So in my last post I compared the the two graphic novel stories Watchmen and The Boys. In that post, I went over brief summaries of both stories, my thoughts on them and the similarities between them. In this post, I will be highlighting some of the differences between the two as well as taking a look at how both stories use very similar story arcs differently. Also, a spoiler warning for those who are unfamiliar with the stories of Watchmen and The Boys

Before I get into it, here is the link to my last article: https://spineonline.squarespace.com/nerd-art-online/2019/11/10/watchmen-and-the-boys-a-comparison-and-analysis-of-the-superhero-satires-part-1

Difference

So now that the similarities have been established between these two stories, it is now time to look at the differences between the two. While these stories are very similar, sharing the theme of pointing out how unrealistic superheroes are, there are more than a few differences in theme and message. Watchmen was written in the 80’s as a satire about how it can be dangerous for people like these superheroes to have no oversight or authority to answer to. The Boys, on the other hand, was written and created for a much bigger purpose: to disprove and destroy the concept of superheroes as a whole.

Purpose

Both of these stories have a clear purpose in their narrative. Watchmen was written as a message of caution, By showing how dangerous it can be when people with power don’t answer anything or anyone except themselves. Across the narrative of Watchmen, 3 characters have, in their own unique way, great power. Dr. Manhattan, who is almost essentially himself a god, loses touch with humanity and leaves the planet. Adrian Veidt, who possesses the most advanced intellect on earth, ends becoming little more than a villain inflicting his will upon this world, leaving millions dead. Rorschach serves as caution of how dangerous and unhinged vigilantes can become, throughout the story he displays violent, racist, bigoted, and negative world views because of how much he notices the world is nearing its end.

Now as a contrast, The Boys was written to discredit the entire superhero genre. In the narrative presented, “superheroes” are little more than government sponsored mascots who only save people to preserve their own image, even though they feel they are superior to ordinary people. Three characters in the stories display different points of view: Butcher, who hates “supes” and believes that all of them are only motivated by greed and selfishness; Starlight, who truly wants to be a hero and is forced to face the ugly. truth of the corporate hero world; and Hughie, who hates that the supes are not the heroes that they are supposed to be, but sees that some heroes like Starlight genuinely want to help people.

Controversies

Both of these stories deal with some things that are controversial in nature. In Watchmen, it is shown that because of the interference of The Comedian, the Watergate scandal is never uncovered and Nixon is elected for a third term. This serves as a statement about what people will do to stay in power, as well as ask the question if vigilantes are truly heroes. In The Boys, The corporation that controls the heroes helps to cover up the illegal activities that the heroes get up to, and even meddle in the affairs of other countries. This proves an excellent point about the portrayal of superheroes that we are used to, in that even the best written ones don’t act like real people. And it is for this reason that while the two stories are similar, they are also very different.

Ryan Trigger

Growing up as a huge fan of comic books, Ryan has read everything from DC and Marvel titles like Batman, Daredevil and Moon Knight to independent titles like Spawn and The Boys. while his knowledge of comic books is vast, he promises to make his posts easy to read.