The Violent Century

Lavie Tidhar, 2013

(June 2015)

  

Atmospheric. Metatextual. Short sentences. No quotation marks. Evocative of McCarthy. Evocative in general. Europe descends to war. People fight the Nazis. The Nazis fight back. Also Vietnam. Also superheroes.

  

The Boys Vol. 11 and 12

Vol 11: Over the Hill With the Swords of a Thousand Men, Vol. 12: The Bloody Doors Off

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, 2012

(January 2014)

And so it ends. With a bang and an explosion and an almighty clusterfuck and a coda that feels almost entirely unnecessary.

The Boys Vol. 9 and 10

Vol. 9: The Big Ride, Vol 10: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, 2011-12

(November 2013)

This continues to be puerile and slightly guilty fun. In isolation any one of these arcs is everything you’d expect and want it to be, but still. We’re almost at the end of the run here and it’d be nice if things moved forward a bit. Very much marking time until the inevitable final showdown. Get a move on, will you boys?

The Boys Vol. 7 and 8

Vol. 7: The Innocents, Vol. 8: Highland Laddie

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson 2010-2011

(August 2013)

More obvious references to stuff I clearly don’t get. Anyone know what’s going on with the priest in Highland Laddie? He’s blatantly a parody of something or other, but I’ve no idea what.

  

The Boys Vol. 5 and 6

Vol.5: Herogasm, Vol. 6: The Self-PreservationSociety

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, 2009-2010

(April 2013)

This is a pleasure that goes so far through guilty that it loops round the other side and feels almost virtuous. Well, perhaps not, but it’s still excessive, puerile, childish fun. Does a body good every once in a while.

The Boys Vol. 3 and 4

Vol. 3: Good for the Soul, Vol. 4: We Gotta Go Now

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson (2008-2009)

(March 2013)

Coincidentally, I read these over the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day, or ‘St. Paddy’s Day’ as an American colleague referred to it when we were saying our goodbyes on the Friday. He was hoping I had a good one, and while I appreciated the sentiment the only reason I know it’s on March 17^th is because I googled it just before writing this.

The Boys Vol. 1 and 2

Vol. 1: The Name of the Game, Vol. 2: Get Some

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, 2007-2008

(January 2013)

This’ll do. This’ll do just fine.