Given how disappointed I was with the origins story-arc in The Boys, I had very low expectations for Highland Laddy, given that it’s being billed as an origin story.  It is, however, not really an origin story.

The issue picks up directly after the events of Boys #45.  And it fills in a lot of Wee Hughie’s back stories without resorting to more than a few panels of flashbacks.  And where most writers would tell backstory by having a character gush about their past secrets, Ennis manages to convey a lot of Hughie’s background by having him be vague or change the subject when important parts of his part are brought up.

I also give Ennis a lot of credit for being so solid a writer that I kept reading through the accent heavy dialog.  Growing up on Gambit an’ Rogue X-stories soured me on accented dialog, shuga.

Generally Ennis has toned down the accents in The Boys.  But with Wee Hughie returning to his homeland, Ennis amps it up to the deliberately obnoxious level he used in Liberty Comics #1.  It works really well here.

The art is well-detailed enough that I found myself walking to the other side of the kitchen for some Black Label without knowing why (stupid subliminal alcoholism).  I also want Shephard’s Pie now.