The boys - each the TV present and the unique comedian e-book - is known for its unflattering depiction of superheroes. Your complete franchise is a commentary on the commercialization and cultural obsession with superheroes, each in these superheroes' fictional worlds and in the actual world. Nonetheless, The boys was not the primary franchise to do that, as Surprise used an virtually similar methodology to parody superheroes lengthy earlier than The boys - and Marvel did it with a staff most followers have by no means heard of: X-Statix.
2002 X-Statix #1 by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred introduces readers to the brand new staff of mutants in X-Males canon, though these 'heroes' are decidedly totally different from something Marvel Comics followers have seen earlier than. The X-Statix weren't actual heroes, they had been basically actors. Their powers had been actual - in actual fact, they had been mutants - however they actually didn't use these powers for good. As an alternative, the X-Statix used their powers for one factor and one factor solely: creating wealth.
The one mission X-Statix cares about is advertising and marketing your model. They may carry out faux, staged missions on digicam to make it seem to be they're truly saving the day. Every so often they face some straightforward 'unhealthy guys' so as to add a extra real really feel to the staff and to keep away from being labeled as 'faux' (which might find yourself hurting their model), however for essentially the most half, it's all an act of heroism nothing extra. is than a present placed on for his or her followers for the only objective of promoting merchandise.
X-Statix makes use of the affect created by legit mutant superhero groups such because the X-Males, X-Issue, and X-Pressure and earnings from their feats of heroism with out having to earn something themselves. X-Statix have an virtually meta-understanding that mutant superhero groups are standard with followers and exist solely to profit financially from that particular market. In different phrases, X-Statix is a real-world commentary on the real-world success of the X-Males - which is extremely much like The boys.
The Boys Has Surpassed X-Statix because the Authority on Superhero Parody
X-Statix Was a Superhero Parody Earlier than Boys, However Boys Perfected the Artwork
The boys comic series was not launched till 2006, 4 years later X-Statix hit the cabinets for the primary time, and that's with out contemplating The boys'Prime Video's live-action collection, which solely premiered in 2019. In different phrases, X-Statix was doing superhero satire lengthy earlier than The Boys. Nonetheless, though it could have been the previous, it's truthful to say that The boys has perfected the craft to a stage that far exceeds X-Statix.
On the one hand, individuals in every single place learn about The boys whereas X-Statix stays comparatively unknown to at the present time. Then, The boys' legacy is certainly extra substantial than X-Statixregardless of X-Statix being the primary - however that's not the one purpose The boys is the main authority on superhero parodies X-Statix. The boys isn't afraid to take issues to the acute throughout its parodies, which is simpler than the comparatively PG model X-Statix brings followers. Moreover, superheroes The boys parodies are extra standard than in X-Statixwhich generates rather more fan engagement.
In The boysReaders are introduced with eventualities that successfully quantity to “what if Superman had been evil?”, or “what if the Avengers had been corrupt?”, or “what if real-world superhero worship took over the Avengers universe.” comics?” Characters like Homelander, Soldier Boy, and members of the Boys are intriguing in their very own proper, but it surely's the primary characters they painting and the parodies their existence creates that originally hooked followers, and why The boys It's so iconic to at the present time. X-Statix it simply parodies the X-Males within the broadest sense, with out direct parodies or comparisons to particular characters.
The Boys was initially meant to be extra like X-Statix than followers notice
The Boys initially came about in DC continuity, similar to X-Statix in Marvel
The one factor X-Statix he completed The boys Relating to what the very best superhero parody is (except for being the primary), it's that it truly takes place within the Marvel Universe. In just about each different respect, The boys is the superior satire, however X-Statix calls upon your individual mutant superheroes whereas present alongside them. The boys it has total comedian e-book universes that separate it from the characters and comics it's parodying. However, apparently, it wasn't at all times like this.
The boys was initially revealed by DC Comics' WildStorm imprint, the place the collection existed for its first six points. Actually, DC reportedly had an curiosity in doubling down The boys within the established DC universe, much like how Garth Ennis' Hitman collection featured characters like Batman, Superman, and Inexperienced Lantern. Nonetheless, The boys was canceled by DC reportedly attributable to its basic anti-superhero message and its hyperviolence, so any hope that it might exist in the primary DCU was crushed. After that, The boys moved to Dynamite Leisure, and the remaining is historical past.
Though it by no means occurred in the primary DC continuity (because it was simply revealed by an imprint below the DC umbrella), The boys got here very near being extra comparable X-Statix than many followers know. Like this X-Statix mocks the real-world commercialization of X-Males titles whereas going down in the identical fictional universe because the X-Males themselves, The boys I virtually had the prospect to have characters like Homelander and Black Noir mock Superman and Batman to their faces. However since that by no means occurred, X-Statix nonetheless has this explicit benefit on this comparability.
X-Statix ended up taking a web page out of the boys' playbook
X-Statix's Newest Comedian Apparently Took Inspiration From The Boys' Homelander
Though X-Statix was the primary, the comedian apparently nonetheless had so much to be taught The boys in the case of creating actually despicable characters to emphasise superhero satire. Particularly, within the final X-Statix collection (2022 X-Celente), a personality turns into as terribly merciless and totally disgusting as The boys' Homeland: Zeitgeist. Informal Marvel followers will bear in mind the movie's Zeitgeist Deadpool 2and hardcore comedian e-book followers know that Zeitgeist truly led X-Pressure for a brief time frame. Nonetheless, when the character obtained the 'X-Statix' remedy, he was by no means the identical.
Zeitgeist turned a sadistic chief of the X-Cellent, a staff that exposed the X-Statix within the advertising and marketing of mutant superheroes. Though X-Statix existed to attract consideration to commercialization itself, X-Celente investigated the corruption of superheroes who solely need fame and recognition relatively than utilizing their powers for good, and what they are going to do to take care of that reputation - and Zeitgeist represented the worst of all of them, as did The boys'Homeland.
It's attention-grabbing to see how some franchises might have influenced others, even when these franchises principally exist simply to criticize different franchises. Actually, it seems that each X-Statix and The boys had one thing to supply the opposite, leading to two extraordinarily entertaining satirical collection. However even when The boys might have surpassed him by way of reputation and legacy, Surpriseof X-Statix was nonetheless the primary and was doing superhero satires lengthy earlier than The boys.