The Boys creator Garth Ennis stated in an interview that his upcoming comic “the most horrific thing” he has penned in his career – a shocking claim from an author whose resume also includes titles such as Preacher and Crossed, a zombie series so extreme that even Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman couldn’t handle it.

In an interview with YouTube channel Comic Book Herald, Ennis discussed his story entitled “The War,” which is set to appear in the upcoming Boom! Studios comic anthology Hello Darkness. Ennis explained how the story serves as a reaction to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Ennis explained that the new story explores what the current war in Ukraine “might in fact be the harbinger of.” He refused to yield any more details about the to-be-released story, except to say that it is dark, even by his notorious standards.

The Boys’ Creator Pulls From Contemporary Real-World Horrors For His Latest Story

“The War” By Garth Ennis

Garth Ennis followed in the footsteps of Alan Moore in shifting the comic book medium away from upbeat superheroes and into the realm of gritty deconstruction. This can best be seen in The Boys, which he created with artist Darrick Robertson. The author is known for his penchant for exploring ultra-violence, shocking and graphic subject material and gruesome brutality. He has created some of the most iconic and prolific comics of the modern age, from supernatural books like Preacher to sci-fi action like Judge Dredd. Known for gritty, violent and mature comics, the author has teased a particularly brutal new story.

In his interview with Comic Book Herald, Garth Ennis explained his upcoming war comic. As he stated:

“I’ve written a story about Ukraine, the current conflict there. Not in a direct way, but I do have a story coming, serialized in Boom!’s new horror anthology, which I believe is called Hello, Darkness. The story has terrific art by Becky Cloonan. It’s called The War. It touches on the current conflict in Ukraine and what that might in fact be the harbinger of. I’ll say no more except to say that it might be the most horrific thing I’ve ever written.”

After explaining his upcoming book, Ennis and Dave of Comic Book Herald then compared it to the writer’s past story, A Walk Through Hell. The author explained the distinction, contrasting how his prior comic was a supernatural tale, whereas The War is very much grounded in real events, making it scary in a way the supernatural is not. The terror of his upcoming story hinges on just how real and devastating the Ukraine War is, and what it could lead to in the future.

Garth Ennis Is Uniquely Adept To Write War Stories In The Comic Medium

He Has Had Lots Of Practice

From comics like Sara to recent miniseries like The Lion and the Eagle, or even Get Fury, Ennis pulls no punches in his depiction of warfare. Where classic war comics would often downplay the harsh reality of conflict, Ennis’ war stories read more like an attempt to immerse readers in history – through the good, the bad and the ugly. For this reason, few creators are as uniquely equipped to tackle an ongoing conflict as The Boys creator Garth Ennis – and few would approach it with a sobering, honest look at war as him, as evidenced by his past war comics.