‘The Boys’ Author Garth Ennis Is Actually Not Such a Big Fan of Satire in Fictional Works

The Boys is one of the most popular superhero series in the world. Based on the same-titled comic book, this dark take on the superhero genre gained a lot of traction on Amazon Prime and keeps pushing the boundaries of what can be shown on TV in a number of ways.

As the series is preparing for the production of its fifth and final season, we have decided to revisit the original comics as Garth Ennis, who is the author of the original comic book and is currently promoting a new work of his, talked to CBR.com and revealed some interesting details.

Among the things discussed in the interview was Ennis’ stance towards satire. We know that The Boys heavily relies on social and political satire – both the comic book series and the TV series – but what Garth Ennis said about satire might actually surprise you, so keep reading to find out everything you need to know!

Garth Ennis is currently promoting his new comic book, Babs, which is a sword-and-sorcery fantasy story revolving around a female lead character. And while he discussed the comic as well, he was asked about his views on satire in fiction, and for a man whose work pushed political satire in superhero shows to a wholly new level, the answer might surprise you:

Almost inherently, sword and sorcery fiction takes itself quite seriously, as some of the concepts are so silly that you HAVE to take them seriously just to get through it (like, for instance, chain metal bikinis), so it’s obviously ripe for satire, but do you think the fantastical nature of it also makes it easier to use it to satirize real world events, like you do quite nicely with Mork and his buddies? Or do you think more “realistic” stories are better equipped for real world satire?

Satire is rarely my number one imperative when I develop a project. The word seems to get thrown around as if it’s the be-all and end-all, somehow elevating any story beyond mere entertainment.

I think the driving force behind any story has to be the belief that it’s a good one, that it’s worth telling, and any satirical elements are just one part of the whole. At most, taking a swipe at things you don’t like makes you feel a bit better, and hopefully does likewise for people who agree with your point of view.

While, in general, Mork and his buddies are fairly similar to the types of fans that you’ve been mocking in comics for thirty years now, there is that extra racial element in their criticisms of Babs’ choice of friends. Is this new element in response to the recent anti-immigration nonsense in England?

That would be tricky, given that the riots in question happened a few weeks before #1 shipped. I wrote the whole series in early 2023. It’s really a reaction to some of the nastier thinking currently doing the rounds, which was of course dramatically accelerated after the Brexit/Maga bullshit of 2016.

One might have expected a more embracing answer by the author of The Boys, but this is certainly interesting as well.

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