Entertainment Books

Buy it, for the children. Before, in the words of Neville Chamberlain, we have "grease in our time".

Do it for the children.

And one-star guy can felate a mailbox.

I totally disagree with the One Star comment. The fact you can get much of the material for free on his site (and goes the commenter's point, why spend money on the book) is irrelevant. I love the site and even if the book contained nothing but material already there, i'd still buy it to support the author.

however the book is chock full of stuff not on the site. There's a great narrative throughout which shows his walk through searching for his inner douche. His insights are dead on and face it, pretty much every guy on earth has found himself scratching his head in amazement at this phenomenon.

The book catagories each douche and offers brilliant and biting insight in the process. The pictures of the Hotts are superb and showing them on the glossy paper is a great touch. I can't think of a better Coffee Table book to have - so I guess that makes me a douche according to some of the commenters. Well, if that makes me one, I'm proud of it.

I have to admit that when I heard this book was coming out, I had my doubts about the quality. I was a big fan of the site, but honestly, what could the author add to the pictures that were already available online?
This volume, however, was a very pleasant surprise, and let me assure you that yes, it is well worth buying, even (or especially?) if you are a fan of the site.

The author weaves a funny yet quite insightful and intelligent narrative throughout this text, and while there is plenty of humor, there are a number of astute sociological observations that give it added depth. Make no mistake, this is not a scholarly work, but the elegant and polished prose with which the author presents an admittedly low-brow subject is refreshing. And hey, he mentions Lacan!

The pictures are, of course, the main draw here, and they do not disappoint. The wide variety of subjects is as hilarious as it is depressing, and is very well organized and presented. Definitely a worthy read!

I try to spread the gospel of www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com (the author's website) as much as possible. The book is hilarious, but also seeks to educate the reader on a disturbing trend in America and the world. Namely the transformation of men into douchebags in their quest to obtain the hotties. At only around $12 on Amazon it makes a great coffee book and conversation piece, plus its highly entertaining.

So this guy has people send him pictures on the internets, makes snarky comments about the people in said pictures. You can look at the pics and read his comments for free in the internets. So he decides to make a coffee table collection and sells the stuff you can get for free, and you people buy it? Gee, I wonder who the douchebags really are?

This is some demented and filthy stuff. And I love it!! But for some reason I didn't like the main character "Butcher". Maybe I'll like him better in the second TP.... Definitely not for kids, though....

It's that to the letter, plus the usual crude and cruel Ennis humor we all love him for. Ennis stated around the first some issues of the Boys that it would "out-preach Preacher" or something to that effect, and I think it could have the potential to. But the thing with Preacher is that it showed us an absurdly horrific world behind everything we know to be true in all western institutions and folklore. The Boys on the other hands is a throwback to all those superheroes just running amok without consequence, and they have no one to really to answer to except for the leader in their league or team or whatevermajig. Now, there are the Boys.

The Boys are a group of people who've taken a drug to enhance their bodies when combating or defaming or forcing superheroes to responsibility for their witless antics. Starring Simon Pegg, err, starring his face as one of the main characters named Hughie you get the hint that the humor is kicked up a notch. It is; there's a lot more Ennis-humor (I can't call it anything else). Consequentially, there is a lot more violence to it. Considering the universe we are dealing with, there is bound to be a lot more over-the-top violence, even moreso than any of his previous entries in comics.

Here's the Law & Order bit. You have the same characters of course, but they don't really make up a long running storyline, not even in Vol 2., which isn't a bad thing by any means. Again, you have the characters, and you get to know them and love them, even if some of them have a few hackneyed lines, you're going to spend time with two very fun ones for most of the time: Hughie and Butcher. They enliven the others. They feed off these guys and become more interesting.

The storytelling seems to be a larger pop-reference to current American magazines (the glamor and scandal of movie stars and celebrities in general). There's a pretty picture with lots of wrinkles behind the mask. The first volume is promising, as it shows you just what you are about to deal with in the subsequent volume, and it promises a potential storyline that well develop throughout this series. Unfortunately, you don't really get any wind of it in volume 2, but 2 is worth the read anyway.

While many of the high points of a Garth Ennis story are present, it is unfortunate that they are few and far between.

Most Ennis stories revolve around great characters who have to deal with
"weird stuff." Here we get sketches of characters with the same "weird stuff" and a lot of out of place "sexual stuff" as well.

With only the minimal time spent introducing Butcher and Wee Hughie, the rest of "The Boys" are literally left out of the storyline entirely. As a reader there is very little to draw from that would lead me to want to root for Mother's Milk, the Frenchman, or the Female.

I loved the Preacher, Fury, and the Punisher books precisely because of the characters. "The Boys" is lacking in this area.

The product is in really great shape...and the shipping is so fast.... i received 4 days after my order...and it was regular shipping.

I'm a big fan of Ennis and Robertson's work, and after reading the first two volumes of The Boys I have to say it's not their best stuff.

I think a big problem with Ennis' writing here is that he is still trying to do all of this shocking stuff, but there's just nothing that shocking or even interesting about it. It seems like the whole series is mostly based on "shocking" stuff and it just seems like a really bad idea. Preacher had a lot of that kind of stuff in it, but Preacher also had a lot of things that were genuinely funny, interesting twists, and bizarre dream-like moments. Punisher cut down on goofy shock stuff quite a bit and I felt it worked best when it was kept at a minimum.

I first saw Darick Robertson's work on Ennis' Fury and Punisher: Born books and thought it was amazing, but his work here isn't nearly as good. I remember reading an interview with him before this series started and he said that he was glad he would be inking his own work because he didn't like the way his art looked when he had assigned inkers working on it. But the thing is, is that the inking here is sometimes really bad. I know it might seem weird to complain about inking, but there were a couple of panels in here that looked like they were literally inked in one minute. Also, I think it was in the last two issues of volume two, Robertson drew like the first two or three pages of each issue and then another artist with a more cartoony style took over. But don't get me wrong, there's plenty of great art here, but there's just some things that are kind of disappointing. And don't think I'm knocking Robertson, I know he's just not getting enough time to put the amount of work he wants to into this.

It's definitely not a horrible comic and it's possible that it could get a lot better, but there's better comics out there and I'm not going to keep up with this one.

i have been in the motion picture world for a very long time, i also know alot about low budget filmmaking and i love the way how he got into the industry, i think he tells his story in a very intresting way but i do not like the fact how he makes it seems like film school is completly useless, i understand where he was coming from but do not diss film school as if you cannot learn anything from it, i myself did not attend film school but for 15 years of my life i read about cinema. i must have read so many books on film directing and it did help me out alot, i think he also forgot that he went to film school himself, he had to know the rules in order to break them properly. this book had me laughing alot, robert has a great sense of humor and his ten min film school can be very useful to alot of us independant filmmakers, he's right film school does show you how to work on a huge set that cost alot of money but thats because they hope one day you make it big, they show you how to work as a team with other crew members just like robert is doing now. i've seen him on several film sets and his crew consists of more then 75 people, way more then he worked with the first time, so when reading this book don't take things literally.

Loved this book. Funny and insightful look at breaking into Hollywood. Read it & watch El Mariachi.

Fun and easy reading book about a young man making a movie on the cheap just so he can get his first ten bad movies out of the way before making a good one. Fancy this first effort to hit it big in Hollywood! Inspiring stuff, and especially inspiring considering he never expected this el-cheapo B-rate Spanish language movie, made with volunteer actors in a border town, to amount to anything but a practice run for the Mexican video market if he was lucky. Get it, read it, write down that script you have in your head and go dust off the old camcorder and start shooting!

This book also has lots of cool hints as to how to make expensive looking scenes!

Well written, full of fun and wit and most importantly a damn fine blueprint to gain inspiration from should you wish to go out and make your own movies. Best non-fictional book I've read on the making of films in a long while. Up there with Roger Corman's 'How I Made One Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime.'

This book is mostly a tale about making a particular film. It is entertaining but it lacked the nitty gritty details I was hoping for.

I purchased this expecting some advice on legal issues, but this book is so much more. It talks you through the whole process of producing a film from start to finish, including valuable information on finding investors, attaching stars, behind the scene terminology, production advice, sample legal forms and what do with your film once you've made a cut. All of the advice is indispensable. This is a must have for any independent film producer, especially those new to the industry. It should be taught as a textbook in film schools. The most helpful book on producing I've stumbled upon yet.

I highly recommend this book. As a first time amateur independent film producer, with about 30 film books resting on my shelf, I believe I was constantly thumbing through this one the most during preproduction. This book contains so much useful information and helpful insights, it's almost like having an industry consultant right there with you. Unlike other books, there weren't a lot of sections where they seemed to rush on to the next chapter without exploring the present topic in some depth.

If it's not already, this book will soon become the industry standard for substantive knowledge of the film business for independent filmmakers. Deal points, standard contract provisions, the often technical and confusing jargon, and the historical context for many industry practices are all covered here in comprehensive yet concise fashion. Topics of interest that are covered in depth include standard talent and producer agreements, developing a screen play, financing, and digital distribution. The book was a tremendous asset to me when I had to help an independent filmmaker comply with complicated federal securities laws in order to raise $200,000. Highly recommended.

jeffbrownlegal@gmail.com

It was a book with that gave you a good background on how film production works from a legal perspective. So you should read it if that is your concern. The authors are lawyers, not producers.

This book is a serious but very readable approach to educating filmmakers on the maze of legal hoops that must be jumped through in order to create a film. Indispensable resource to have.

This is a very enjoyable and most importantly, readable book. Who would have thought Dylan could write so well, be such a good story teller in straight forward language? After spending years listening to his lyrics I have to admit that I was surprised by how well this is written. Surely songwriting and penning an autobiography are very different arts, but Dylan does it. Apparently sans the ghost writer.

This book is full of the early years in NY, sleeping in other peoples places, working his way into the in-crowd, meeting his hero, Woody Guthrie. Be sure to pick up this gem as well! Bound for Glory (Penguin Modern Classics) Great stuff. He does get a little off-track with the making of a particular LP, "Oh Mercy" but works his way back round to the before time.

Was he really asked to join Peter, Paul and Mary?
We got a look at girlfriend Suzy that appeared on an album cover, very interesting.
And between the lines you can sense the pressure of being the spokesman for a generation.

If you're not very familiar with Bob Dylan and want to learn more about the man this is really not the book for you. I suggest you read Clinton Heylin's tome, "Behind The Shades, Take 2" which compiles just about every known fact about Dylan from the people who have known him - an excellent book in every way. Chronicles is a different animal. I think you are more likely to appreciate it if you are a fan of Dylan's work. I'm in the process of going through it for the second time and have realized that I am enjoying it more after I have cast aside all notions of what I want the book to be. WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT: 1. It's not a tell all biography. You won't find out much information that's not out there already. There are no intimate revelations of Bob's love affairs or anything sensational. 2. It doesn't cover Bob's whole career, just 3 brief periods. 3. It's not necessarily all true. Dylan often paints himself in the best light, as a normal guy. I have my doubts. 40 years of unabated idolatry will screw anyone up to some extent. You'll read about the pressure he's under, but don't expect specific revelations about a dysfunctional Dylan. WHAT THE BOOK IS: A fascinating discourse on specific times in Bob's life. I don't know why it was such a surprise to me but Bob is a great writer. Whatever percentage is BS I don't care; I enjoy it anyway. He has an amazing attention to detail and I was able to lose myself in descriptions of places and situations. Plus he does reveal his thoughts on songwriting and many things. When I stopped hoping for him to discuss something specific I was able to sit back and enjoy whatever he gave me. Again I shouldn't be surprised; it's always been that way with his music also. I hope he does continue this series and give us another book or two, whatever he chooses to write about. I will surely go along for the ride.

Bob Dylan takes his prodigious talents for language and turns out one of the most remarkably honest rambles of raggle-taggle prose since Jack Kerouac. From the first few pages, describing an ambitious but reserved young man whose future role had not yet been defined, I was willing led down memory alley. The artistic subworlds of New York, with its hanger-onners and would-bes. invoke countless anecdotes about the creative lives of others. Remarkably sketched, and poignantly personal, I never felt the usual strain that often comes with more self-important memoirs. Dylan's voice remains remarkably rough and earnest, glissing between gorgeous metaphors and cowboy expletives . . . but always uniquely his own. His own assessment of his artistry, usually inferred than described in achingly obvious detail, lure the reader into a smoky area in between the lines. Simply one of the best autobiographies I've ever read . . . by no means intended only Dylan mavens, this work will readily appeal to anyone who knows that the music industry involves a lot more than what 'American Idol' has led us to believe. Here's a real damn American Idol, from what I think at least. This book packed more punches than five years worth of New Yorker short stories.

Skipping all over the place, definitely not a chronological account of Dylan's rise, but more of a stream of consciousness series of the highlights, lowlights, or significant moments in the life of a true artist. Chronicles volume 1 is accessible and an interesting read to anyone who loves to read, the flow of words very easy. They just pull you along. I for one wasn't sure how good a writer Dylan is, but he's pretty good. I recommend this book to all Dylan fans, and anyone who likes to read a good autobiography.

Count me as one of the skeptics who felt positive that they wouldn't like this memoir. And, please, now feel free to point out how snotty and wrong I was for feeling like that.

To say Bob Dylan has written something great is not an unusual thing to do in most situations, but to say he wrote a great book, about himself no less, does seem surprising. It is surprising because of both the candidness Dylan shows in this book and the right level of self-examination that doesn't cross the line into plain ol' weirdness or didactic ramblings. What comes through is that Robert Zimmerman seems to know exactly who Bob Dylan is, and he appears to have a more measured respect for the complications of his inseparable doppelganger than any of his cultish fanbase could ever hope to have.

There are two other things that really delighted me about this book. The first is how Dylan is a very accomplished writer...not just of lyrics, but of prose. From reading his vivid descriptions of something as simple as the snow falling, I realize that in another time, had his life pointed him in another direction, this guy would have been a top-notch novelist, right up there with the best. The other thing that I loved, and perhaps the thing I would most expect from him, is the non-linear approach he took to telling his story. Chapters jump around in time, and large portions, decades even, are left out of the story. With a lesser writer this would have been a real distracting way to go about business, but in Dylan's capable hands it becomes stylistic, mirroring the way the mind works, in which connections aren't always made from one moment to the next, but, rather, from one moment in time to another moment years earlier...or later.

Even if you are, like me, not a major Dylan fan, I still suspect you would be hard pressed not to admire the writing here, or the manner in which the story is told like scattered scenes from a disorganized scrapbook that suddenly come to life so as to show the fleeting facets of one unknowable person. Very recommended.

Overwritten by at least a third. No gig, no woman, no bar, no tall tale goes untold in this music bio. I found myself skimming many pages because the detail is so extraneous. You'll get the outline of Willie's life here, and the book is good on the lesser-known early years before "Stardust" made Willie big business. But it's just more than you'll want to know unless you are an absolute fanatic. The author did a much better, far more concise job on the Stevie Ray Vaughan story. Read this if you want to know about Willie's years as a drifter, dj, song plugger and big time booze, pill and women hound. Or you could just stare at Willie's weathered face because the same stories are all written right there.

Joe Nick Patoski has exhaustively researched the Man, and the book reflects his efforts. It's an entertaining read. Well worth the money.

I can understand that the reason for this book's existence may coincide with the fact that Willie Nelson recently turned 75. Unfortunately, with the glut of other Willie books currently on the market, the best part of this one is the picture on the cover. The cast of characters are all familiar to the hard-core fan by now, and the story has been told in half a dozen other books before - including Willie's own autobiography and Graeme Thomson's "Willie Nelson: The Outlaw" that only just came out in 2006. Even the picture section is pretty thin, with many already-familiar images, none of them in color. For someone who does not currently own a book on Mr. Nelson it would definitely be a good buy, as it certainly is comprehensive and a good effort; I personally checked this out of the public library to preview it before making the decision whether or not to part with $30.00, but I have to say that with five other Willie Nelson books already in my collection, I will skip this one.

Joe Patoski's book on Willie Nelson is full of information not only on willie, but many other interesting places and people.

I had the good fortune to not only live in Austin during the 70's "Willie" years but to have also been to his 3 day 1976 Gonzales picnic and to his 1980's picnic at his Pedernales place. I've also seen him play golf which is a site to behold. I'd always heard about his womanizing, drug use, and epic struggle to be a star but didn't know if all of it or even part of it, was true. This book puts all of those myths and rumors to rest. Yes indeed his first wife did beat him with a broom stick while he was passed out drunk! This book shows all of Shotgun Willie sitting around in his underwear. He's a mean drunk and a loyal friend. He's a drug abuser and a philanthropist. He's a "not there" father but a raiser of funds for churches, farmers, and friends with unpaid tax bills.

At times this book can be tedious with detail particularly about Willie's early music life. And, as another reader said,overloaded with compound sentences. But strap yourself in, get your beverage of choice, and enjoy reading about this true Red Headed Stranger.

I LOVED THE BOOK.... I LOVE SNOOP. IT WAS VERY GOOD I READ IT IN 2 DAYS...
SNOOP I WILL SEE YOU AROUND.....WINK

A painfully honest but depressing look at what it is like to grow up under the worst conditions. The slum didn't grind her up but, until the wire, she caused grief for society. Help, to her, came from unexpected places and a wonderful set of foster parents. It is a story that we, who grew up in kindness and a clean environment filled with good role models, should read.

I am very pleased and satisfied with my book, it came in a timely manner

Where the boundary lines of art and life intersect stands Snoop. A mind-grabbing account for even the unfamiliar reader becomes riveting to a fan of "THE WIRE". Watching the show I had the feeling Snoop the actress was too authentic to have been strictly portraying a fictional character born in the pages of a script. Her auto-bio piece confirmed what I'd suspected.
Thinking as a fan, I was somewhat disappointed by the books length - who could blame me for wanting to know more? However, the quality of the storytelling, done in the understated manner of many a street player that's secure in who they are and what they've done, gives depth to the words. Making length a non-issue when all is said and done.
Snoop being "discovered" by Michael K. Williams/OMAR the way she was is the ultimate testimony to the philosophy that fate is only the beginning of good fortune. Being in the right place at the right time isn't enough. When the window of opportunity opens you also have to be prepared to jump through -- something Felicia Pearson has done both feet first!
Like a fiend in "Hamsterdam" that picked up the needle, once I started the book I couldn't put it down. Finished it up in one sitting on a Saturday morning. If you decide to pick up this book, don't have plans for a while; you'll be like "Old-Face Andre" or "Little Kevin" were in one of those abandoned buildings... hemmed up with no hope of getting free.
One!

GRACE AFTER MIDNIGHT is the striking autobiography of Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, star of the critically acclaimed HBO series, The Wire. In the short but poignant memoir written with David Ritz, Snoop recants her upbringing in the tough streets of Baltimore, the place that both raised and almost killed her.

Born with cross-eyes and crack in her system thanks to a drug-addicted mother, Snoop had much to overcome in the first moments of her life. She was no more than three pounds at birth, but surpassed the grim expectations placed on her. After years in foster care, she was taken in by a loving older couple, Cora and Levi Pearson. They offered her a good home with Christian values and worked to make sure Snoop had a better life.

By her pre-teens, Snoop had her first taste as runner whose quiet strength took her far in the game. At 12 years old, she was witnessing murders, drug deals, shakedowns, and way too much for a girl her age. One of her mentors, a man known as "Uncle," took Snoop under his wing and tried to get her abandon her dangerous behavior, but it was too little too late when Snoop ended in the Jessup State Penitentiary at 14 for murder.

While there she turned her life around, gaining a new appreciation for doing the right thing. With Uncle's help, she left there feeling like she could do anything - and quickly found her good intentions weren't worth much. That is, until she met Michael K. Williams from The Wire, landing the role of a lifetime with no acting experience.

The rest is history.

Snoop's story is compelling and heart wrenching. You see the innocence of a child wanting her mother and a heart growing cold from rejection. You also glimpse a woman truly turning her life around, trying to obtain the grace after midnight she found in prison. And you also witness a woman true to her sexuality, being openly gay all her life.

For that, she should be applauded.

I bought this game with the hope that they had done away with some of the overly childish and frankly lame additions that were included in the emerald and ruby versions i.e. the pokemon contests for instance. They should have stuck with what they had going good with gold and silver. those games simply added to the strategies possible and made battling monsters that much more exciting. These games are getting further and further away from what they were originally, Battling cool looking monsters and becoming the strongest trainer the world has ever seen. Now it's all about dressing up your pokemon(seriously!) and taking them for walks in a park(couldn't make this up) and baking(baking....yeah that's what I thought too...) they have added in a lot of pokemon that are about as intimidating as a newborn kitten. I feel like less of a man for playing this. Granted there are some cool additions, like the underground were you can go hunt for burried treasure and find fossils and stones and acient plates ect. as well as a couple of cool mythical pokemon. But overall, unless you wish you could dress up your pokemon or bake some poffins with your friends on wifi than I would suggest that this game isn't for you

This guide is bad and lacks much information in the maps, they should've made it as good as the nintendo power version or not at all. I give it two stars because it told me where to go at one point where i was really stuck.

Buy the NP version

Ok, I bought this guide and while it does tell you where to go and how to do things it is kind of hard to understand because you go back and forth between the towns in some parts of the game. It makes it really confusing use it when they are all put in sequence of town when you arent really doing anything in that town until later and then later it doesnt show up you have to look back and figure out where you need to go from there.

The other main reason I bought this book was because it said that it had a full pokedex. I loved the good old days when a pokedex ment you knew the pokemons evolution levels and what level they would gain a new move. It would tell you what TMs that pokemon could learn and all that. This guide is not for you if that is what you are looking for! It basically just showes the pokemon and what page # to find them on. And that doesnt help either because it doesnt really tell you much about them on those pages either.

So in my opinion this guide is somewhat usable but very confusing and doesnt give the right information. I would try nintendo power guides instead.

The good thing about this guide is that it tells you what to do. It also has tons of stuff in the back of the book like contests and where to find all items, HMs and TMs. I would never have beat the game without this guide. The bad things are that the pokemon trainers and their pokemon are not listed and the order of events are way too confusing. Many are out of order and some events should be listed toward the end of the book, such as "Unfinished Business". Overall: OK

The only benefit of using this guide is that it's portable. It is vague and the page order doesn't exactly follow story order. The guide doesn't give any pokedex info, which IMO is the most important part of the game. Instead it focuses on general aspects of the storyline, contests, battling, and other parts of the game that are explained IN THE GAME.

There is no reason to buy this book, instead, buy the second volume/pokedex of the guide. If you get stuck in these games, instead of wasting your money on this vague and confusing guide, go to Google and search for "Pokemon Diamond Walkthrough"

The book was not what I expected as it said it was the one used on Sex and the City Movie and I could not find the letters used on the movie in the book so disappointing.

Wonderful collection of love letters. The book itself is beautiful with the old fashioned quill and rose on the front cover. The interior is just as pretty. The names appear to be calligraphy, but it's regular print.

I was especially excited to see the letters are the originals. They are not put in modern terms.

I'm going to have to order another one since my friend borrowed it and she won't bring it back to me.

I bought this book because I am getting married and wanted to find a romantic, moving reading for the ceremony. And, of course, like many other women who saw the Sex and the City Movie, fell in love with the poetry Mr. Big "uses." This book is not at all what I hoped for or wanted. I must admit that maybe my expectations were not realistic...as I think I was expecting to find stuff right out of the movie (ain't gonna happen). Yes, the letters are full of love...but are often quite depressing as well. If you like history and such...the history of old love is defined by separation for months, etc. That is documented here. I guess for my purposes...it missed the mark. Out of the entire book, I found one segment I truly liked and will most likely use. However, I think I could have come up with something else and saved my money.

I bought this for a friend's birthday who is a huge 'Sex and the City' fan. He was very pleased and excited to own something that inspired an object in the movie. Although it is not the exact item used in the film, it is a wonderful reference tool. I am thinking ofpurchasing one for myself as well.

If you saw the Sex and the City movie and decided you had to have the love letters book in the movie, this is the edition for you. Great love letters from men and women throughout history in a beautiful package.

I've even got my husband interested in listening to me read my favorites. That's a big wow for me.

If you grew up with Superman and Batman, you should really appreciate a graphic novel like "The Boys". It's for us adults, and it's possibly the most unique comic I've read. It's not for kids, nor is it for anyone who's not tolerant of profanity and/or sexual content. But if you're looking for something really different, and you aren't easily offended, "The Boys" is for you.

Talk about shock value, this has it. The first story really sheds a light on those Batman - Iron Man types. The second it just funny, especially the character Love Sausage. Can't wait for the next volume.

When I was a child, I loved to read comics. In fact, they were some of my earliest memories, looking at all the four coloured pictures of Spider-man, the Hulk, Batman, and the Fantastic Four.

The thing I remember the best was, of course, the art. The artists were what made comics for me many years ago. Writers, well - when you consider that I couldn't read at the tender age of 4 or 5, they didn't mean all that much to me.

Of course, as I grew and learned to read, the writers became a little more important to me. The artists, take for example John Byrne, Marc Sylvestri were what made the comic what it was.

But, then the stories began to get more and more complex, and I started to pay closer attention to the writers.

Sadly, they still took a back seat to the artists.

That was my trend for years, before I finally got tired of the silly super powered soap opera that most of the titles I used to read had become.

I started to look at independent comics and other companies that relied more on story than on the art. A perfect example right now would be Dark Horse comics.

Then the unthinkable happened. I got married and found I was about to become a father. So, I had a choice to make - it was either my family or comics. Well, my family won out. Lets face it, this was a no contest.

It wasn't until many years later, mainly due to a co-worker and friend that I started reading a couple of titles again.

Not a single title from the major contributors, you know, Marvel and DC. Instead I started reading several titles from a smaller company called Dynamite.

For me, the flagship title for this company is The Boys. Written by Garth Ennis (who's gained notoriety and infamy or fame? You be the judge - for his work on the Punisher and Preacher), and the Artist Darick Robertson.

I was hooked from the first issue (technically the first volume, since I borrowed my co-workers copy to read).

It had everything that I never saw growing up. The super-heroes, those people pledged to protect humanity from all manner of threats, as they really are when they're not in the limelight.

Petty, egotistical, evil, nasty, depraved, you name it.

Sort of like the rest of humanity in general. They have their strengths and their weaknesses. Because, despite the fact that they are super-powered, they are still just human.

The Boy's is essentially a watchdog group set up to keep the Supers under control and to look into unpleasant occurrences that might have taken place where supers are involved.

Volume 2 covers two complete story arcs... one dealing with a Batman type character known as the Tek Knight and his involvement in the death of a young homosexual man, and the other a possible revolt led by supers in Russia.

Now, with Garth Ennis you have his style of writing. Dark, gritty, in your face. And of course there is humour to be had to, and plenty of it. Typically at Wee Hughies expense.

There were numerous times in the second volume that I laughed out loud while reading, especially the whole deal in the Tek Knight's lair. You'll see what I mean when you read it.

Great stuff, to be sure.

However - the one thing about comics today that still remains true to me is that you need an artist that you like.

I've never been exposed to any of Darick Robertson's work before, although my co-worker says that I should pick up his Transmetropolitan.

I digress...

It did take a little time for me to get used to his work. It was very dark, and exceptionally bloody and graphic at times.

Which is EXACTLY what the Boys needed. An artists who could pull it off. His work grew on me, and now I can say that I am a fan of his work in the Boys. And, maybe I should pick up his earlier work as well.

His work compliments Garth Ennis's style perfectly.

So, the review I wrote for Volume 1 was in praise of Garth Ennis, this is in praise of Darick Robertson's exceptionally well done work for a very violent and dark comic.

5 out of 5.

The second edition of Garth Ennis' new comic series The Boys is absolutely sterling. Now that the first book has established who these characters are, what they do and what kind of world they're living in we start settling in to just what their day-to-day life involves. The first story where The Boys rock up against thinly-veiled Batman-analogy Tek-Knight is definantly the stronger of the two halves, and abolutely hilarious, but the second half and of course the character of Love Sausage is well worth the rereading as well.

Thank God for Peter Snejbjerg, or I wouldn't have anything to complain about. At least, I assume it's him who takes over art-duties in the last couple of chapters where the art suddenly goes very... Archie and Jughead. The story stays consistantly strong and the art, although very cartoony, isn't terrible, it just doesn't stack up against the art of Darick Robertson. Robertson's art in The Boys is beyond compare, his attention to detail and mastery of facial expression are a big part of the reason this series should be soaking up the spotlight, and I sincerely hope the cartoony switch in the last couple of chapters isn't an indication of more sharing between artists in the future.

Classic Ennis, as is typical of his more current work you have just about an even split between funny, and "that just ain't right" moments. In this volume he continues to develop his characters and there world, and as always makes you like them for their flaws instead of despite them. Being a fan of Ennis's sense of style I would have given this five stars, however in the last chapter in the book the art gets cartoony and vaguely annoying. I tend to ignore crappy art in his earlier work like Hitman, because when you are starting out you have to take whoever is given to you to get your inks done and your stuff on the shelf. At this point it seems like he could have a little integrity and demand on decent help. Anyway it's probably not the sort of thing that will bother you, if your just looking for more awesome writing, but hey I'm an art snob and for me it was a let down. Here's hoping it was just a one issue snafu. All around it's enjoyable and worth the dough.