Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Boys #48
Dynamite Comics
Ennis, Braun & Avina
The first issue of a new arc begins with a few interesting plot threads as the Boys begin to examine their first encounter with the Seven, but find themselves slightly sidetracked. While this is going on the Seven are up to the usual underhanded schemes. Both groups find themselves fighting a new front though making the characters all face some new challenges. It's another good issue that is actually marked up slightly higher because it manages this quality while missing one of the key characters: Hughie.
The issue begins with the Boys (minus Hughie) discussing their next moves against the Seven. Mother's Milk is sending some attitude towards Butcher forcing Butcher to stop short of revealing his full list of thoughts on the Seven. The airing of grievances felt short and sweet. It sure seems like Butcher has been getting flack from MM for a few issues and to have it ended this dully seemed like kind of a letdown. To be honest, I'm not even sure MM has any kind of beef with Butcher after reading the poor exchange between the two.
Meanwhile, the Seven have some new handlers watching over them. The backdrop for all of this is the hysterical flight lesson for Black Noir. Ennis knows how to turn the death of a character, even a throwaway one, into something to laugh about. The important part of this sequence is that there are some new eyes on the Homelander.
The Boys also come to find out that their free ride is apparently over. Up to this point, Butcher has had an "in" with the Director. Well, this seems to be over now. This now means that the Boys have more to worry about than just the Seven or patching things up with Hughie.
The artwork has a couple of moments where it can really shine, specifically the flying lesson scene and the immediate aftermath. The art manages to capture the absurdity of the scene and grab a chuckle at the expense of it. For the most part the issue is dialogue heavy in a non-controversial way. This could have ended up looking really flat but not here. Here, we get a lively and active visual throughout the book.
The Boys are gearing up for the big battle with the Seven, but this issue puts in place several subplots to derail that confrontation. It's a good read and I felt it really pulled me in for this arc right from the start. I think this is going to be a very good arc from an already excellent series.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
