Garth Ennis calls a new board game based on The Boys the next big step for his property, including comics and TV shows. Ennis created the comic book series with artist Darick Robertson in 2006, with the series getting adapted into a TV show by Amazon and Eric Kripke in 2018. Season 1 debuted in 2019 and was one of Amazon's biggest hits, with season 2 outperforming it, becoming one of the most streamed shows on any service in 2020.
Season 3 is currently being worked on, and there will also be a spin-off show based on The Boys' version of Professor X's school for gifted mutants. Ennis, who has written and created several classic comic book series, including Judge Dredd, 2000 Ad, Hellblazer and Preacher (which was turned into an AMC TV show), is known for his subversive take on comic books, something that shines through most obviously in The Boys. Both the comic book and TV show skewer the superhero genre, turning the genre on its head by making the superheroes in its universe a group of murderous, amoral orgy-loving psychotics. Now, the series is set to cross over to a new format.
In collaboration with 1First Games, Ennis has created a Kickstarter campaign for a new board game based on The Boys, called The Boys: This is Going to Hurt. The page set an initial funding target of $50,000, which it's set to pass in less than two days. The game makes the player a member of the CIA, who has to gather together the titular vigilante team to take down Homelander. Ennis, via SYFYWire, says that he believes it's the next "big step" for The Boys and is looking forward to seeing the final product. You can read his thoughts on the game below and see some images showing what it will look like:
I’m delighted that so many of you have enjoyed The Boys comic series, and the new spinoff series, Dear Becky, that’s running right now. Very keen on seeing The Boys board game, which seems to me the next big step for The Boys to take. Looking forward to it.
The fact the Kickstarter reached its target so quickly is further proof of the popularity of The Boys, with the TV show increasing the visibility of Ennis' original comics. One could argue the TV show is likely why many people are backing the Kickstarter as the comics are nowhere near as successful or mainstream. Regardless, fans of both the comics series and TV show will enjoy the game alike, with it now guaranteed to see the light of day after reaching its target.
It's also a brilliant move from Ennis, keeping The Boys in the spotlight as fans wait for season 3 of the TV show, which is set to introduce some more characters from the comics, most notably Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), who was the leader of The Seven before Homelander. The Boys season 3 is currently being written and will hit Amazon Prime either in late 2021 or early 2022, with the spinoff show also expected to debut around the same time.
Source: 1First Games/SYFYWire