Things I've read at work: The Boys

On my ten minute and hour long breaks at Borders I usually pick up a comic or a graphic novel. When I was at the midtown store I read roughly 5 single issues a week and now that I work at Brookwood I go through 3-4 of those a week while polishing off 1-4 graphic novels. I thought I'd share some of what I've read recently with you.

The most recent GN I've read is The Boys, a mag that is most definitely graphic. There's tons of sex and gore in the book not to mention language that could make a sailor blush. The story centers around a CIA funded group of anti-heroes looking to set irresponsible supers back in line through blackmail, scare tactics, and the occasional beat down. The group is run by a dude by the name of Butcher. He's out for revenge and spends his time off fucking the the head of the CIA on her desk. He's British and has a really creepy bulldog. As you don't really get a lot of details on most of the other characters in the group and because I'm bad with names there's not much to tell about the 3 other people in the group. One's is a psychotic Frenchman who wears a flight cap with goggles, talks to his tea and beats people to pulps. Then there's the Female ( that's what everyone calls her). She's creepy ( in a pasty goth way), doesn't talk much, and kills in very creative ways. Next there's Milk Man, an African American wall of muscle, who tries to improve the lives of the children he's adopted during the day while helping Butcher keep things shipshape in his free time. Finally, there's Hughie aka Simon Pegg. That's right Shaun of the dead is part of this group. Unlike the rest of the group, he's got really no clue as to whats going on at first. The book opens with his girlfriend becoming collateral damage during a superhero battle and the "good guy" just shrugging it off and leaving. Butcher later finds out and recruits him. Moving away from the story and into the more nitpicky bits, the artwork is great. It's got a slightly gritty style without much gloss. The story seems to be put together well and the dialog is also very well done. Overall, a pretty good read. I'm gonna pick up the second one on my break tomorrow.