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The Boys Comics Reading Order

By the Bingerun team · How we choose the order →

The Boys universe

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's 72-issue The Boys (2006 to 2012), read with the three in-continuity miniseries slotted into their correct gaps: Herogasm around issue 31, Highland Laddie after issue 47, and Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker after issue 59.

0 / 13 done
  1. The Name of the Game 2006

    Issues 1 to 6. Hughie is recruited by Butcher after a supe kills his girlfriend; the WildStorm-launched opening arc.

  2. Get Some 2007

    Issues 7 to 14. Collects the Get Some and Glorious Five Year Plan stories; the first arc published under Dynamite.

  3. Good for the Soul 2008

    Issues 15 to 22. The Boys work a supe convention and dig deeper into Vought-American's history.

  4. We Gotta Go Now 2009

    Issues 23 to 30. Hughie goes undercover with the G-Men supe teams; sets up the Herogasm event.

  5. Herogasm 2009

    6-issue mini that reads around issue 31: the annual supe orgy staged behind a fake alien-invasion crossover event.

  6. The Self-Preservation Society 2010

    Issues 31 to 38. Fallout from Herogasm as tensions inside The Boys and Vought escalate.

  7. The Innocents 2010

    Issues 39 to 47. Focuses on the Superduper team of well-meaning supes; ends just before Hughie heads home.

  8. Highland Laddie 2010

    6-issue mini that reads after issue 47: Hughie returns to his Scottish hometown of Auchterladle to sort himself out.

  9. The Big Ride 2011

    Issues 48 to 59. The conspiracy widens as Butcher's true plan and the Vought coup come into focus.

  10. Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker 2011

    6-issue mini that reads after issue 59: a Billy Butcher origin flashback covering his life, marriage and rage.

  11. Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men 2012

    Issues 60 to 65. The endgame begins as Butcher moves against Vought and his own team.

  12. The Bloody Doors Off 2012

    Issues 66 to 72. The final arc; Hughie and Butcher's story reaches its brutal conclusion.

  13. Dear Becky 2020

    8-issue in-continuity epilogue by Garth Ennis (art by Russ Braun, Dynamite 2020) set years after the main run, following Hughie preparing to marry Annie while reading Butcher's diary addressed to his late wife Becky.

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Why this order?

The Boys is one continuous 72-issue story, so the spine of the reading order is simple: follow the main arcs in numerical order, from The Name of the Game (issues 1 to 6) through to The Bloody Doors Off (issues 66 to 72). The series began at WildStorm in 2006, jumped to Dynamite from issue 7 onward after DC got cold feet, and ran to November 2012. What actually trips people up is the three in-continuity miniseries, which read best inside specific gaps rather than after the main run. Herogasm (6 issues) belongs right around issue 31, since it depicts an event the main title references. Highland Laddie (6 issues) is Hughie's homecoming and reads after issue 47. Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker (6 issues) is a Billy Butcher origin flashback that lands best after issue 59, just before the final act.

The collected editions are where shoppers get confused, because two very different "omnibus" formats exist. The original run was gathered into twelve standard trade paperbacks (the named arcs plus the three minis), and those were then repackaged as a six-volume Omnibus and Definitive line that pairs two trades per book. Separately, Dynamite issued a three-volume oversized hardcover Omnibus: Volume 1 is issues 1 to 30, Volume 2 is issues 31 to 47 plus Herogasm and Highland Laddie, and Volume 3 is issues 48 to 72 plus Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker. The oversized set already interleaves the minis for you, which is why we recommend it.

Should you even read it if you love the show? That is the real question, and it is why we keep our Amazon adaptation guide, The Boys (our show and Gen V watch order), separate from this one. The comic is far more extreme and far more cynical than the series. Butcher is a near-sociopath rather than a flawed antihero, Black Noir is a very different creature, and the ending diverges hard. The show is arguably the better told story, but the comic goes darker and further. Read it as a companion, not a substitute.

Timeline 2006-2020

Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.

  1. 2006 The Name of the Game
  2. 2007 Get Some
  3. 2008 Good for the Soul
  4. 2009 We Gotta Go NowHerogasm
  5. 2010 The Self-Preservation SocietyThe InnocentsHighland Laddie
  6. 2011 The Big RideButcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker
  7. 2012 Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand MenThe Bloody Doors Off
  8. 8-year gap
  9. 2020 Dear Becky

Where to play it today

Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for The Boys.

Frequently asked questions

How many issues is The Boys comic?

The main run is 72 issues, published from October 2006 to November 2012. On top of that there are three in-continuity miniseries (Herogasm, Highland Laddie, and Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker), each 6 issues long, plus the later Dear Becky epilogue.

Where do Herogasm, Highland Laddie, and Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker fit in?

Herogasm reads around issue 31, Highland Laddie reads after issue 47, and Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker reads after issue 59. Each is a 6-issue miniseries that slots into a specific gap rather than being read after the whole main run.

What is the difference between the omnibus formats?

There are two. The six-volume Omnibus and Definitive line pairs two of the original trade paperbacks per book. The separate three-volume oversized hardcover Omnibus splits the story as issues 1 to 30, then 31 to 47 with Herogasm and Highland Laddie, then 48 to 72 with Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker, which conveniently interleaves the minis for you.

Who wrote and drew The Boys?

The Boys was written by Garth Ennis and co-created and primarily drawn by Darick Robertson. It launched at WildStorm (a DC imprint) and moved to Dynamite Entertainment from issue 7 onward.

Is the comic different from the Amazon show?

Very. The comic is far more extreme and cynical: Butcher is closer to a sociopath, Black Noir has a completely different secret, the whole team has powers, and the ending diverges sharply. Our separate The Boys show and Gen V watch-order guide covers the adaptation, which many viewers consider the better told version.

Do I need to read the minis to follow the story?

You can follow the main 72-issue plot without them, but the miniseries add major character context. Highland Laddie is important for Hughie, and Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker is essential background for Butcher, so reading them in place is strongly recommended.

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