Comic Review: The Boys: Dear Becky #1

The Boys: Dear Becky #1

Dynamite Entertainment

Writer: Garth Ennis

Art: Russ Braun, Tony Aviña & Simon Bowland

For anyone who has read the original series of The Boys, being a fan or not, it is interesting to know Ennis still has stories to tell in that universe. A title conceived with a parody of DC Comics’ heroes and how their private personas clashed with their public ones, now brings forth, yet again, Billy Butcher’s past, this time through the lens of Wee Hughie who, since the ending of the original series, has opted for a calm and normal life with Annie.

The issue opens up with Hughie sitting in a pub, in Scotland, along with his friend Bobbi, a trans woman. Discussing being politically correct and alike. The comic takes us briefly away from the two friends at the pub to show us Hughie curled up in the bathroom trembling as he considers reading a mysterious book that is right in front of him. The chapter goes back to the two friends now discussing Hughie’s last twelve years and how the world’s been dealing with supes since then.

The first word in this chapter is an f-bomb. So, all I can say is, I’m glad this is being written by Ennis after all these years without a new entry on The Boys series. Not much happens in this first issue as much as the set up for the main conflict. Ennis manages to sneak in a gory throwback to a mission the Boys carried on before Mallory’s resignation and if you liked the original series’ gore, blunt violence, and raw perspective on the superhero question in-universe, well, it’s all back in the best Garth Ennis fashion. And, boy, oh boy, am I glad! I don’t think any other writer ever could do with characters and plots what Ennis usually does which can be extremely dumb and ridiculous but can shift to deep and meaningful in a single panel.

Russ Braun to the world of the Boys as well and it’s just as welcome as Ennis. Despite baring somewhat more simplistic lines in his illustrations (especially if compared to Darick Robertson’s work which contains tons of details) I think the core of his work, at least for The Boys, is how well he nails the facial expressions which is a huge plus considering how snarky Ennis’ dialogue is and the range of emotions it can show. Along with the old cast’s reunion is Tony Aviña who returns as a colorist for the comic, complementing Braun’s lines beautifully giving it precise lighting in every panel despite keeping it simple and flat enough, to sum up perfectly along with the penciling.

If you’ve read up to this point and you’re a fan of The Boys original comic book series and any previous installations. If you’ve only watched the show, maybe it’s time to catch up on the slightly different plot points between comic and TV series in order to be able to keep up with this new title. With a great return of a legendary cast of artists, I, for one, am relieved and satisfied with the quality of this new iteration and cannot wait for the next issue.