 COMICS |  | DYNAMITE SPOTLIGHT: THE BOYS | | In this new monthly column, we'll be checking in with creators Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson for their commentary on each ish as they hit. First up: Ennis on 'The Boys' #18! | | | By Andy Serwin | | Posted May 9, 2008 | |  | | The Boys are back in town again, and you know what that means: bar brawls, hot chicks…and oh yeah, a black ops squad of superpowered operatives who police the caped set in the Dynamite Entertainment series The Boys from writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson.
Starting this month, we’ll be checking in with the respective creators on a rotating basis to provide an in-depth rundown of each issue. Here, WizardUniverse.com chats with Ennis about The Boys #18.
To recap quick: Hughie comes face to face with the retarded reanimated corpse of the Blarney Cock, and they settle their differences over the hamster once and for all…Mother’s Milk and Billy the Butcher share a cab ride and discuss MM’s mother issues…Starlight gets into a blowout with A-Train over missing a meeting of The Seven…and The Frenchman and the Female watch nature shows!
| |  WIZARDUNIVERSE.COM: The Hughie/Blarney Cock showdown took on some hilarious and disturbing dimensions. Did that “fight” play out as well as you’d hoped/planned? Is Blarney Cock’s undead status your take on the current zombie fad that’s hit comics the past few years? And is B.C. REALLY dead this time?
ENNIS: I very much doubt we’ll be seeing him again, though there are a few more of these reanimation jobs wandering around, and we’ll be meeting at least two over the next couple of storylines. I’m barely even aware that there has been a zombie fad in comics, beyond Warren Ellis’ enjoyably nasty Black Gas mini.
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WIZARDUNIVERSE.COM: The scenes with the hamster are priceless, especially the way Darick draws the expression on its face. Did you ever think you’d get this much quality mileage out of a small rodent? And why do you think the old “small animal in the rectum” rumor has such legs?
I imagine because it’s so grotesque and disturbing, coupled with the long-standing association of one particular actor with the rumor in question. I honestly can’t see anyone doing it for real, not without almost immediately suffocating the poor creature—and therefore, presumably, negating any chance of achieving the desired effect. That said, I’m sure people have made unsuccessful attempts, if only on the theory that everything physically possible has been tried at some point (the idea of the snuff movie being an urban myth, for example, has to be pretty doubtful by now—because as soon as the idea got out there, someone somewhere gave it a try). As for Jamie the hamster himself, his original appearance was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I honestly had no idea that he’d last as long as he has. But I like him, and I like the idea of such an unfortunate, abused animal eventually finding a good and loving home.
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The Mother’s Milk-mother subplot is becoming really intriguing, thanks in large part to his reactions after their recent meeting: his anger in the cab with Butcher, then his puking later on back at HQ. What’s going on with MM in terms of his mother issues, and when can we expect to see her show up and MM’s issues with her addressed?
Watch out for MM’s origin story, coming soon-ish. Everyone gets their time in the spotlight.
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Starlight’s having a rough go of it with the Seven in this issue, but she also finds a little backbone when she stands up to A-Train. Where is Annie going as a character, outside of her relationship with Hughie? Will she be with the Seven moving forward? Could she eventually wind up with The Boys?
I can say for certain that she won’t be joining The Boys. Beyond that, keep reading.
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The big tease at the end of the issue has Butcher and Hughie talking about the latter’s upcoming meeting with The Legend; what can you tease about that get-together? What can we expect to learn about the Boys and their history? And how will that knowledge change Hughie and the scope of the series (if at all)?
The next storyline, “I Tell You No Lie, G.I.” (#19-#22) should answer those questions. As in all things, Hughie doesn’t get quite what he’s expecting—or, indeed, even what he’s hoping for.
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For our Thursday Morning Quarterback review of The Boys #18, click here! | | | |
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