REVIEW: ‘The Boys: Dear Becky,’ Issue #2

The Boys: Dear Becky #2 is published by Dynamite Comics, written by Garth Ennis, illustrated by Russ Braun, colored by Tony Aviña, lettered by Simon Bowland, and returning for covers is Darick Robertson. Twelve years after the events in Washington D.C., Hughie Campbell finds himself back in Scotland with his partner Annie January, previously Starlight of the Seven. Over a decade without an incident, Hughie finds himself relapsing into old habits after the journal of Billy Butcher inexplicably found its way to the doorstep of the Scotsman, but what does it all mean?

Previously, we caught up with Hughie, and one of his old friends as they recapped the events of their world over the last decade, as a way to set the stage. After a few pints, and a great chin wag (British speak for conversation), Hughie arrives home to find a package waiting for him, the diary of Billy Butcher. Hughie is horrified, and yet, he pores over the diary desperately trying to understand what message his old mentor was trying to send him.

Now in issue #2, Hughie takes a trip to the local cemetery to visit his now passed parents and to confess his deepest fears. He’s been keeping a secret from Annie, and it’s eating him up. Meanwhile, at home, his mind is firmly occupied with the diary of Butcher as he works his way through the pages that detail events before Hughie’s arrival. Hughie worries, however, that the only answers he may find in this journal are more tales of pain and anguish.

Ennis hasn’t missed a trick, as he and the creative team jump back into The Boys series. This outlandish issue hits so many of those same beats that the prior series covered. I would say the one somewhat vexing point, is that even though the series is titled Dear Becky, implying the notion of Butcher writing to his beloved, the point of the series has truly yet to exposed. Issue #1 set the scene and delivered us the journal, but now in issue #2, the plot appears to be half related to Hughie’s current situation, and half reliving the very early day of the Boys just after Mallory has put the team together.

Overall I have faith that the series has a direction, but there were moments in this issue that while entertaining for simply raucous fun, felt like you would question where is this all leading to? As of yet, I see no obvious indications.

Braun and Aviña combine once again to tap into that dementedly weird headspace in which the Boys lives in visually. The sequence that will grab everyone’s attention is during the funeral of a previously unseen character Norska, who is being mourned by another unknown, Vikor. I won’t spoil the scene, but let’s just say once Butcher visits, the doors get blown off, and Braun absolutely brings it with the visuals. Aviña’s color styles are so consistently good, it’s hard to find new words to attribute to his work.

Bowland does a fantastic job with the lettering, as given one of the challenges of the Boys is that there is a lot of dialogue to balance throughout the issues. Due to the little action in the issue, there’s no onomatopoeia, so Bowland really had to zone in on getting the lettering to a solid point, which he achieves.

Overall, it was undoubtedly a fun issue that will leave you with that warm, and uncomfortable feeling that is quintessential to the the Boys series. It will be interesting to see where the next issue takes, however, as there is a slight undertone of this plot laboring on. If you’re looking for a hilarious, and unrestrained story, baked in with some Superheroes getting their arse kicked, this will feel like home!

The Boys: Dear Becky #2 is available now wherever comic books are sold.