Another comic book adaptation is being lined up for a film, but this one sounds like it could have a very interesting twist to it.

The Boys is from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and they've created a world where superheroes aren't the greatest thing on earth, at least not in the eyes of the CIA, and they have a team who keep and eye on them and “pay them visits”.

The CIA team is called The Boys (Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com), and is the title of the comic book series. They are a team under the banner of the CIA whose job is to keep their eye on the superheroes. If they get out of hand, perhaps straying into areas where the CIA would rather they didn't – and think about this, that might not necessarily be something for the common good of the country – they'll step in and keep them in order.

However they don't just chat to the superheroes, oh no, it seems they'll intimidate them and even eliminate them if necessary.

Neal H. Moritz is producing the film and talked about the story:

“Rather than begin with a romantic idea of superheroes out to save the world, 'The Boys' imagines a world in which superheroes really exist, with all of the flaws that real people have...The boys are there to make sure that people with superhuman powers don't get out of line.”

Well I do like that idea, but I hope they aren't going to be painting this team and the CIA as the do-gooders either. I want them to be morally lacking as anyone in the story and for them to be carrying out some of these actions for dubious and morally vague reasons.

Here's the blurb from Amazon:

“Meet Billy Butcher. He's not a nice man, and neither are his team: the Frenchman, Mother's Milk, and the Female. They hate "capes"...and so does Billy's newest recruit, Wee Hughie, whose girlfriend has just become collateral damage in a super-brawl. But does Hughie know what he's getting into?This hugely controversial new series - which caused an uproar upon original publication - explores the sordid side of superheroics!”

Sounds good, and it does sound as though the team might be as dirty round the edges as I would have liked. Has anyone read this story?