A blood-soaked & ballsy superhero satire.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but superheroes are all the rage right now, not least on TV. Whether it’s the grittier end of the MCU on Netflix, the teen-friendly antics of the CW, or...whatever the hell Legion is, superheroes have been anywhere and everywhere on the small screen lately. But, with the fallout between Netflix and Marvel bringing an abrupt halt to the world of Daredevil et al, a gap has opened up out there for more adult comic book fare.

Step forward The Boys. Pitching itself as an adult-orientated, anti-superhero-superhero show, I was initially dubious as to whether it could really offer anything new outside of blood and a bunch of naughty words, however, under the profanity and violence, the series gives an intriguing twist to the superhero concept, delivering a dark satire on a genre that’s ripe for it.

Based on the Gareth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic book series, The Boys turns the world of the superhero on its head by positioning the superpowered so-called “heroes” as the antagonists, painting them as corrupt, arrogant corporate mascots whose angelic public personas belie their villainous actions. Our heroes (or, more accurately, anti-heroes) are, in fact, the vigilante group The Boys, who set themselves up to stop the out of control “Supes” by any means necessary - a process that often involves escalating levels of cartoonish violence and a highly questionable moral compass.

It’s an interesting, although not wholly original, gimmick but one that carries the series pretty far. With good pacing and a lively plot, the series is never dull and keeps the action ticking along nicely as it rides along on a wave of blood-splattered profanity. With twists and turns aplenty, the series is a thoroughly engrossing watch, even as the gleeful ultra-violence threatens to tip the whole thing over the edge.

It’s all initially set up to be the kind of squeaky clean superhero world you’d see on The Flash or Supergirl but it’s not long before the curtain drops and the show literally spills its guts. The juxtaposition of square-jawed superheroics and R-rated violence takes a while to get used to and the level of graphic carnage often feels wildly unnecessary, but it’s certainly never boring, and while it’ll definitely be a turn-off for some, go with it and there’s much to appreciate.

Spearheaded by a pair of fantastic performances from Karl Urban as The Boys’ leader and c-bomb lover Billy Butcher and Anthony Starr as the superbly psychopathic Superman-like Homelander, the show’s ensemble cast deserve a lot of credit for selling a concept that could’ve easily fallen flat on its face.

To cut through in a crowded superhero marketplace, you need to offer something a bit different and that’s just what The Boys does. Taking the gleeful punk abandon of Preacher and the ultra-violent vigilante stylings of Punisher and throwing it all into a squeaky-clean CW world, The Boys certainly isn’t your average comic book show. While there’s little nuance to it at times and the OTT violence will turn many off, there’s lots to enjoy with the show, as an impressive cast, razor-sharp satire, and an engrossing plot set things up nicely for what should be a very interesting - and I assume blood-soaked - second season.