It’s a long wait for season 3 of Amazon’s darkly comic superhero series The Boys, which is set to hit the streaming service in June. To tide fans over, the series creators collaborated with several writers and artists on The Boys Presents: Diabolical, an adult animated anthology that features eight animated shorts set in the world of Vought International. And just like its source material, Diabolical is jampacked with raunchy humor, gratuitous violence, and pitch-black satire.
Some of the shorts see members of the Boys and the Seven make appearances, while others tell their own self-contained stories. Like all anthologies, there are shorts that will appeal more to some than others, but across the board, all the Diabolical episodes feature gorgeous animation from Titmouse Studios (Star Trek: Lower Decks, Hulu’s Animaniacs reboot) in a variety of different styles, from Seth Rogen and Evan Golberg’s “Laser Baby’s Day Out,” an homage to classic Warner Bros. cartoons to Awkwafina’s Saturday Morning anime vibes in “BFFs.”
At 10-12 minutes an episode, even the chapters that don’t quite work don’t overstay their welcome. Some of the standouts include “Boyd in 3D,” from Eliot Glazer (New Girl) and Ilana Glazer (Broad City), a romantic fable about self-esteem and social media addiction (think Pixar’s Paperman with more exploding heads).
Andy Samberg’s “John and Sun-Hee” offers a wistful, poignant story about a man who steals Compound V to save the life of his wife, who is dying of cancer. It’s a stunning entry, inspired by Korean watercolors and artfully directed by Steve Ahn (Star Trek: Prodigy). Other standout episodes include Aisha Tyler’s “Nubian vs Nubian,” which sees a little girl trying to reunite her superhero parents on the eve of their divorce. And fans of Rick and Morty will enjoy the irreverent humor and fast pace of Justin Roiland and Ben Bayouth’s “An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents.”
Garth Ennis, who wrote the original comic The Boys, scripts “I’m Your Pusher,” which sees Billy Butcher (Jason Isaacs) and Hughie (Simon Pegg, finally playing the role he inspired) blackmail the Supes’ drug dealer O.D. (Kieran Culkin) with blood-soaked results. And Homelander stars in “One Plus One Equals Two” written by Simon Racioppa (Invincible). The episode flashes back to Homelander’s induction into the Seven, where he is partnered with Black Noir for his first-ever mission. It’s a great introduction to the monster that Homelander becomes, and the corporation that covers his violent acts.
There’s a lot to enjoy in this anthology, which serves as an amuse bouche of sorts while we wait for The Boys to return. And The Boys shows no signs of stopping: Amazon has picked up a new series from showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters (Agent Carter), which follows students at America’s only college exclusively for young-adult superheroes, courtesy of Vought International.
The Boys Presents: Diabolical is available starting Friday, March 4 on Amazon Prime.
(image: Amazon Studios)
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