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The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game (The Boys #1)

by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson (Goodreads Author)

3.95 · rating details · 1,616 ratings · 133 reviews

This is going to hurt In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone's got to make sure the "supes" don't get out of line. And someone will Billy Butcher, Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman, and The Female are The Boys: A CIA-backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle agai...more

Paperback, 152 pages

Published February 24th 2008 by Dynamite Entertainment

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Apr 19, 2008

John Wiswell rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: People who enjoy hating superheroes

Apparently Garth Ennis hates superheroes and decided to show it in this comic book about a bunch of people dressed in black who cuss a lot and torment lame caricatures of superheroes. This is the kind of weakly-written tripe made for teenagers who still think swearing and explosions of blood are the height of artistic achievement. Oh, oh but wait! The heroes are jerks! In fact they're almost entirely depicted as violent degenerates or greedy elitists who don't care about the people they serve - ...more

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Jul 12, 2007

Korynn rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people with bad taste who find terrible things very funny

Shelves: comic-collections

Utterly crass and unapologetic, this is Garth Ennis's best black humor superhero book yet. You may have read his previous work in this vein, The Pro about a prostitute who gains superpowers. This is just as good, if not better because he is allowed to bring in some firepower - a covert group who scares the shit out of superheroes by beating the crap out of them when they go over the line. As a concept it doesn't make a great deal of sense but Wee Hughie, our common man protangonist, really pulls...more

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Jan 11, 2009

Erik rated it

· review of another edition

I’m a clearly a johnny-come-lately when is comes to the oeuvre of Mr. Ennis – shocking to many adult readers of comic books and graphic novels, but true. DC’s Vertigo line was a major mainstay of mine in the 90s – as it brought me back into the four-color world of the comic book industry – but I somehow never meandered over to Ennis’ seminal work on Preacher (although I have now ponied-up the first volume on my library hold queue). But having previously missed this bus, I’m proud to say that I’v...more

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Aug 29, 2011

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: owned-and-read

Next to the super-earnest DC comics I've just been slogging through in an effort to branch out of my Marvel-and-indie bias, this Boys book knocks my socks off! Somehow I've forgotten how laugh-out loud funny, vile and imaginative Ennis is - and paired up with the incredible gonzo art from Robertson, this is gold-plated entertainment for me!

I'm now frankly embarrassed that I somehow put three Boys volumes on a shelf for two years and haven't been devouring this immediately. Who's been ...more

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May 17, 2011

Julian rated it

· review of another edition

In Watchmen, Alan Moore posited the idea that superheroes were actually not quite as perfect, as motivated by a desire for truth, justice and so on and so forth as you might think, creating a frightening world where the most morally responsible character happened to be the one who was most openly psychopathic. In The Authority Vol. 1: Relentless, Warren Ellis took a stab at taking this one stage further and seeing what a world controlled by superheroes might be like, but turned back from exposi...moreIn Watchmen, Alan Moore posited the idea that superheroes were actually not quite as perfect, as motivated by a desire for truth, justice and so on and so forth as you might think, creating a frightening world where the most morally responsible character happened to be the one who was most openly psychopathic. In The Authority Vol. 1: Relentless, Warren Ellis took a stab at taking this one stage further and seeing what a world controlled by superheroes might be like, but turned back from exposing the horror for what it was. But Garth Ennis knew no such fear: in The Boys he mounts a fearsome assault on the whole concept of the superhero, showing us what their world might really be like.

And what a world it is. Fed with the bread and circuses the superheroes provide, most of the populace sit back and seriously believe the stuff about moral rectitude and all that, blithely discounting the enormous amount of collateral damage that they create as they battle crime that, frankly, probably wouldn't exist if they didn't. We see the truth of their lives, driven by animal lusts, ego and greed. We see, is at possible, a naive, innocent young superhero, induced into the highest echelons of their world and forced to prostitute herself first to her 'peers' and then to the whole world. And behind these brainless parasites we see a faceless something that really calls the shots.

Something must be done, to save the world from the disaster that it runs to embrace with open arms. Cue the boys. All mad, all bad, all extremely dangerous to know, and most likely psychotic to boot, they are the only thing defending humanity from being squeezed to death between the lusts of the superheroes and the sinister purpose of their masters. The boys (and one female) fight the good fight to ensure that, even if the superheroes cannot be destroyed, they can at least be kept leashed, for what might happen if they were unleashed is truly terrible.

Read it, it's soul scouring. The one-hundred-and-eighty degree view of the superhero is as riveting as the terrible fate of the heroine is shattering. The book is a necessary reminder that what is best about us is our humanity, not special powers.(less)

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Feb 14, 2011

William Thomas rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: post-watchmen-comic-books, graphic-novel, over-the-top

When I talk about comic books, I generally set them into two categories- pre and post Watchmen books. And it has nothing really to do with when the books were published although I can't rightly place Golden Age Superman books, no matter how hard edged they could possibly have been, in the post Watchmen category. However, I can and do place some titles after Watchmen into pre Watchmen category for their lack of edge and their "fluff" content.

This book, although 'edgy', may ...moreWhen I talk about comic books, I generally set them into two categories- pre and post Watchmen books. And it has nothing really to do with when the books were published although I can't rightly place Golden Age Superman books, no matter how hard edged they could possibly have been, in the post Watchmen category. However, I can and do place some titles after Watchmen into pre Watchmen category for their lack of edge and their "fluff" content.

This book, although 'edgy', may not merit being in either category. It isn't really important enough for a distinction. It uses too much 'shock value' to make itself known and I may have fallen for its tricks when I was younger, but now, it really only deserves a C+ as a grade. It can't trick me into liking it or thinking that this is the same talent that worked on Preacher or reincarnated The Punisher. Because although the name is the same, something feels off. Something feels like it is missing.

Its campy nature makes it almost unbearable. I don't exactly know why it wants to be a slapstick comedy instead of a respected book utilizing its shocking nature as a way to provoke thought in the same way many of Alan Moore's books do, and Ennis' Preacher title did. But it abandons any sort of decorum for a bulldog that fucks- even people- on command and a superhero team that tries to force new recruits to suck their dicks. And it's done in a way that you laugh out loud at its absurdity instead of thinking about whether or not it is an abuse of power. There is no moral here. Only an overload of absurdities.

But it is an entertaining book. I enjoyed every bit of it. I love the premise. I just don't like the over-the-top nature of the execution of the premise. Because when we have these superhero teams smoking crack and raping and murdering innocent civilians, well, it seems to me that there should be more of a morality play. And I can't say that moralizing has ever been Ennis's style. So I can't say that that is what is missing from this book. But there is something missing from this. At least from this volume. And I can't quite put my finger on it. I hope it develops into something worth more than a few laughs. Because Preacher was one of the greatest comic book achievements of the past 25 years. And this really just pales in comparison.

It does keep up with all of the disgusting and outlandish scenarios that Ennis has made himself most famous for, I will say that. Anyone looking for a good time should give it a try, but should expect to be shocked, maybe even dismayed, by some of the material. Although I loved it for some of those things, I hated it for those same reasons.

(less)

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Dec 18, 2010

Dan rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 11, 2010

Adam rated it

Recommends it for: borfs

Shelves: comics

My friend Max coined a word. "Borfs." Since "nerd" has slowly been drained of most of its negative connotations and become a synonym for "obsessive and knowledgeable" (e.g., "Ask my friend about that band, he's a total music nerd"), we need a new word to describe a particular kind of person. He thought of this word while watching The Matrix, as he was wondering what kind of person thinks good guys wearing dark glasses and leather gunfighting bad guys in su...moreMy friend Max coined a word. "Borfs." Since "nerd" has slowly been drained of most of its negative connotations and become a synonym for "obsessive and knowledgeable" (e.g., "Ask my friend about that band, he's a total music nerd"), we need a new word to describe a particular kind of person. He thought of this word while watching The Matrix, as he was wondering what kind of person thinks good guys wearing dark glasses and leather gunfighting bad guys in suits is cool. Borfs ... that's who.

Borfs are internet tough guys who love "cool" violence and can only relate to a female character in a movie or comic book if she's wearing black leather high-heeled boots and carrying an Uzi. A borf has never gotten into a fight on the street, but is confident he can kick anyone's ass because he studies karate and does a lot of no-contact sparring. Borfs also have no sense of humor. Sure, they may laugh at homophobic jokes, but they have absolutely zero sense of humor about their black belt in karate, their polarized Oakleys, their gym bag with a Chinese dragon on it, the literary merits of Frank Miller, or their collection of ninja throwing stars.

Garth Ennis's series The Boys seems tailor-made for borfs. The titular "boys" are a small band of ass-kickers who are a self-appointed watchdog agency who keep tabs on superheroes. This isn't a bad setup, but Ennis has proven that the more freedom he has (for instance, when The Punisher became a MAX title instead of a Marvel Knights title), the worse he is. He never met an exploding head or hamster up the ass that he didn't like. And the problem with Ennis is that his writing is never quite good enough or funny enough to be as hateful as it is. The Boys is chock-full of bloody violence and sexual shaming of women and homosexuals, and I felt dirty after reading it.

As far as satires of superheroes go, The Boys is as sophisticated a piece of iconoclasm as a schoolboy's crude drawing of Superman sodomizing Wonder Woman. In Ennis's world, superheroes are portrayed as venal, homicidal, useless at saving people, and sexually deviant to a man. The problem with this is it isn't specific to superheroes. Ennis's conceit is that they act like heroes but are really rapists and bullies in private, but he hasn't thought it out beyond depictions of violent orgies. This is a "critique" that could just as easily have been applied to police officers, schoolteachers, professional athletes, or community theater actors, and it would have about as much resonance.

Worst of all, the protagonists are nearly as nasty and unlikable as the villains. The leader of the Boys, Billy Butcher, is a Yank-hating Brit who wears all black, including a leather coat and the requisite Doc Martens. (See definition of "borf" above.) There's also nothing interesting and clever about the way they take down superheroes. There's a magic potion they take that makes them just as strong as superheroes, so they can kill them with their bare hands. Borfs, of course, will take umbrage at my description of this substance as a "magic potion," and will be happy to explain its pseudoscientific properties. But you know what, borfs? It's still a magic potion, and it's fucking stupid.(less)

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Jun 08, 2010

Nicole rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: comics, superheroes, mature-sex-nudity, mature-violence

Think of the most over-the-top Tarantino movie you've every seen. Or maybe Scorcese. Then add even more gratuitous violence and sex. Now you're getting into the realm of Ennis's world. And his world is a very cool spin on the world of superheroes, I might add. Imagine a world where superheroes are all over the place, with more coming up each day, and imagine what that kind of "loosely" checked power can do a human? What to do if a superhero happens to kill a pedestrian in pursuit of ...more

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Apr 04, 2010

Goose rated it

· review of another edition

I had glanced at single copies of The Boys often at our comic book shop. I never really got a sense of what it might be like. When my partner had to review a collection, I thought I might give it a go.

I was afraid that upon starting this collection that it was going to just be another of those, "Look naughty language and graphic sex and violence" for no reason comics. I don't mind language or sex in comics and I've read plenty of comics that treat violence more realisticall...more

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Nov 04, 2009

Brendan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, comics, scifi, superheroes

The Boys is Garth Ennis’ take on the Watchmen question: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? In a world where superhero teams are mostly about marketing and only a little about saving people, The Boys do the dirty work for the CIA, quashing corrupt supes and going after the mother of all villains, the Supreme 7. It’s the usual Garth Ennis fare, with enough grotesquerie thrown in that Wildstorm kicked it to the curb, after which Dynamite comics–which seems to be known for a robust line of boob comics...moreThe Boys is Garth Ennis’ take on the Watchmen question: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? In a world where superhero teams are mostly about marketing and only a little about saving people, The Boys do the dirty work for the CIA, quashing corrupt supes and going after the mother of all villains, the Supreme 7. It’s the usual Garth Ennis fare, with enough grotesquerie thrown in that Wildstorm kicked it to the curb, after which Dynamite comics–which seems to be known for a robust line of boob comics–has been publishing it. A few thoughts:

* It tackles some of the same issues Warren Ellis’ The Authority did, only from the perspective of governments trying to deal with the absolute powers of the superpowered. As in all these stories, might ends up making right, with our heroes winning through superior kickassery.
* Ennis has always had a particular fascination with mutilation, grotesque sex, and extreme violence. These are abundant in The Boys. He’s said that the comic will “out-Preacher Preacher,” an idea I find pretty disturbing. While the horror of the superheroes’ debaucheries fits the grimy world of the comic, I feel like it pushes the envelope just because it can, rather than because it serves the narrative.
* Along those lines, I find the story less compelling than Preacher because we don’t have enough information about Butcher and the other members of The Boys. It’s implied that we’ll get it here soon, but at issue 35 we haven’t gotten it yet.
* Our fish-out-of-water entry into the story-line is Hughie, a doppleganger for Simon Pegg’s everyman from Spaced. It works pretty well, though I’m still having trouble moving away from seeing it as Simon Pegg. It’s a weird experience to see a character explicitly modeled on a real-life person.
* I like the secondary story about Starlight, the essentially good and honest person who finds herself down in the mud with the Supreme 7 and will inevitably end up coming face to face with Hughie in some sort of big showdown.

When the series wraps up (it’s about halfway through the eventual run, it appears), I’ll probably read the rest in trade paperback to see what happens.(less)

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Jul 28, 2011

Sarah Stumpf added it

A violent and very sexually explicit look at superpowers run amok. While the story is very gripping, it is not for the faint of heart. There is a LOT of rape and sexual violence (to the point where it is almost a plot device) and the violence is heart wrenching and grotesque as well. Most of the 'heroes' in this world are criminals, perverts, amoral, disinterested, and backed by corporate interests. So it falls to a gang of anti-heroes, The Boys, to blackmail and beat the living crap out of ...more

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Dec 27, 2011

Krystl Louwagie rated it

· review of another edition

Actually, it's a low 3 stars on this one, which is really surprising for me, considering this is written by Garth Ennis (Preacher!). And, I liked the premise of this one, too-even if it is a bit of a copy-cat of The Watchmen. Or at least they both spring off the same question-"Who watches the watchmen?". In this world, there are quite a few super heroes running around, and apparently, they're all horrible people when they're not out saving lives. So, "The Boys" are supposed t...more

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Oct 24, 2010

Colby Pryor rated it

· review of another edition

The Boys is a very polarizing book, it's designed that way by it's writer Garth Ennis. Mr. Ennis is well known for making these types of books, he has no filter when to violence or just about any horrible thing you can imagine. It usually shows up on the page, somewhere. Not only that but his opinions on things can usually be felt after reading a couple volumes of his work. This makes his work great for the people who get it, not so much for the people that don't. In this particular work, all of...more

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May 16, 2008

A.J. Smith rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Any mature comic fan.

If you like Garth Ennis' work, then you should absolutely love this. Take one part Punisher, one part Simon Pegg (who consented his likeness rights for the main character, and gives the introduction), one part superhero pulp, and a whole lot of disfunction, and you'll come close to scratching the surface of The Boys. As usual, Derrick Robertson does a wonderful job illustrating.

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Aug 27, 2009

Susanne rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: i DON'T recommend this if you're easily offended!

Shelves: graphic-novels

One word: crass. Two words: Offensive, even. Three words: Great art, though.

Some more words: This was my first Garth Ennis book, bought solely on the raving recommendation of the guy in the bookstore, and while it is highly vulgar in places (and I'm not joking when I say that it puts the 'graphic' in 'graphic novel), the premise is an entertaining one: "Who's Watching The Watchmen" always holds a lot of potential, and Ennis' group of CIA-employed, drug-enhanced humans who pol...more

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Apr 02, 2008

Nicky rated it

· review of another edition

Character interaction is poorly written and comes across really awkward. Plots are not particularly strong. And frankly, once you've seen him do cynicism and toilet humor for the fiftieth time, it wears a little thin. Plus, Alan Moore, Mark Waid, and Frank Miller have all tackled this basic premise in better books already. And that's just off the top of my head.

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Jan 14, 2012

Jonathan Schildbach rated it

· review of another edition

This is more of a 3.5, but I'm rounding up, 'cause that's just good math. Anyway, since it's Ennis, and there's a "Mature" rating, you know the violence will be excessive--and that there's a good chance there will be some (likely unpleasant) sexual content. And there is.

In this version of the superhero mythology, the "supes" are akin to the worst of today's spoiled, celebrity athletes. And, like many of the worst of today's spoiled, celebrity athletes, the super...more

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Jan 05, 2012

Sonic rated it

· review of another edition

Yeah, I have not read Ennis in a long time, well aside from re-reading some PUNISHER, but I can see he still has his slant.
I kinda wonder if this guy really hates everybody, so loathsome are most all of the characters he writes.
I kinda feel a little sick of the whole "inside joke" vibe he always brandishes, but I do appreciate his smart and (more often than not) crude attempts at humor. He appeals to the sociopath in us, I guess, with his "rape-on-command" Bulldog...more

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Jul 26, 2011

Mark Desrosiers rated it

Shelves: comics

Simon Pegg stars as "Wee Hughie", hapless dude whose new girlfriend is brutally killed as collateral damage in a superhero collar, etc. etc., grief, carnage. Soon enters Billy Butcher -- Henry Rollins drawling like Michael Caine -- recruiting Hughie into his mysterious (but GOVERNMENT-FUNDED!!!11!!) gang of anti-superhero operatives. The usual Garth Ennis hijinks ensues, including majestic superheroes acting like grade-Z douches (coerced blowjobs included), BDSM, droogs, tender moments...more

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May 26, 2010

Kris rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels

Thought it was cool at first, then I realized it was just more misogynistic bullshit that guys can read and be like, see? Women really ARE all whores!

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Jun 18, 2010

Dana rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novel

Wow. Now I am always a fan of the classic superhero story, but everyonce i a while an anti-supes book comes along and you have to get on board. This is great, with the premise that with absolute power, comes absolute corruption we can see how the mighty heroes put on a great face for the public, but behind the scenes are as evil as those they are putting in jail, hence, we get the boys. A rag tag group of slightly psychotic antiheroes, with the task of keeping everyone in check. Be prepared for ...more

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Jun 18, 2009

Christian Lipski rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks

Sex and violence in the superhero world. Like X-Statix or The Authority, you get to see the human side of superhumans. How would they really work in the real world, where they have to make deals and get PR agents to survive? If there's nothing to stop you, will you stop at nothing to entertain yourself?

And when you get to be a nuisance, that's when they send in The Boys.

It's a little bit of a rocky start, as with all new stories, but Ennis is a master at shock value and excit...more

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Oct 11, 2011

Sofia rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels

Posted on my book blog.

That was... Interesting, I suppose.

A story about a CIA-backed brigade of people who are supposed to keep superheroes in check, because apparently all superheroes are vicious, murderous rapists, and just all-around horrible human beings. And the only way to fight them is to get an equally vicious group of humans who hate them, give them a compound that effectively turns them into superheroes as well (the irony of the situation!), and unleash them upo...more

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May 20, 2011

Andrew Shuping rated it

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the superheroes let their powers go to their heads? Well...you don't have to wonder anymore because this comic answers some of those questions. In this world superheroes aren't so concerned with saving all of the innocents. They don't care who they hurt to capture the "bad guy" and we discover...perhaps the two aren't so different. In this story a team of experts, backed by the CIA, are the watchmen of the superheros. They net out pu...more

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Jul 11, 2010

Laura rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: comic, graphic-novels

I first read a bunch of The Boys as a comic book, before I even knew the paperback exhisted. This comic is crude,dark and offensive! These three words I don't usually go for in a comic book but here I am reviewing Vol.1.

At times I found the style of writing a little hard to follow and had to reread things more than once or twice..hmm :/ It was no different when I was lent the comics to read. I do think this series leads itself to a few read throughs to fully grasp what's going on. Why ...more

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May 23, 2008

Molly rated it

· review of another edition

Ok, so, I read this purely because the idea sounded cool: team of guys who target superheroes told from their perspective--the villains' perspective. That was something of a misapprehension, with mixed results for me. They're not villains, more like superhero police, in what can be chalked up there with the rest of those self-reflective comic books. (see: Marvels, Watchmen) The world is overrun with super-powered people. It's somebody's job to keep them in check, right? Enter "the boys"...more

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Jun 16, 2010

Giacomo rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: american, comics, fiction

Why oh why. I knew beforehand what Ennis does, but I thought I'd give it a go after all these years, because it got good reviews and I love Darick Robertson. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Ennis is still the same one-trick-pony, using sex and cussing to cover a flimsy plot based on what are now tired cliches. The few funny moments here and there (the killing of regular-guy's girlfriend, for example) don't justify a bad ripoff of stuff Rick Veitch did 20+ years ago.

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Jul 31, 2011

Sam rated it

· review of another edition

What if you saw a "Super-Hero" save the day? You might clap.
What if a "Super-Hero" took your friend for a flight & it ripped their Face off?
You'd pissed.
What if a "Super-Hero" ran into your girlfriend at full super fast speed?
You would join The Boys.

This is a great story about the guys who have had it up to here with "Supers" abusing their power. Now the Boys will police the "Supers" by any means. With great power c...more

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Aug 09, 2010

Federiken Masters rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Iconoclastas

Recommended to Federiken by: Colegas.

Se nota que Ennis odia a los superhéroes y, para colmo, parece que motivos le sobran. "The Boys" arranca con muchas dosis de sus principales ingredientes: violencia extrema, sexo salvaje, vocabulario indecente y muchísima mala leche por todo el mundo de calzas y colores. Quizás en algunos momentos pierde algo de fuerza el relato en sí por querer hacerse el loco pistola todo el tiempo, pero en conjunto es una historia muy entretenida y bestial, completamente iconoclasta e irreverente do...more

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Darick Robertson -- THE BOYS, December 2007 (Part 2)

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About Garth Ennis

Ennis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting ch...moreEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.

Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.

Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.

Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.

While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.

Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.

After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.

In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.

Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.

In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.

In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis (less)

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The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game (The Boys #1)

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