Explicit content: rape, sexual assault, graphic violence, homophobia, victimization of women

It almost qualifies as a DNF. Most likely, there should have been one. Don't let the title fool you. The story doesn't have much substance. The main character uses every homophobic slur he can think of, and superheroes fuck. Can you explain the prevalence of slurs in the book? I don't understand how they republished it today.

Aside from the terrible potty-mouths, the art is painfully ugly. I’ll look at characters boned all day. While that's not a problem, the art is extremely inconsistent.

The genres very well define its characters and they never go far beyond the bloody nature of their purpose in the story. There are a lot of uncomfortable stereotypes regarding the female characters in particular. The Boys’ women fall neatly into one of three categories: powerful and sexualized, objects to be sexualized, or raped to provide motivation for a man. Female characters always speak and never take part, unless the story requires it. This is the only exception.

No matter how you look at it, The Boys just lacks substance. My interest waned because of the lack of world-building and an overarching plot. The Boys are a letdown. I understand why it would be a good idea to show that superheroes are actually dicks, but it is a complete letdown.

Overall, The Boys is a gross read. I felt hopeless and disgusted as I made my way through the 300+ pages of perversion and gore. The Boys is a very disappointing book and should be avoided.