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The Boys: Dear Becky

The Boys: Dear Becky

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  • Create Date：2021-04-23 13:51:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Garth Ennis
  • ISBN：1524119903
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Summary

Twelve years after the events of The Boys， Hughie finds himself back home in Scotland where he intends to finally marry Annie in the company of friends and family。 But the sudden appearance of a peculiar document sends our hero into a tailspin and threatens to bring the events of his nightmarish past crashing down on him in the worst possible way。 There was one story about The Boys that Hughie never knew。 Now， whether he likes it or not， he's going to。

Introduction by Eric Kripke Executive Producer of The Boys Prime series， also known as the creator of the fantasy drama series Supernatural（2005-2020） and the NBC science fiction series Timeless（2016-2018）。

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Reviews

Met ，

Una coda alla serie principale， forse non del tutto necessaria ma piacevole。

Rod Brown ，

I thought it was cool Garth Ennis was doing a sequel to The Boys 。 。 。 until I read it and discovered it was an unnecessary backstory intent on exploring the motivations of Billy Butcher in the original series through a mysterious diary about his one true love。 Ummm， sure。It's padded out with some wheel-spinning and ultra-violence regarding a new group of corporate superheroes， going over territory already well covered in the original books。It's a visit with old friends where you discover how mu I thought it was cool Garth Ennis was doing a sequel to The Boys 。 。 。 until I read it and discovered it was an unnecessary backstory intent on exploring the motivations of Billy Butcher in the original series through a mysterious diary about his one true love。 Ummm， sure。It's padded out with some wheel-spinning and ultra-violence regarding a new group of corporate superheroes， going over territory already well covered in the original books。It's a visit with old friends where you discover how much you have drifted apart or they reveal they are now distributors for some multi-level marketing scheme。 。。。more

Dan ，

It was nice catching up with Hughie and Annie and Bobbi， but the rest of this overlong slog （EIGHT ISSUES！） was completely pointless and unnecessary。

Timo ，

I am not sure why this was produced。 Is it because The Boys tv-show is a hit？ Did somebody need some extra money so "why not bring back something that was a hit and cash in with that"？This just did not work。 Maybe it is too long after the original series， but this just do not work and it was a fight to read this through。 I am not sure why this was produced。 Is it because The Boys tv-show is a hit？ Did somebody need some extra money so "why not bring back something that was a hit and cash in with that"？This just did not work。 Maybe it is too long after the original series， but this just do not work and it was a fight to read this through。 。。。more

Michael ONeal Schleis ，

I really could have done with out this。 There was nothing here for me。

Gaz Watson ，

Big fan of The Boys original series， and the current TV show， but this is awful。 Clearly just an unneeded cash in while the TV show is big。 This sort of obvious greed taints the entire thing for me。

Ben Zimmerman ，

This was not as good as the rest of The Boys。 Ennis spends a lot of time griping about the state of the world， and while I agree with some of the things he's saying there's also a lot here that I can't help but roll my eyes at。 I'm not sure what he thought he had to add to the discussion about snowflakes （bleh） and woke culture that hasn't already been said， but that didn't stop him from weighing in。 If you're from the same grumpy Gen X demographic as him you might like it， but it's not like any This was not as good as the rest of The Boys。 Ennis spends a lot of time griping about the state of the world， and while I agree with some of the things he's saying there's also a lot here that I can't help but roll my eyes at。 I'm not sure what he thought he had to add to the discussion about snowflakes （bleh） and woke culture that hasn't already been said， but that didn't stop him from weighing in。 If you're from the same grumpy Gen X demographic as him you might like it， but it's not like any of these observations are fresh or nuanced。 I would focus on the story instead， but that didn't particularly grab me either。 This was disappointing。 。。。more

Cale ，

Maybe I'm too far removed from reading the original series， but I'm still not entirely sold on this epilogue to The Boys。 While seeing Hughie and Annie well into the future is nice， most of the story is told in a confusing mix of flashbacks within flashbacks which can make it hard to tell when each part of the flashback is taking place。 And I have to agree with Annie; it isn't healthy to look back on all of that era， even as an unexpected piece of history that details an untold story opens up a Maybe I'm too far removed from reading the original series， but I'm still not entirely sold on this epilogue to The Boys。 While seeing Hughie and Annie well into the future is nice， most of the story is told in a confusing mix of flashbacks within flashbacks which can make it hard to tell when each part of the flashback is taking place。 And I have to agree with Annie; it isn't healthy to look back on all of that era， even as an unexpected piece of history that details an untold story opens up a small （and eventually pretty much inconsequential） mystery in the modern day。 Seeing Butcher cross the line， even while understanding what pushes him there， somehow manages to be underwhelming。 The book is surprisingly dense with conversation and there isn't a whole lot of action。 While it does attempt a little of the over-the-top violence the series was known for， it doesn't manage to strike that balance of absurd and grotesque。 And some of the density feels a bit forced， like the first issue's conversations about 'wokeness' which， while maybe having a point doesn't really feel relevant to the rest of the story。 The best part about the book is the moments where the characters feel the most real， and that's the scenes with Butcher and Becky together， and also Hughie and Annie。 While neither have the absurdity and grotesqueries the series is known for， they nevertheless feel the most true to the soul of the Boys。 It's a weird contradiction。 This book will be disappointing or fulfilling depending on why you were a fan of the series。 。。。more

Brian ，

What a disappointment。 "The Boys" was a great series， but this afterthought was more aimless talk than anything interesting。 The beginning and the end were very fulfilling， though。 What a disappointment。 "The Boys" was a great series， but this afterthought was more aimless talk than anything interesting。 The beginning and the end were very fulfilling， though。 。。。more

Zedsdead ，

Damn my completionist hide。-----------------------So Dear Becky really doesn't need to exist。 It's just a small collection of The Boys' hijinks tormenting supes and undermining Vought during their heyday under Colonel Mallory。 And it's wrapped in a brief， unsurprising happy-ending epilogue about Hughie and Annie twelve years down the line。It is， of course， stunningly violent: （view spoiler）[they cut the tongue out of a 10yo boy （because he says a magic word that turns him into a superpowered Damn my completionist hide。-----------------------So Dear Becky really doesn't need to exist。 It's just a small collection of The Boys' hijinks tormenting supes and undermining Vought during their heyday under Colonel Mallory。 And it's wrapped in a brief， unsurprising happy-ending epilogue about Hughie and Annie twelve years down the line。It is， of course， stunningly violent: （view spoiler）[they cut the tongue out of a 10yo boy （because he says a magic word that turns him into a superpowered adult rapist）; they burn the face off of Thor in his dead wife's cremating remains （because Butcher felt like hurting someone）。 （hide spoiler）] Wouldn't be The Boys otherwise。Little of substance is added。 We already knew in detail how Butcher was motivated by what a superpowered individual did to his wife。 We knew how The Boys operate。 We knew that Vought-American was utterly soulless in its pursuit of a strong quarterly financial report。Which doesn't mean this extraneous volume is entirely unwelcome。 I enjoyed the little window into the past， the revisiting of some great characters in their fun-awful prime。 If it's a cash grab， it's not one that bothers me。The only bits that are really new are Ennis using his platform to take potshots at Trump， Bojo， and some aspects of woke culture。"If you can fit it in a Tweet， there are people who'll believe it。" "No fuckin' way。" "Which planet have you been on for the last four fucking years？" 。。。more

Sam Quixote ，

Set ten years after the events of the last book， Hughie and Annie are living a happy， quiet life in Scotland - a life suddenly disrupted by the delivery of Butcher’s notebook。 A notebook full of letters to his long-dead wife， Becky - but what secrets does it contain， and who sent it？Dear Becky is an unnecessary and really， really boring coda to The Boys。 Appearing this late in the （name of the） game， I can only speculate that this was published to capitalise on the success of the more recent TV Set ten years after the events of the last book， Hughie and Annie are living a happy， quiet life in Scotland - a life suddenly disrupted by the delivery of Butcher’s notebook。 A notebook full of letters to his long-dead wife， Becky - but what secrets does it contain， and who sent it？Dear Becky is an unnecessary and really， really boring coda to The Boys。 Appearing this late in the （name of the） game， I can only speculate that this was published to capitalise on the success of the more recent TV show because this book adds nothing to the series that ended in 2012。 Maybe Garth Ennis felt that he needed to give more substance to Butcher’s wife Becky to better explain his actions in the story but that should’ve really been done before and during the main story - not nearly ten years after！ And I think Ennis did enough in the main series anyway to explain Butcher’s motivations。 We didn’t need to read eight dreary issues of him saying over and over how much he loved his wife - we got that from the little bits and pieces Ennis dropped throughout the series， which was enough， and better， because it allowed readers to fill in the blanks themselves。 The flashback “B” storyline was some convoluted rubbish about how Vought are putting together a new team of supes that secretly don’t have superpowers。 It was so， so， sooooo dull to read - I couldn’t have cared less。 It’s just an excuse to bring back the characters to smash some more supes once again。 I suppose the “Shazam” bit was kinda funny though。 Ennis also clearly hates Thor but then he hates most superheroes so eh。 Ennis still writes incredible comics - the last couple of his I’ve read， Punisher: Soviet and Sara， are two of the best comics I’ve read in recent years - but Dear Becky certainly isn’t one of them。 The Boys has some gems but it’s a very uneven series with some utter crap mixed in like Highland Laddie and Herogasm。 With all the Hughie/Scotland stuff， and the general low quality of the book， Dear Becky is basically Highland Laddie 2 and one of the worst books in the series。 Definitely skippable and worth ending the series with just The Bloody Doors Off instead。 。。。more

Kyle Spishock ，

Obviously， with The Boys surge in popularity as a hit television show， it was inevitable for a spin-off of sorts to show up。 What we get is Hughie reading Billy Butcher’s diary。 It’s a whole lot of subplot that brings absolutely nothing to the table - a step back for a series that started slow and gradually built up momentum as it went along。

Shannon Appelcline ，

Here was the main problem with "Dear Becky": I just didn't care。I mean， let's be honest， The Boys was never high literature。 But， it tended to keep my attention except when it grossed me out。 This didn't。 Hughie and Annie are just treading water。 Their story doesn't go much of anywhere until the plot says it should。 The flashbacks just aren't that interesting。 And then we get a finale with a character from the original series that hasn't showed up anywhere else in this new volume （and thus hasn' Here was the main problem with "Dear Becky": I just didn't care。I mean， let's be honest， The Boys was never high literature。 But， it tended to keep my attention except when it grossed me out。 This didn't。 Hughie and Annie are just treading water。 Their story doesn't go much of anywhere until the plot says it should。 The flashbacks just aren't that interesting。 And then we get a finale with a character from the original series that hasn't showed up anywhere else in this new volume （and thus hasn't appeared in ten years）， and so it's meaningless。There's some big effort to give the Butcher some pathos or something， but it doesn't work。 。。。more

Marcus ，

It was nice to see the Boys again。 I'm still very much into the art style of this graphic novel and there is always blood and guts to go around。 That's why it is 4* for me even though the story is not as thrilling as I'm used to with these guys （and girls） It was nice to see the Boys again。 I'm still very much into the art style of this graphic novel and there is always blood and guts to go around。 That's why it is 4* for me even though the story is not as thrilling as I'm used to with these guys （and girls） 。。。more

Alex Sarll ，

An epilogue to The Boys， framing a prequel which itself contains flashbacks to a still earlier time。 Which is to say we follow Wee Hughie， years after the comic concluded， reading Butcher's journal， written as Butcher took control of the team and looking back at his lost chance to live a better life beforehand。 Obviously its existence is a consequence of the success of the TV show， which I'm not watching， and as such it's hardly surprising if it feels fun but never quite necessary; obviously I c An epilogue to The Boys， framing a prequel which itself contains flashbacks to a still earlier time。 Which is to say we follow Wee Hughie， years after the comic concluded， reading Butcher's journal， written as Butcher took control of the team and looking back at his lost chance to live a better life beforehand。 Obviously its existence is a consequence of the success of the TV show， which I'm not watching， and as such it's hardly surprising if it feels fun but never quite necessary; obviously I can't read Garth Ennis' mind， and gods know I probably wouldn't want to even if I could， but reading this I definitely didn't feel the same sense of a story he was aching to tell that I get on his regular returns to the Punisher。Possibly an odd point of comparison， here， but one reference point which came to mind as I was reading this was Frankie Boyle。 Like him， Ennis used to just be gleefully offensive， going for the shocking laugh and assuming anyone who took offence probably deserved it; and then in latter years， with the cultural climate curdling such that the right to offend with comedy is now more of a right-wing touchstone， both of them have tried to negotiate a path where without turning doctrinaire or lily-livered， they're a little more focused in their targets。 Where the comparison breaks down， alas， is that comics are a collaborative artform in a way stand-up isn't。 Leading to some incredibly awkward scenes here， because one of Hughie's mates has transitioned。 Now， the script is taking a sweary but nuanced line on that – essentially， you can take the piss out of your mates， but it'd best be built on a foundation of respect or you're a right cunt。 The problem being， the artist doesn't seem to have got the memo， and is still playing it for a very dated attempt at laughs。 Which is a real shame， not just because it makes those scenes jarring and nasty in themselves， but because a character who's been raised male and then left it behind could really have added another layer to Ennis' enduring fascination with the fucked-up-ness of masculinity。 Which， in other respects， is threaded right through this: the lies men tell themselves more convincingly than their nearest and dearest， the way they use loss as an excuse。 Elements of Dear Becky recall the way Ennis understood and undercut fridging when he tweaked Frank Castle's backstory in Born， and if anything work better this time out， precisely because Butcher is a dead bastard， not a character who still has to be kept viable as an ongoing protagonist。Not that it's all an attempt to do The Boys But Serious， like when Ennis first returned to Punisher and stripped out the comic elements of his initial run。 The violence still runs more grotesque than genuinely horrific， and the main superhuman antagonists in the flashbacks are a knowingly OTT superteam launched in the British tabloids， with members like Teen Temptress and Sex Vicar – which works on a surface WTF level， but also reveals some nicely placed further dimensions as the Boys investigate。 And there are the moments of tenderness too， whether that be Hughie and Annie， despite all his bullshit， in the present – or checking in on the rest of the Boys in the past， the charm of seeing old friends again， most of all when we see the Female painting along with Bob Ross。 When the resolution comes， the solution to the mystery element of the plot is far less satisfactory， feels much less urgent， than where Hughie and Annie end up。 Which in itself could， I suppose， be taken as a way of emphasising what really matters in life。 But now， let's hope that really is the end。 。。。more

Alan ，

It's easier to sneak reading digital floppies in at work than a novel， in part because I tend to get more involved with a novel and end up not paying as much attention as I should at work。 Being aware of how popular the television show is， as was this series when it first ran， I know that I am reading this out of order。 However， living in the U。S。 and the events of the last three weeks make the final issue more poignant。 Perhaps， this should be promoted more as a coda to the original series， whi It's easier to sneak reading digital floppies in at work than a novel， in part because I tend to get more involved with a novel and end up not paying as much attention as I should at work。 Being aware of how popular the television show is， as was this series when it first ran， I know that I am reading this out of order。 However， living in the U。S。 and the events of the last three weeks make the final issue more poignant。 Perhaps， this should be promoted more as a coda to the original series， which is in the much too long TBR list。 It shows/states politicians are idiots who only care about themselves， PTSD damages people for years， and no one should have too much power。Along with Bill Willingham's Pantheon these are the two series which say， and within their context very good reason， why super heroes are bad for society。 。。。more

Simon ，

a） Why is this a thing？b） Ennis， bud， why are you still writing for Dynamite， the Comicsgate Supporters？c） Meh

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Boys: Dear Becky

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Boys: Dear Becky&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Boys: Dear Becky&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0