The Boys - Over the Hills With the Swords of a Thousand Men (Vol 11) (Boys 11) [Paperback]

It had to happen sooner or later... While many fans criticised the last few volumes for dragging a bit, volume 11 sees events spiral out of control very quickly - and it's as gory & dramatic as it deserves to be. The Homelander enacts his plan; the Boys publish all the dirt they have on the Supes; Butcher & his crowbar meet up with The Homelander for a frank exchange of views; there's an unexpected twist; and a lot of people die.

Since it all comes to a head, it feels like the end. But apparently there's a volume 12 still to come, which deals with the aftermath of this very Ennis-like gore-fest.

If you haven't liked the last couple of volumes, I'd recommend picking volume 11 up anyway. This is a satisfyingly OTT, HD-Dolby-CGI conclusion (part 1) which really delivers. In places it's felt like a long journey but the destination makes it utterly worthwhile.

This volume reprints issues #60-#65. If you have been reading previous volumes, then you will know what to expect - sex, violence, swearing and conspiracy theory, though the conspiracy is actually far from theory. This is the book for anti-superhero comic readers. It is the penultimate volume, and there are several loose ends left loose at the end. I haven't seen the previous volume to this one, so there may be things set up there that have an effect on the story here. However, the Homelander`s superhero coup finally begins, though it may not be his coup after all, as we discover the secret of the Black Noir and that Voight-American's fail safe plan is not so safe. This is a Garth Ennis comic, so the U.S. Marine Corps and Billy Butcher must make a last stand at the White House. The Boys also suffer casualties in the fight. If you have been following the series, then it is a 5-star episode; someone coming in from the outside will no doubt wonder what is going on and why there is so

The long anticipated confrontation with the Seven is here, and a few surprises are thrown in for the fun of it.

The series has been building to this showdown from the get go, but you never realise how much Butcher wants this until vol 3 when we realise there is some serious history, and then there is a gradual build in tension from vol 3 onwards, exploding in vol 7 Innocents, but then you start to feel that maybe they are just dragging the story out with an entire vol for Butcher's past, which is a typical poor East End boy with a **** for a dad, and a dear old mum, and a woman who makes him sane with the understanding that he'll go off the rails without her, surprise surprise she is killed by a baby that is from when she was raped by ??? (you realise who in vol 1). From vol 7 we get back ground stories on Butcher, Mallory, and we even get to see Hughie's home town, which also takes up a whole vol. (annoying I know). But finally it is here, what we have been waiting for from the moment The Homelander drops the family that were in the car who he flew into the air before speaking to the rest of the Supes about taking power.

Sadly I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, and that is nothing against the writing, because you can't make something how everyone had hoped it would end. The only reason I felt this way is because I had been trying to think of how this might end for the last few months, and got in my head something different (I won't bore you with it, but it was a longer fight, and more explosions, shoot me I'm male and love a good fight). The confrontation is good, and I can't fault the storyline as we realise now how powerful Vought is, Hughie is confronted with a face he has been trying to avoid, but Butcher forces the confrontation for personal reasons, which I think will be important in the final vol. out Jan 2013.

This vol. is a great read, many characters reveal their true colours, and we watch Frenchie and the Female do what they do best while Hughie and Butcher confront the Homelander as the Supes gather to take power. I can't help but congratulate Garth Ennis for an amazing storyline, which I hope won't be made into a film because it just won't be good enough.