Kick-Ass is an 8-issue comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. It’s about a regular kid who decides to be a superhero. No powers. No special abilities. Just a lifetime of reading comic books and a desire for a more exciting life.
I picked up Kick-Ass after reading Ultimate X-Men & The Ultimates by Mark Millar and seeing John Romita Jr.’s work in Amazing Spider-Man. I liked the movie, so reading the source material was a natural next step. I collected Kick-Ass #1-8 in the trade paperback Kick-Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years Book One.
Review
These eight issues are packed with action and violence. Millar’s uncensored style is a bit of a shock to me, as I am only used to his work with Marvel. While I could appreciate Hit-Girl and Big Daddy’s dialogue, everyone else just seems to have the same personality the way Millar writes them. The action scenes are intense and fun to read. The artwork is visually stunning and appealing. I wish the colors were brighter, but I see the reasoning for darker colors, giving the comic book a bleak, grim background.
Kick-Ass is a fun comic book and reading it left me wanting for more. The cons I see are the gratuitous violence and cursing, but the story makes up for it.
Recap: Introducing… Kick-Ass!
Content Warning: This comic depicts very graphic violence, sexual content, and strong language.
Dave Lizewski is a loser in high school who loves comic books and dreams of being a superhero. One day, he brings his dreams to life. He buys a suit on eBay and starts to patrol the streets, looking to stop crime. On his first encounter with some punks, he gets badly beaten up, stabbed, and run over. He manages to remove his costume before an ambulance arrives (though he doesn’t remember it). After several operations and months of rehab, Dave returns home. Not long after, he dons his suit again and returns to patrolling the streets as the hero Kick-Ass.
His second encounter with criminals has him protect a stranger from three muggers. He fights valiantly, and doesn’t give up, despite being badly beaten again. This interaction is recorded and uploaded to YouTube. The video goes viral, and Kick-Ass becomes an overnight celebrity. Wit his newfound popularity, Dave’s self confidence is at an all-time high. He begins taking requests through MySpace. His first request is to talk to a guy named Eddie Lomas, who has been harassing his ex-girlfriend.
At Eddie’s apartment, Kick-Ass finds himself outnumbered and about to be killed by Eddie’s thugs. At the last minute, he is rescued by a costumed girl wielding two swords. This tiny vigilante, Hit-Girl, brutally kills Eddie and his thugs. Hit-Girl escapes to meet up with an older vigilante, Big Daddy. Kick-Ass is overwhelmed. As much as he’s wanted to fight crime, killing people was not in his plans. He decides to give up his costume one more time.
Shortly after, a new hero starts to roam the streets and fight crime: the Red Mist. Filled with jealousy at another superhero getting all the fame and attention, Dave takes on the Kick-Ass mantle again. He arranges a meeting with Red Mist to tell him off, but Mist instead offers a partnership. Together, they save a cat from a burning building. Having once again cemented his status as a superhero, Kick-Ass is recruited by Hit-Girl for a hit against the mob.
Kick-Ass and Red Mist head to a safe house to meet Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. When they arrive, Kick-Ass realizes that Red Mist has set them up. Mist turns out to be the son of gangster John Genovese, and he has given up their location to Genovese’s crew. The gangsters kill Big Daddy, shoot Hit-Girl, and torture Kick-Ass for information. Hit-Girl, who was wearing kevlar, rescues Kick-Ass and kills many of Genovese’s men.
Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl head to Genovese’s penthouse. A long bloody battle ensues, and Hit-Girl manages to kill Genovese and all his men, while Kick-Ass wounds Red Mist. Victorious, Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl return to a normal life. Hit-Girl finds her mother, whom she hasn’t seen since she was a baby, and moves in with her. She attends school and attempts to live out a normal life. Dave continues his crusade as Kick-Ass. Red Mist begins to plan his next attack.
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