We Gotta Go Now | |
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Date |
|
No. of issues | 6 |
Main characters | |
Publisher | Dynamite Entertainment |
Creative team | |
Writers | Garth Ennis [1] |
Artists | Darick Robertson John Higgins |
Letterers | Simon Bowland |
Colourists | Tony Aviña [2] |
Original publication | |
Published in | The Boys |
ISBN | 978-1-6069-0035-2 |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Good for the Soul |
Followed by | Herogasm (miniseries) The Self-Preservation Society (volume) |
We Gotta Go Now is a graphic novel written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson and John Higgins that was released in eight parts throughout 2008 and 2009 by Dynamite Entertainment as the fourth volume of the American comic book series The Boys . Part 1, Silver Kincaid Killed Herself Yesterday Morning, was released October 1, 2008, Part 2, Why Pinto? Errf Why Not?, was released October 29, 2008, Part 3, It's Not Gonna Be An Orgy…!, was released December 3, 2008, Part 4, Do You Mind If We Dance With Your Dates?, was released January 7, 2009, Part 5, See If You Can Guess…What I Am Now., was released February 4, 2009, Part 6, Leaving! What A Good Idea!, was released March 4, 2009, Part 7, I'll Say You're Too Well To Attend…, was released April 1, 2009, and Part 8, Rodeo Fuck, was released May 6, 2009. [3]
The series follows the CIA-affiliated black ops group codenamed "The Boys" as following the public suicide of superhero Silver Kincaid of the G-Men (a parody of Marvel Comics' X-Men), they investigate the circumstances behind her death and the origin of number one Supe-franchise in the world and their mysterious leader, John Godolkin, sending Wee Hughie undercover to the G-Mansion. The series is also notable for featuring an epilogue to Garth Ennis' previous DC Vertigo series, Preacher (1995–2000), with former vampire Proinsias Cassidy cameoing as a bartender and friend of Billy Butcher. [4]
Preceded by the story arc Good for the Soul, it is followed by the miniseries Herogasm and the story arc The Self-Preservation Society . In 2022, characters from the series were adapted to the Amazon Prime Video streaming television series The Boys and The Boys Presents: Diabolical , while in 2023, the series was loosely adapted as the spin-off series Gen V , set at Godolkin University.
The series has received a positive critical reception. [5] [6] [7]
In a Vought-American warehouse, the corporation is revealed to be stocking up on flamethrowers. The following morning, as Hughie is relaxing with Annie, CIA Director Rayner meets with Butcher to discuss how there is "something genuinely wrong" with the G-Men (the world's most popular superhero team, independent of Vought and run by billionaire John Godolkin), revealing that one of the heroes of their original team (occasionally contracted by Vought for assassination work), Silver Kincaid, had publicly killed herself in the small town of Cranbrook, Massachusetts the day before, using her gravity powers to crush her own brain while asking for "Uncle Paul". Returning to base, Butcher decides to send Hughie undercover to the G-Men college fraternity "G-Wiz" as a nineteen-year-old student, to then graduate to the G-Mansion as a G-Man and plant surveillance bugs. [5] [8]
As Hughie goes undercover with the G-Wiz as "Bagpipe", bonding with the other students in the fraternity (including Randall, Cory, Jamal, Blowchowski, Sugar, the Weezer, and the Dude with No Name), Mother's Milk visits Cranbrook to investigate the circumstances behind Silver Kincaid's suicide, partnering with the local Sheriff Rog (whom Silver Kincaid killed herself in front of), and Butcher meets with the Legend, wondering over Rayner's motivation for having the Boys investigate the G-Men. As the fraternity prank call the Seven at Vought Tower, Annie and Hughie briefly hear one another at the other end of the phone, but quickly dismiss the possibility of it actually being each other as "Couldn't be.". The following day, as the Frenchman and the Female play Scrabble while doing surveillance on Hughie, he and the rest of G-Wiz drive to the G-Mansion, where they meet John Godolkin and the rest of the G-Men, Godolkin remarking that Hughie appears to be "rather old" (due to his beard). [9] [10]
As the Guy From Vought and Mr. Wayne [a] discuss the aftermath of the Homelander's latest "tantrum" while having lunch, the Guy From Vought recommends enacting "containment" of Godolkin and the G-Men "sooner rather than later", describing the Kincaid Incident as "nothing compared to what almost happened with Nubia". Meanwhile, on his tour of the G-Mansion (after watching the brain-damaged Groundhawk run off), Hughie begins planting bugs, while hearing of a planned memorial for Silver Kincaid that coming Thursday, which every G-Team is set to attend, before being horrified on coming across a catatonic Nubia, who can do nothing but constantly whisper "Kill Me" (on having gone through the flawed Vought resurrection process following her death). On asking Godolkin why he keeps her around rather than granting her a mercy kill, Hughie is told "Because she's my little girl.". Later that night, Hughie accidentally comes across his fraternity friends involved in a circle-jerk to straight porn, while Butcher hires a prostitute to use a wheelchair to distract Rayner's abasiophiliac assistant Kessler while Butcher steals his hard drive on the G-Men. [6] [11]
As Hughie takes a break from his undercover operation for a date with Annie, the Frenchman and the Female listen to their surveillance as John Godolkin announces the day's brunch to begin, and the G-Man Critter privately poses the question to the other members of the original team as to the reason for even having new G-Men, pointing out that with there being eight to nine teams at present, that with the more teams set up to expand the franchise, the worse their security will get, and the greater chance someone will say let slip "saying something, about whatever [or] venting", the teams arguing over the various team rivalries over the rest of the day. Meanwhile, on their date, Hughie and Annie have sex outside in the grass, before talking about their respective lives with the Boys and the Seven, and their personal lives beyond that, both leaving out the details about what their actual careers are (presenting themselves respectively as an insurance investigator and a choir member). In Cranbrook, Mother's Milk tracks down Wilhelm Wilhelm, the brother of "Uncle Paul", while as Butcher has his dog Terror hunt down a cat for fun, he is shocked at what he finds on Kessler's hard drive about the G-Men, punching out his computer screen. [7] [12]
Wilhelm reveals that his brother Paul had killed himself after Wilhelm's daughter Grace had been abducted as a child while Paul had been buying her ice cream; on seeing a photo of Grace, Mother's Milk recognises her as a younger Silver Kincaid. On Saint Patrick's Day, Hughie goes out drinking with the rest of G-Wiz, while a shaken Butcher meets with his sponsor and former vampire Proinsias Cassidy at his bar "The Grassy Knoll" (which he serves as a sober bartender), closing up in spite of it usually being his most profitable day (threatening would-be customers with an axe) so that the two recovering alcoholics can drink club sodas in peace while reminiscing about their respective pasts, toasting to the Alcoholics Anonymous mantra of taking it "one day at a time". As Hughie tries to talk Randall into learning more about being normal, increasingly becoming sorry for his and the other G-Wiz members' skewed perspective of the world, he takes a break from the "Green Hell" to meet with Butcher at the Grassy Knoll, Butcher insisting that he stop his undercover work after what he has seen. At the G-Mansion, as the arriving rival G-Teams fight, Cold Snap and Five-Oh discuss an incident the previous year where Homefry from G-Coast "started blubbering" about their past, both then pondering whether Silver might have taken "the smart way out" and whether they should privately commit suicide themselves rather than live with the money, a conversation missed by the sleeping Frenchman and Female. As Butcher and Hughie leave the bar, the two discuss how Americans celebrate Saint Patrick's Day as compared to the rest of the world, noting "a green plastic bowler hat filled with sick" as symbolic of it. [13]
John Godolkin calls the Guy From Vought asking that more effort be put into the resurrection method for Nubia, responding that "I just want her back." as the Guy From Vought insists the process "simply doesn't work, not is it ever likely to"; on overhearing children on Godolkin's end, the Guy From Vought realises Godolkin is training up another "Pre-Wiz" of junior G-Men against recommendation, before hanging up. On finding his assistant Jennifer sent up surveillance confirming Hughie's undercover operation an hour earlier, the Guy From Vought fires her. In spite of being asked to cease operations, Hughie decides to attend Silver Kincaid's memorial and the unveiling of her statue, attempting to prevent the G-Wiz class from joining the G-Men on seeing how miserable they are at heart with the concept. The Guy From Vought then calls Mr. Edgar over Hughie's infiltration, informing him that while he had informed Godolkin of it, Godolkin had decided not to act not to expell Hughie in lieu of having something down to him, and insisting the resurrection method also be attempted on Silver Kincaid, the Guy From Vought insisting that "the time has come to act", and that in place of revenue, "With the greatest possible respect, you should be thinking about survival." As night falls, Godolkin has the G-Wiz team drive Hughie outside to kill him, and after failing to talk them down, Hughie allows the Frenchman and the Female to kill them all but for Jamal and Cory (left comatose), whom Butcher and Mother's Milk arrive to help interrogate. Meanwhile, inside the G-Mansion, Divine, a telepath, notices his communication was cut off to Cory, shortly before sensing him entering a coma. After Mother's Milk lays out all he has uncovered about the history of the G-Men (all being abducted children instead of orphans as the official story claims), Butcher insists Jamal fill in the gaps about their origin lest he have Hughie slit his throat. [14] [15]
As Mr. Wayne reviews the minutes for the meeting decades prior where (with Mr. Edgar and Mr. Neiman) he first learned the truth about the G-Men, before granting approval for the Guy From Vought (revealed to be named "Stillwell") to put a "blank check" aside for "containment", in the grounds outside the G-Mansion, Jamal confirms the truth about G-Men recruitment to the Boys: they were taken as children by John Godolkin, given superpowers with Compound V, and given everything they asked for (but being allowed to leave) to encourage them to stay, as Godolkin would sexually abuse them as children as part of instilling loyalty to the G-Men brand over time, with those who attempted to leave (including Nubia) being taken out by Silver Kincaid. Before Jamal can say more, he is suddenly killed by Europo who had teleported behind him, exclaiming that "silence is golden". The Boys turn to see every G-Team assembled in front of the G-Mansion lawn, prepared to engage them in combat. Enraged, Hughie elects to take them on himself in a suicide mission, followed by Mother's Milk, the Female, the Frenchman, and then, reluctantly, Butcher, the latter noting that "Worse ways to go than slaughterin' twats like these". Suddenly, before the Boys and the G-Men can engage, the Guy From Vought arrives in-helicopter with a team of Red River operatives and massacres the G-Men himself, burning them alive. Standing before a dumbfounded Butcher, staring him in the eye, the Guy From Vought tells him "Just so you know. We can clean up our own shit." before leaving. [16]
In the grim aftermath of the Guy From Vought's display of power, the Guy From Vought spins the G-Men massacre as them having "travelled to another dimension to fight the forces of evil forever", before having the Pre-Wiz team of children disposed of in a shipping container dropped off the coast of Iceland (using different teams of Red River personnel "so that no one's ever aware of the final consequences of their particular role", viewing it as more efficient than "recruiting outright sociopaths"). Meanwhile, still reeling from the Guy From Vought's display of power, Butcher and Hughie discuss the morality of the massacre on a train back home, the Frenchman tries and fails to convince the Female not to take on more contract killing work in working out her rage, and Mother's Milk and Sheriff Rog talk about telling Wilhelm the truth about what happened to Grace (Silver Kincaid). Later in the day, Kessler returns home to Butcher waiting for him: his hard drive is revealed correspondence between Rayner and Silver Kincaid, Rayner having recruited the Supe to spy on Godolkin after he had her lobotomise Nubia, believing the G-Men were going "too far" and becoming "unstable", before the guilt drove her to suicide, Rayner having then sent in Butcher and the Boys on a "pissed off" whim. At Vought Tower, the Guy From Vought informs the Homelander that he and the Seven will now be considered the "Number One source of revenue" for Vought, and that "direct action" against Butcher and the Boys is now "back on the table". That night, in bed, Hughie cries into Annie's arms over what happened to the G-Men, while in Rayner's office, as Butcher and Rayner have hate sex, Butcher threatens to kill her husband, her two children, and then her, if she ever puts any of them in "the firin' line" again. [17] [18]
Issue # | Publication date | Critic rating | Critic reviews | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | October 2008 | 8.0/10 | 2 | [19] |
2 | 6.8/10 | 2 | [20] | |
3 | December 2008 | 6.6/10 | 2 | [21] |
4 | January 2009 | 6.5/10 | 2 | [22] |
5 | February 2009 | 4.8/10 | 2 | [23] |
6 | March 2009 | 7.0/10 | 1 | [24] |
7 | April 2009 | 7.0/10 | 2 | [25] |
8 | May 2009 | 7.0/10 | 1 | [26] |
Overall | 7.0/10 | 36 | [27] |
Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
The Boys: We Gotta Go Now | The Boys (vol. 4) #23–30 | July 1, 2009 [28] | ISBN 1-84856-298-5 |
The Boys: Definitive Edition 2 | The Boys #15–30 (Good for the Soul and We Gotta Go Now) [29] | December 23, 2009 | ISBN 1-60690-073-0 |
On September 20, 2020, a stand-alone adaptation of We Gotta Go Now was announced to be in development as a spin-off of the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of The Boys, which had wagered to exclude the G-Men from its exploration of the series' main storyline beyond Easter egg references. [30] [31] Starring Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, a bloodbender who joins the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting founded by Thomas Godolkin in the hopes of eventually joining The Seven, the series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on September 29, 2023.
Characters from We Gotta Go Now were also adapted to the third season of The Boys, with Jasmin Husain portraying Silver Kincaid, and the animated series The Boys Presents: Diabolical , with Aisha Tyler voicing Nubia, and John DiMaggio voicing Groundhawk. [32]
The Boys is an adult superhero comic book series, written by Garth Ennis and co-created, designed, and illustrated by Darick Robertson. The first volume was published by WildStorm, which canceled it after six issues; the series was picked up by Dynamite Entertainment, which published the following eight volumes: Get Some, Good for the Soul, We Gotta Go Now, The Self-Preservation Society, The Innocents, The Big Ride, Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men, and The Bloody Doors Off. Debuting in October 2006, the series concluded in November 2012 after 72 issues were published. In the fourth volume, the series is revealed to be set in the same fictional universe as Ennis' previous 1995–2000 DC Vertigo series, Preacher, with former vampire Proinsias Cassidy cameoing as a bartender. Three 6-issue spin-off limited series were also produced during the series' original run: Herogasm, Highland Laddie, and Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker, with an 8-issue epilogue series, Dear Becky, published from June–December 2020.
Herogasm is a six-issue comic book limited series by Garth Ennis, John McCrea and Keith Burns. Originally published as a spin-off of The Boys, set between issues #30 and #31, and centering on the Boys as they infiltrate "Herogasm", an annual party for Vought-American-sponsored superheroes to allow them orgies. Herogasm was collected in trade paperback in November 2009 as the fifth volume of The Boys, as The Boys: Herogasm.
The Homelander is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in the comic book series The Boys and the media franchise of the same name, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. He is depicted as a psychopathic and sadistic narcissist who serves as the extremely powerful leader of The Seven—a group of corrupt and hedonistic superheroes grown and funded by Vought-American—and the archenemy of Billy Butcher. Beneath his public image as a noble and altruistic hero, the Homelander cares little about the well-being of those he professes to protect. Described as the living personification of how the world sees America, the character has received critical acclaim along with Starr's portrayal in the series. Homelander has also been compared to Superman and Captain America.
William J. "Billy" Butcher is a fictional character and antihero appearing in the comic book series The Boys, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. He is the leader of The Boys, a group of CIA-sponsored black ops agents who observe, record and sometimes eliminate superheroes artificially created by the mega-conglomerate Vought. He is the Homelander's archenemy, whom he blames for the rape and death of his wife Becky, while also developing an intense hatred for all superhuman beings. Butcher also appears as one of the main protagonists in the Amazon Prime Video television adaptation of The Boys.
Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men is a graphic novel written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Russ Braun that was released in six parts throughout 2011 and 2012 by Dynamite Entertainment as the penultimate volume of the American comic book series The Boys. Part 1, The House of Cards Comes Tumbling Down, was released November 2, 2011, Part 2, Interruptus, was released December 7, 2011, Part 3, Assassination Run, was released January 4, 2012, Part 4, A Lady of a Certain Age, was released February 1, 2012, Part 5, One, Two, Three, Four, United States Marine Corps, was released March 7, 2012, and Part 6, My Name––Is Michael Caine, was released April 4, 2012.
The Bloody Doors Off is a graphic novel written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Russ Braun that was released in seven parts throughout 2012 by Dynamite Entertainment as the final volume of the American comic book series The Boys. Part 1, I Cannot Let You Do This…!, was released May 2, Part 2, Splendiddio…, was released June 6, Part 3, Do You Know What I Hate?, was released July 4, Part 4, Whose Woods These Are I Think I Know, was released August 1, Part 5, The Name of the Game, was released September 5, Part 6, The Scores on the Doors, was released October 3, and Part 7, You Found Me, was released November 14.
Hugh "Wee Hughie" Campbell is a fictional character and the protagonist of the comic book series The Boys and its spin-offs Herogasm and Highland Laddie, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and visually designed after Simon Pegg. He is a member of The Boys, a group of vigilantes led by Billy Butcher. After the accidental death of his girlfriend Robin at the hands of the so-called superhero A-Train, he joins the Boys to get vengeance on superheroes, who are artificially created by the mega-conglomerate Vought-American. Hughie appears in the Amazon Prime Video television adaptation of the series as one of the main protagonists, where he serves as the moral compass and voice of reason of the Boys.
Gen V is an American satirical superhero television series, developed by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke, serving as a spin-off of The Boys by Kripke, and loosely based on The Boys comic book story arc We Gotta Go Now by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, and John Higgins. The series stars Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn in main roles.
The Guy From Vought, also known as the Vought Guy, is a fictional character in the comic book series The Boys and the resulting franchise, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, an executive officer of the defense contractor/pharmaceutical company Vought-American Consolidated (V.A.C.), a company which publicly owns the Seven, several smaller superhero teams, and their related franchises, and privately is responsible for the creation and distribution of the superpower-inducing Compound V. The most prominent normal human antagonist in the series, whom Homelander often unsuccessfully seeks to impress/cause to fear him, the Guy From Vought is an apparent high-functioning sociopath and practical embodiment of VA, working only in the corporate interest, including orchestrating/ordering: the near-coup of the Russian government, the massacre of the G-Men teams, Payback's ambush of the Boys, and the takeover of the White House via idiotic puppet ruler U.S. Vice President Vic the Veep.
Soldier Boy is the name of three superhero characters in the comic book series Herogasm and The Boys, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The first character introduced is the elected leader of the Vought-American-sponsored superhero team Payback. He is depicted as one of the only "Supes" with selfless, benevolent motivations, who detests the use of profanity. However, Soldier Boy annually has sex with Homelander alone at the "Herogasm" orgy, under the mistaken hope that the "test" of doing so will convince Homelander to let him join his own superhero team, The Seven. After his most recent dalliance with Homelander, Soldier Boy is captured by CIA black ops agent Billy Butcher and brutally tortured and murdered by him for information on Homelander's recent activities. The original Soldier Boy is later revealed to have been mercy killed by Mallory during his first mission at the Battle of the Bulge, after his "Avenging Squad" inadvertently caused Mallory's men to be massacred, and been replaced by the second for the remainder of the war.
Mother's Milk, or simply M.M., is a fictional character and antihero appearing in the comic book series The Boys, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Born Baron Wallis, he is a member of The Boys, a group of CIA-sponsored black ops agents led by Billy Butcher who observe, record, and sometimes liquidate "Supes" artificially created by the mega-conglomerate Vought.
The Boys is an American media franchise, consisting of action-drama/satirical black comedy superhero television series which follow the residents of a world where superpowered individuals called Supes are recognized as heroes by the general public and work for a powerful corporation known as Vought International, which markets, monetizes, and (secretly) creates them, with most being selfish and corrupt outside of their heroic personas. Based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, originally published by DC Comics under its Wildstorm imprint before moving to Dynamite Entertainment, the television franchise debut has garnered success both financially and critically.
"The Name of the Game" is the first episode of the first season and series premiere of the American superhero television series The Boys, based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis. It is set in a universe where superpowered individuals, known as Supes, are portrayed as corrupt individuals instead of the heroes the general public believes they are. The episode was written by the series showrunner Eric Kripke and directed by Dan Trachtenberg.
"Good for the Soul" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American superhero television series The Boys, based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis. It is set in a universe where superpowered individuals, known as Supes, are portrayed as corrupt individuals instead of the heroes the general public believes they are. The episode was written by Anne Cofell Saunders and directed by Stefan Schwartz.
"The Innocents" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American superhero television series The Boys, based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis, and named after its seventh volume. It is set in a universe where superpowered individuals, known as Supes, are portrayed as corrupt individuals instead of the heroes the general public believes they are. The episode was written by Rebecca Sonnenshine and directed by Jennifer Phang.
The Self-Preservation Society is the seventh episode of the first season of the American superhero television series The Boys, based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis. It is set in a universe where superpowered individuals, known as Supes, are portrayed as corrupt individuals instead of the heroes the general public believes they are. The episode was written by Craig Rosenberg and Ellie Monahan, and directed by Dan Attias.
"We Gotta Go Now" is the fifth episode of the second season and thirteenth episode overall of the American superhero television series The Boys, based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis, and named after its fourth volume. It is set in a universe where superpowered individuals, known as Supes, are portrayed as corrupt individuals instead of the heroes the general public believes they are. The episode was written by Ellie Monahan and directed by Batan Silva.
Dear Becky is an eight-issue comic book limited series written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Russ Braun. Published as an extended epilogue to The Boys as a tie-in to the second season of its television adaptation, set twelve years following The Bloody Doors Off, and divided into the chapters Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and January, the series follows Wee Hughie as he builds up to finally marrying Annie January in his hometown of Auchterladle, Scotland, as he is mailed the diary of Billy Butcher, addressed to Becky and detailing Butcher's mindset over the years before he murdered the rest of the Boys and forced Hughie to kill him, Hughie reading through it while investigating who sent it to him. Published in 2020, Dear Becky was collected in trade paperback in February 2021 as The Boys: Dear Becky.
The Name of the Game is a two-part graphic novel written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson that was released in 2006 by WildStorm and DC Comics as the first volume of the American comic book series The Boys. It consists of the two-part The Name of the Game, of which Part 1, This Is Going To Hurt, was released August 16, 2006, and Part 2, The Frenchman, the Female and the Man Called Mother's Milk, was released August 30, 2006, and the four-part Cherry, of which Part 1, The Seven, was released October 4, 2006, Part 2, Teenage Kix Right Through the Night, was released October 25, 2006, Part 3, Life Among the Septics, was released November 22, 2006, and Part 4, And I Always Wanted A Little Brother, was released December 27, 2006.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)In The Boys #27, Butcher is sitting inside a bar called the Grassy Knoll, talking to the bartender/owner named Proinsias, and the two are speaking to each other as if they're old friends. While incredibly understated, this moment is an official crossover between The Boys and Preacher , as this Proinsias with Butcher is Preacher's Proinsias Cassidy. All throughout Preacher, Cassidy talked about wanting to open a bar called the Grassy Knoll, and at the end of Preacher, Cassidy became human, and committed himself to living the life he always wanted. And The Boys confirmed that he made it.