I write season one because I sincerely hope that Diabolical, a spin-off series from The Boys gets more seasons. It’s so cool! There were so many different writers, animation styles, directors, and voice actors taking part. I’d like to think it’s because they all really like The Boys and wanted to get involved somehow. What a neat way to do it!
To be honest, I had almost forgotten that this series was going to happen. It feels like a lifetime since the second season of The Boys aired and this was announced, that the news just kind of slipped to my back brain. Lucky for me, I follow the whole cast of the show and they kindly reminded me of this little gem of a spinoff. As I said above, each episode showcased a different animation style which was so neat! I’m not big into animation, but I love the uniqueness of this approach, and it gives the spotlight to a bunch of different artists! Also, the writing and directing changed each episode, so it gave lots of people the chance to shine. Andy Samberg and Awkwafina’s names jumped out at me, just to name a couple.
Anyways, each episode ran about fifteen minutes and were not related to each other in any way other than Vought being a throughput. Lots of them involved normal people getting their hands on Compound V, the drug designed to turn people into superheroes. As with The Boys, people who take the substance end up with a wide array of powers that most people wouldn’t want or even think of. Can’t say I’d come up with the ability to control poop…but Awkwafina sure did! That episode was probably my favorite. It was so random, but made me laugh extremely hard. My other favorite episode of the season was the first episode that was done in an Animaniacs/Looney Tunes style. There was no talking, but the adventure this Laser Baby went on was so action packed and fun.
Be warned, though. Yes, this is an animated series, but it was also brought to you from the minds and creators of The Boys. A hard R of a show. That means this series didn’t shy away from swearing and there was plenty of blood and guts. That kind of jarred me in the first episodes, but there’s something a little more stomach-able about seeing cartoon blood and guts compared to the “real stuff.” Aside from the neat stories told, it was really fun to see who the voice cast was for each episode. Some folks from The Boys stepped in to play themselves as their cartoon counterparts, but for most of it, it was totally random people! Kieran Culkin, Christian Slater, and Nasim Pedrad are just a few of the amazing contributors. If you’re a fan of The Boys or violent animation in general, then definitely check this out!