Kick-Ass 2 #1
Written by: Mark Millar
Art by: John Romita Jr.
Now I wasn’t a fan of the first volume of Kick-Ass. I didn’t like it at all, actually, but I enjoyed the movie quite a bit so I decided to give this volume a chance.
Kick-Ass 2 opens with Dave Lizewski getting the crap kicked out of him by everyone’s favorite little vigilante, Hit-Girl, aka, Mindy MacCready. She’s decided to toughen him up and help him get ready for the super-hero big leagues, the world’s first superteam, but unbeknownst to the two of them, they’re being watched by Mindy’s step-father, Marcus Williams, who busts Mindy when she heads home, having found her stash of weapons. He makes her swear to cut off all contact with Kick-Ass and his “superhero” friends.
We get some narration by Kick-Ass and few panels showing us somethings that are two to come: his identity being revealed and his house being blown up for one, someone he loves being brain damaged (I’m assuming this is his father) and a massive throwdown between Kick-Ass and his group of heroes against the Red Mist and his villains in Times Square.
Back in the present, we see Dave living his still crappy life (poor Dave, movie Kick-Ass got such a better deal.) His dad got dumped so they sit around moping. He’s still obsessing over Katie Deauxma. His friends still suck….but his heroic career seemed to be going well. We see Kick-Ass teaming up with a new hero, Dr. Gravity (who has a baseball bat wrapped in tinfoil.) After taking down a few thugs and then running from the rest of their entourage, Kick-Ass is taking to Dr. Gravity’s secret base, a storage area under a bar, where he meets the members of the world’s first superteam, Justice Forever.
Overall Rating: 7/10 – I couldn’t tell you why, but everything about this issue just works. Millar’s writing is mostly on point (although someone should really update his pop-culture references. A battered Rihanna joke? C’mon man.) and even thought I’ve never *gasp* been a fan of JRJR’s art, it’s grown on me a bit and I really can’t imagine Kick-Ass or Hit-Girl being drawn any other way. As for the story itself, I really enjoy where it’s going (even with the big giveaway of the battle of Time’s Square, I’m just dying to see it now) and some of the members of Justice Forever look pretty damn kooky, I’d love hear their backstories.
Pick this one up, asap.
