Kick Ass 2 #1 – Review

By: Mark Millar (writer/creator), John Romita, Jr. (breakdowns/creator), Tom Palmer (finishes), Dean White (colors) & Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: What’s cooler than kids with no powers fighting crime vigilante-style?  How about a team of “super-heroes” with no powers fighting crime vigilante-style?

What’s Good: For those who really enjoy Mark Millar, this is going to be a very fun experience.  Kick-Ass was simply an awesome comic– fast-paced, entertaining violence… And anyone who didn’t like the movie is just allergic to fun.  Kick-Ass 2 feels comfortable. It’s really well done from a storytelling standpoint, and it has all of Millar’s trademark self-awareness and humor.

One issue that Millar had to deal with is whether he was writing a sequel to his first series OR the movie (because as expected, the film adaptation at some altered details here and).  Millar handles this very deftly.  Honestly, I’ve never seen a smoother transition in a sequel that had to grapple with this problem.  This work is very much a follow-on to the comic series, but Millar does it in such a way that people who only watched the movie won’t bat an eye by doing something very smart: just ignoring the inconsistencies instead of trying to explain them.  Sheesh! If only Joe Quesada could have done that with One More Day/One Moment in Time…

But what really makes this comic work is that Millar still captures the simple little things that make this title special. Dave Lizewski has a huge heart, wants to be a hero and isn’t afraid to fail, and Hit Girl is just so darn fun with her juxtaposition of cute girl combined with bloody killer (she’s pretty much the female version of Damien Wayne).

Of course, it being a sequel, things have to be bigger and better.  Kick-Ass is a little better at his “trade.”  And that’s good because we really didn’t want to see that kid continue to get the crap kicked out of him.  Also, Kick-Ass has inspired a real superhero team, which just makes the fanboy in Dave go nuts.  Only time will tell if this group of super friends is more reliable than Red Mist turned out to be.

Kick-Ass #6 – Review

By Mark Millar (Writer), John Romita Jr. (Art), Tom Palmer (Inks), and Dean White (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve enjoyed the hell out of Kick-Ass so far. The concept is rock solid, the characters are engaging, and the situations that drive the story forward successfully straddle the line between gloriously over-the-top and uncomfortably realistic. However, and this is a big “however,” that doesn’t mean that I can simply ignore the disappointingly long wait between issues. It’s not only frustrating as a reader (and fan), but also downright irritating as a reviewer because the wait just adds another factor I must consider when writing about and grading each new chapter of the series.

The Story: The origin of Hit-Girl and Big Daddy is revealed in the latest issue of Kick-Ass. In addition, Hit-Girl asks Kick-Ass and the Red Mist to join them on their next night out. Is a new superhero team in the works?

What’s Good: As usual, Kick-Ass delivers in a way that only Kick-Ass can. Though it’s not necessarily in the way that you might expect. That said, the latest issue of the series still has all the nerd-fantasy graphic violence, John Romita Jr. artwork, hip/lewd Mark Millar dialogue, and cool ideas that you pick up the series to experience. Because let’s face it, that’s the stuff that makes you a better person. But it’s the relationship between Hit-Girl and Big Daddy that makes the book linger in the mind. Both disturbing and incredibly sweet, the relationship is able to help the team’s origin story transcend it’s more generic elements.

What’s Not So Good: The sixth chapter of Kick-Ass requires some serious suspension of disbelief. While I have no real problem with that, it is bound to irritate some readers. Couple that with Millar’s (occasionally annoying) idealized dialogue (would Hit-Girl really be ready with a Silver Age quip?) and you have one divisive comic.

Another thing that I must mention is that I can’t really decide on whether Kick-Ass #6 was worth the wait or not, especially considering how fast it reads. The brisk pace does a nice job of moving the plot along and delivering information, but it also makes the ending hit like a brick wall. Sure it’s a pretty solid cliff-hanger, but what good is a cliff hanger if all the momentum is lost while waiting on the next issue?

Conclusion: Kick-Ass #6 isn’t really going to change any minds about the series, but it delivers for the fans. And that’s what matters most sometimes.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Kick Ass #5 – Review

By Mark Millar (Writer), John Romita Jr. (Pencils), Tom Palmer (Inks), and Dean White (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Mark Millar, John Romita Jr., and the rest of the creative team can rest easy knowing that Kick-Ass does indeed kick some serious ass (so far). And it’s a good thing that it does or else I would have to go on some sort of rant about how the wonky release schedule is testing both my patience and my memory. In all honesty, as long as Millar and company continue to prove the old adage about how good things come to those who wait, I can forgive the months between each installment.

The Story: Kick-Ass #5 is all about the new hero in town. He calls himself Red Mist and is the media/Internet darling taking up the spotlight once owned solely by Kick-Ass (A.K.A. Dave Lizewski). With frustration mounting and the feeling that his pride is at stake, Dave decides to reach out to Red Mist in order to find out what the deal is.

What’s Good: While a bit slower than previous issues, the latest (and greatest) chapter of Kick-Ass does just about everything right. Truth be told, I was a bit concerned about how Mark Millar would handle the other homemade superheroes in the series, especially considering how over the top the introduction of Hit Girl is, but he pulls it off spectacularly in regards to Red Mist. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the new character proves to be great for both the series in general and the title character.

For the series, Red Mist helps to keep the story grounded in reality thanks to personality traits that are all too relatable. As far as Dave Lizewski is concerned, the dynamic between him and Red Mist brings a lot of much-needed depth to the character. While I won’t go into detail in order to avoid spoilers I will say that I finally felt truly comfortable rooting for Dave the hero and Dave the teen by the end of the issue. And that, readers, is a pretty big deal.

Visually, I have no complaints at all. While I’m sure the style isn’t to everybody’s liking, I feel it’s a perfect fit for the tone of the series. John Romita Jr. and his team continue to do great things with both the action and the character work. Particularly impressive is how highly expressive the characters are, as it goes a long way towards making them feel (and look) that much more alive.

What’s Not So Good: While I definitely enjoy Dave’s narration throughout the book some of the namedropping in regards to comics and pop culture come across as a bit much from time to time. On the plus side, it adds to the sense that the story is taking place in “our” world. But on the negative side it makes it seem as though Millar desperately wants the series to get mainstream attention. A little subtlety in that regard would be welcome.

Conclusion: In my opinion, Kick-Ass #5 is the best issue of the series yet. While not as flashy, extreme, or shocking as the others it makes an impact by proving that the series has more than enough personality, character, and depth to be worth investing in. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again (and, if the creative team keeps this pace, probably again and again): Kick-Ass kicks some serious ass.

Grade: A

-Kyle Posluszny