes do at their meetings? Wonder no more! – and Wee Hughie, who has been tossed in at the deep end by Butcher. Poor Annie discovers that the Seven are right…umm, I can’t say that word on this site, right? The Seven might be superheroes, in the lines of the JLA, but they’re not nice people. It rather reminds me of that old Superman TV show when the new superhero was dictating terms before trying to rescue people. Their little club is a business – and God help Annie. The Homelander’s contrast – that word again – between his public and private lives and his relations with his fellow team members are chilling; given the secret origin of the superheroes, revealed this issue, it makes you wonder just how long he’s been around… But enough of the perverted JLA; we all know what we came for – superhuman group sex. As the Boys start preparing their campaign against Teenage Kix, they start spying on the group’s activities…and let’s just say that they’re far from savoury. Teenage Kix, as Hughie says, are into things that people never knew were possible – and some of them have nasty effects. Ennis should be commended, if nothing else, for his take-no-prisoners approach to certain implications; the neatly understated approach reveals the horror, bit by bit. In particular, the [spoiler] bleeding whore [/spoiler] is utterly chilling. Butcher’s character continues to develop, not only in [spoiler] his ongoing affair with the CIA director [/spoiler] but his relationship with Wee Hughie. His way of ‘assisting’ Hughie – without Hughie’s knowledge or consent, is chilling; is there any real difference between the Homelander and Butcher? Of course, for those who over-analysis, one is left to wonder [spoiler] why, if they have the ability to make superhumans en masse, the US govt didn’t simply start upgrading the SPECFOR groups? Too few volunteers? [/spoiler] Given the climax of the book, with a [spoiler] furious Wee Hughie returning to his flat and declaring his intention to return to Glasgow [/spoiler], one is left wondering how it will all play out… Artwork. What can I say about the artwork? Well, the first thing – pun not intended, for those of you with dirty minds – that leaps out at you is the…ahem, relations. The contrast between the supes and the whores is very well done; the supes are enjoying themselves…while the whores are clearly terrified at the…ah, pounding they’re about to endure… I can’t go on like this, it’s virtually pornographic… Anyway…the love-fear relationship with the supes comes to the fore here, as Mother’s Milk spies on the strange relationship between two of the Kix and an actress, who is clearly terrified to be anywhere near them, even though she puts up a good show for the cameras. The brief – blink and you’ll miss them – moments when the other Boys (and girl) spy on the supes are neatly done, while the meeting between Butcher and the CIA director is well drawn. There is less to be said about the backgrounds here, simply because almost all of the book is focused on the people – there are no massive backgrounds for us to enjoy. Pity, really. You know, I can’t wait for Issue 5. What is it with DC these days and issue dates? Four out of five.
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