• Interview

Interview: Eric Kripke talks adapting The Boys for TV

Shacknews met with Eric Kripke at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 to learn more about what it takes to adapt a comic series like The Boys for TV.

Kevin Tucker

July 23, 2019 5:15 PM

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Comic book properties are white-hot these days, and it seems like everyone wants a piece of the pie. DC and Marvel have their own production studios, but comic fans know full well that some of the best stories in all of comics come from indepedent labels. Such is the case with The Boys, an indepedent series published under Dynamite Entertainment.

The Boys is making its way to the small screen as an Amazon Original, and Shacknews was able to catch up with Eric Kripke, writer and creator on the new show, at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 to learn all about the new series. Check out our interview in the video below.

For any comic fans who aren't familiar with The Boys, the comic was written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson. It's set in a world where superheroes become celebrities, and fall into the pitfalls and traps inherent to celebrity culture. The namesake group, called The Boys, are a partnership of super-powered beings who are tasked with monitoring these heroes under the employ of the CIA.

Not only is it an interesting pitch, The Boys is also one of the most visceral and violent comics around. Given the rising popularity of dark, violent TV shows, adapting The Boys for the small screen was kind of a no-brainer. Still, Kripke considers himself a big fan of the original work, and expressed the amount of stress he felt trying to honor the story while making necessary changes.

"I love The Boys, and Garth Ennis is my favorite comic book author, and I have an incredible amount of love for it," Kripke said. "So it's sort of like the world's most stressful game of Jenga. You have to change it, because it's a different medium, but with every piece you pull, you're like, 'Is this the piece that's going to tip it over and destroy it? Am I going to be the asshole who destroyed the thing I love?' It's stressful."

Through it all, Kripke remains visibly exciting about the premiere of The Boys, which takes place on Friday, July 26. Comic fans can catch all the action through the Amazon Prime Video streaming app. For more interviews and video coverage of this year's San Diego Comic-Con, be sure to follow Shacknews and GamerHubTV on YouTube.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.