Warning: Contains Spoilers forBabs #1The Boysis getting its fantasy twin thanks to a new series fromAhoy Comics. After the success of Garth Ennis' comic series and its television adaptation on Amazon Prime, fans of irreverent, trope-subverting dark comedy are in for a treat with a new take on an old classic: Dungeons and Dragons meets the same style that toppled genres inThe Boysthanks to Ennis' new series,Babs.
By now, comic fans and television fans alike are familiar with the dark and violent tone ofThe Boys,which was created by Ennis and Darick Robertson. Starting off like any other fantasy story,Babs#1 by Ennis and Jacen Burrows quickly diverts to show its true off-colors.
In just the first issue,Ennis and Burrows deliver a full-on parody of fantasywhere the characters speak in modern language. Comedic moment after comedic moment unfold in a cascading tide of I-shouldn’t-laugh-at-this laughs. Already, with this fresh take on fantasy, Ennis and Burrows seem to ask why fantasy fans ever took this so seriously.
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BabsIs the Story Fantasy Needs Right Now
WithBabs, fans can expect Ennis to provide a new anti-hero of the same dark mold, in violence, in tone, and in sticky situations.
Ennis is no stranger to treating the sacred world of comics with profane ideas. As with how he dealt with the superheroes ofThe Boysuniverse,fantasy is now the too-serious medium that Ennis, alongside his co-creator, has decided to knock down a few pegs.Previously, Ennis also attacked the serious world of religion in his hard-hitting seriesPreacher(with Steve Dillon), and he also did a stint on DC’sHellblazerin the nineties, cementing John Constantine as one of the most important anti-heroes of the new century.
Like his other R-rated worlds, withBabs, fans can expectEnnis to provide a new anti-hero of the same dark mold- in violence, in tone, and in sticky situations. Babs is certainly no great and questing hero of a fantastical age. As with heroes never quite living up to their supposed legacy inThe Boys,the idea of the hero and the chosen one receive the same treatment inBabs.
Babs#1Variant Cover by Amanda Conner
Ennis is a breath of fresh air in a world of comics that take themselves too seriously.DC and Marvelare haunted by crisis after crisis, andBabsshows a world with just as high stakes - but the stakes can be funny, too.The Boysshowed that what people really want is a good laugh - specifically at things they know they shouldn’t laugh at.
Even in the first issue, as Babs gets herself into heaps of trouble (and a few jokes besides), the too-serious grip of fantasy is releasing its hold on comics. Ennis is a trickster in his writing, always poking fun at cultural norms, like he did withThe Boys.It seems that, already and alongside co-creator Burrows,Babsmight just do the same atAhoy Comicsand stand the test of time.
BABS #1 (2024)
The Boys
Cast
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
