"The Boys" has been canceled by DC
#1
DVD Talk Legend
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"The Boys" has been canceled by DC
Newsarama has learned that Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s Wildstorm series, The Boys has been cancelled by DC, effective with issue #6 of the series, which is currently on shelves. Issues #7-#10, as well as the trade collection – all of which have been solicited – will not ship.
DC declined to comment on the series or even confirm that the series has indeed, been canceled.
The series sales appear to have been healthy enough, with issue #6 seeing an estimated 27,000 copies shipping to stores in December, placing it at #81 on Diamond’s Top 300 list. For that month, only two other Wildstorm titles sold more copies, Gen13 and Midnighter. August’s issue #1 saw an estimated 31,000 copies sold.
The series was announced with much hoopla at last spring’s WizardWorld LA, and was heralded by Ennis here on Newsarama as the book that would “out-Preacher Preacher.” The phrase was later picked up and used on promotional posters for the series from DC, who saw it as part of the Wildstorm revitalization.
Robertson had perhaps the most succinct description of the series, saying: “The Boys are a team of five super-powered operatives who work for a secret department within the U.S. government. It's their job to monitor and investigate superhero behavior, they gather intelligence- i.e. dirt- on them, and occasionally to use it against them. Just as the C.I.A. has had a use for the Mafia, Sadaam Hussein, and Columbia's FARC terrorists (to name a few), so they also need superheroes. Sometimes they need them on a leash. Sometimes they have to put them down. The Boys are the people who do the job.”
When the series launched, readers found that little of what Ennis and Robertson was saying was hyperbole. The series was violent, rude, crude, and…essentially, what you’d expect if you put Ennis and Robertson together in a room with superheroes.
The series was clearly in crescendo mode in regards to content, and this was clearly seen in issue #6 when, after a super-powered individual was accidentally killed by Hughie, a hamster crawled out of…his backside.
While DC has published graphic violence, sexual situations, and individuals who prefer the ruder and cruder side of life (much of it with Ennis’ name attached) in the past, it has also, on a handful of occasions, pulled material from a comic it felt crossed the line. Again, DC declined to comment on the reasons behind the series cancellation. If the series was cancelled because the publisher felt it was too over the top, The Boys would be in rare company, joining Marvel/Epic’s Void Indigo by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, which only saw one issue published before it was ended, due to content issues.
On a purely speculative note, The Boys is a creator-owned property, jointly owned by Ennis and Robertson. After his series, Fallen Angel was cancelled by DC, co-creator of the property Peter David was able to regain the property and move it to IDW, where it has been published since.
When contacted by Newsarama about the situation with the series, Robertson replied:
"The Boys has been canceled effectively with issue #6.
"It became obvious that DC was not the right home for The Boys. DC is being good about reverting our rights so we can find a new publisher and we're in the process of doing that now. I'm continuing to work exclusively for DC in the meantime. I want to thank Scott Dunbier and Ben Abernathy at Wildstorm for all their hard work."
Easily one of my favorite new titles. I certainly hope it finds a home elsewhere.
#2
DVD Talk Hero
Assholes.
Typical corporate bullshit. They love to market things as edgy and controversial, but when creators actually deliver what's promised they go chickenshit.
I hope they move to IDW, Image, or Dark Horse.
Typical corporate bullshit. They love to market things as edgy and controversial, but when creators actually deliver what's promised they go chickenshit.
I hope they move to IDW, Image, or Dark Horse.
#3
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Josh, I hear your frustration, and I don't really want to side with DC, but would you rather have seen DC tell the creators to tone it down, or for them to cancel it outright? Personally, I'd love to see one of the big two have the balls to push the envelope, but I'd much rather have Ennis and company move shop than change their plans.
#4
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I liked the series. The hamster bit was pretty over the top. That probably pushed DC to cancel the series right there.
I think I read on Snopes maybe 8 years ago that no documented case of the hamster in the ass thing has ever occurred. First time I ever heard about that was in 1987 on the Morton Downey Jr talk show. That was the topic of conversation the next day on the old school bus.
I think I read on Snopes maybe 8 years ago that no documented case of the hamster in the ass thing has ever occurred. First time I ever heard about that was in 1987 on the Morton Downey Jr talk show. That was the topic of conversation the next day on the old school bus.
#5
DVD Talk Legend
Asked for comment, writer Garth Ennis provided the following statement:
It’s become obvious to all concerned that The Boys should never have been published at DC, and to their credit they’re working hard to release the rights so that Darick and I can find the book a new home. We’re already looking at offers from a number of publishers, and plan to return with #7 and the first trade collection in a matter of a few months.
Thank you to everyone who’s bought and supported The Boys to date. I’ve gotten a real kick out of the response we’ve gotten over the first six issues, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the next fifty-four. Believe me, what we’ve got coming up will make #1-6 look like a quiet evening on Sesame Street.
One other thing: I want to say thank you to Ben Abernathy, Scott Dunbier and Jim Lee for all their help and support. Good guys, pleasant to deal with, never anything less than gentlemen. I’m going to miss doing the book with them.
http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/b...iss-statement/
It’s become obvious to all concerned that The Boys should never have been published at DC, and to their credit they’re working hard to release the rights so that Darick and I can find the book a new home. We’re already looking at offers from a number of publishers, and plan to return with #7 and the first trade collection in a matter of a few months.
Thank you to everyone who’s bought and supported The Boys to date. I’ve gotten a real kick out of the response we’ve gotten over the first six issues, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the next fifty-four. Believe me, what we’ve got coming up will make #1-6 look like a quiet evening on Sesame Street.
One other thing: I want to say thank you to Ben Abernathy, Scott Dunbier and Jim Lee for all their help and support. Good guys, pleasant to deal with, never anything less than gentlemen. I’m going to miss doing the book with them.
http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/b...iss-statement/
#6
DVD Talk Hero
#8
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
There was an innocent looking small blurb in the latest issue of Wizard in the "would make for a cool videogame" section. They wanted one for The Boys and called it a "miniseries".
Revisionist history?
Revisionist history?
#10
DVD Talk Gold Edition
The Boys Lands @ Dynamite Entertainment
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=100616
Here's hoping they don't have 5 variants of each issue now.
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=100616
Here's hoping they don't have 5 variants of each issue now.