If you can’t wait until June 2nd for the third season of Amazon’s hit dark superhero series The Boys (and yes, I’m certainly one of those people), Amazon has provided a nice appetizer to tide you over: The Boys Presents: Diabolical. This animated series offers bite-sized stories (with episodes clocking in around 10-15 minutes in length) with all the gore, violence, and surprisingly nuanced storytelling we’ve come to expect from the main series.
Each episode is a standalone story, some with clear links to the various Supes from the live action show and other that take place more on the periphery of that action (Supes factor into each episode, albeit in different ways – sometimes it’s deeply focused on a character fans will know, sometimes it’s a wholly new creation who stumbles into the superhero world in strange ways). And yes, several actors from the live action series reprise their roles here – we get appearances from Homelander, Queen Maeve, and The Deep – but we also get an incredibly deep and varied cast of voice actors. And the slate of writers is also intriguing – Andy Samberg, Awkwafina, Ilana Glazer, Seth Rogen, and Aisha Tyler all penned episodes (and several of the actors also lend their vocal talents to their particular episode).
What Diabolical does well is tell a well-constructed story in a short period of time. There isn’t any fat to the narrative – we learn the who, what, when, where, and why fast, and the story resolves itself to a solid conclusion. Over the eight episode run there are stronger installments – “Laser Baby’s Day Out,” “Boyd in 3D,” and “I’m Your Pusher” were particular favorites of mine, while “One Plus One Equals Two” is the episode that hews the closest to the live action series in terms of story (which doesn’t make is disappointing, rather, it feels like a lost sliver of a character’s backstory that might have worked better in the actual live action series). The animation styles also match with the storytelling. For example, “BFFS,” Awkwafina’s episode, uses anime rather than western animation to tell its story – fitting for the story we are seeing, while “John and Sun-Hee” is drawn in the style of a Studio Ghibli film.
Now, can Diabolical provide the same level of storytelling and character that The Boys does? No, but that’s not what it’s trying to accomplish. As a bridge series keeping a fanbase engaged in the lead up to a new season of television, Diabolical is a solid series. And, with such short run times, I would shocked if most fans didn’t simply just binge the entire show when it drops on March 4. I know I managed to watch all eight episodes in a single sitting. So, if you’re looking for a series to help make the wait for season three of The Boys a little easier to bear, Diabolical is the show for you.
The Boys Presents: Diabolical premieres on Prime Video on Friday, March 4. All eight episodes of the season were provided for review.
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