Lots of talking in Ennis’s finish for this arc. Lots and lots of exposition, particularly from Butcher. It’s not bad talking, there’s just a whole lot of it. Butcher’s a fun character, but Ennis hasn’t made him worth spending time with when he’s just rambling. He’s not funny enough and his friendship of Hughie doesn’t have much effect.

Butcher’s best when he’s causing trouble or telling jokes, sort of like how the Frenchman’s best when he’s beating someone up or when the Female is being unexpectedly tender. Mother’s Milk is the character who manages to be the most dynamic and he’s the most underutilized.

This issue opens with a great fight scene, an amusing followup regarding superhero funerals and then a plodding finale. Ennis treats the first six issues more like a TV pilot than the opening of a series. The pacing’s just off.

Still, it’s got some great parts.

CREDITS

Cherry, Conclusion; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, Darick Robertson; colorist, Tony Avina; letterer, Greg Thompson; editors, Kristy Quinn and Ben Abernathy; publisher, Wildstorm.

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Contemporaneously…

• The Ultimates 2 13 (February 2007)
• Chronicles of Wormwood 2 (February 2007)
• Doctor Strange: The Oath 3 (February 2007)
• The Damned 5 (February 2007)
• The Immortal Iron Fist 2 (February 2007)

Ennis brings together his two plot threads–Hughie and Annie–at the beginning of the issue. It’s funny how Ennis can write a more sympathetic Christian nincompoop than anyone else.

He’s also able to sell their meeting as honest and necessary. It feels right, since the two are just bouncing the same ideas off each other. It’s a nice scene.

The rest of the issue is the takedown of the Teenage Kix (an annoying teen superhero group, presumably Ennis’s analog of one of DC’s “tougher” Teen Titan books). It’s very amusing, though the best moment in the issue is still the Female petting the dog.

The cliffhanger, featuring the Kix going after the Boys, is the first great cliffhanger in the series, simply because one would wait any amount of time for whatever’s going to come because it’s clear Ennis and Robertson are going to nail it.

Loads of fun.

CREDITS

Cherry, Part Three; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, Darick Robertson; colorist, Tony Avina; letterer, Greg Thompson; editors, Kristy Quinn and Ben Abernathy; publisher, Wildstorm.

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Contemporaneously…

• Chronicles of Wormwood 1 (January 2007)
• Doctor Strange: The Oath 2 (January 2007)
• Phonogram 4 (January 2007)
• The Damned 4 (January 2007)
• The Immortal Iron Fist 1 (January 2007)

Yeah, Ennis is definitely writing for the trade. He finishes this issue with a little joke he started in the last one. On the first or second page. It wouldn’t have any context if you were reading it a month apart.

This issue continues the split between Starlight and the Seven (the Justice League stand-in, which is probably what got Levitz so upset) and Hughie and the Boys. Ennis again plays the Seven for the humor, even though they’re really mean people–which is why the jokes are so funny–and a relatively straightforward story for the Boys.

Except Butcher’s “date.” I think Robertson’s best work on the series has to be Terror’s expressions. Terror (the dog) is along on the date. Very funny.

As for Hughie, Ennis only remembers the comic’s about him towards the end. It’s too little, too late, but the issue’s so fun it passes.

CREDITS

Cherry, Part Two; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, Darick Robertson; colorist, Tony Avina; letterer, Greg Thompson; editors, Kristy Quinn and Ben Abernathy; publisher, Wildstorm.

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Contemporaneously…

• Doctor Strange: The Oath 1 (December 2006)
• The Damned 3 (December 2006)
• Criminal 3 (December 2006)
• Agents of Atlas 3 (December 2006)

I wonder if Paul Levitz got all upset over this issue of The Boys or if it was something else. Regardless, I’m ahead of myself. But there’s some forced prostitution here and it seems like something someone would get upset about. I love how Ennis effortlessly demonizes superheroes. There’s a real charm to it.

The story’s split between Starlight–a good Christian teen superhero girl (lots of the superheroes are good Christians, something I can’t remember anyone before Ennis coming up with)–joining the premier superhero team and Hughie meeting the rest of the Boys.

While Starlight’s story is awful, Ennis makes it into the comedic one. There’s a little comedy in Hughie and Butcher going through the South Bronx, but not much once they meet up with everyone else. Except maybe the Female. She’s a lot of fun.

It’s excellent stuff… but the ending is a little too abrupt.

CREDITS

Cherry; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, Darick Robertson; colorist, Tony Avina; letterer, Greg Thompson; editors, Kristy Quinn and Ben Abernathy; publisher, Wildstorm.

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Contemporaneously…

• Phonogram 3 (November 2006)
• The Damned 2 (November 2006)
• Criminal 2 (November 2006)
• Agents of Atlas 2 (November 2006)