Why you need to watch Amazon’s dark superhero comedy ‘The Boys’

The late, great Stan Lee, in his Spider-Man series of comic books coined the phrase: “With great power also comes great responsibility”.

This was as Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s best-loved superheroes, struggled to make sense of his newfound powers.

Of the vast array of characters created Marvel and their competitor, DC Comics, it is not difficult to differentiate between the good guys and the villains.

The Boys. Picture: Amazon Prime

And when they’re using their powers for good, superheroes are usually revered as gods. They are as popular as celebrities and as influential as politicians. But what happens when superheroes turn bad?

This is the premise of The Boys, a dark superhero comedy series based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and adapted to screen by Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Preacher).

Set between the years 2006 and 2008, it is about a world where supers known as The Seven are consumed by their massive celebrity status and fame, and become super full of themselves.

And much like the Preacher series, The Boys remains true to its comic book origins with an irreverent, explicit and extremely violent exploration of the dangers of hero worship and the corruptive nature of absolute power.

The Boys. Picture: Amazon Prime

However, in a world where super-powered individuals are backed by influential big corporations and government, no one seems to care.

That is, no one except for mild-mannered electronics store clerk Hughie Campbell who, after his girlfriend is reduced to a bloody puddle of goo right in front of him by a drugged up superhero, sets out to name and shame the organisation that represents the perpetrator.

However, taking on the incredibly skilled PR team of these wayward heroes proves more difficult than Hughie imagined – until ex black ops member Billy Butcher (played by Karl Urban) decides to offer his help.

The Boys. Picture: Amazon Prime

In spite of its PG 18+ rating for extreme violence, strong language and sexual content, The Boys will grip viewers within the first five minutes of the first episode, with its state-of-the-art computer-generated imagery, expertly crafted dialogue, action sequences and impressive cast.

Featuring the talents of, among others, Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Anthony Starr (Banshee) and Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl), this series will become an instant hit with mature audiences, even if you did not read any of the 72 printed comics.

The first eight episodes of season one of The Boys started streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on July 26.

The Boys. Picture: Amazon Prime

Five reasons to watch The Boys

• It flips everything you think you know about superheroes on its head.

• The series provides a welcome breather from the formula goody two-shoes heroes created by Marvel and DC.

• It’s dark, gritty and vulgar, is made for adults and has great cinematography and edge-of-your-seat action sequences.

• The series has one of the biggest and most impressive casts of actors in a series.

• It’s super addictive and each episode has you pining for the next.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.