Kick-Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years Book One

Kick-Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years

by Mark Millar, John Romita Sr. (Artist)

This month marks 10 YEARS OF KICK-ASS—the greatest superhero comic of all time! It's been a decade since teen comic book nerd Dave Lizewski donned his homemade Kick-Ass costume and took to the streets of NYC to fight the city's hardest criminals. This New York Times bestseller became a worldwide phenomenon overnight, spending three months at the top spot on the Diamond Direct Market chart and spawning the KICK-ASS movie that opened at No.1 in the box office! To celebrate the launch of the NEW KICK-ASS series, all four volumes of KICK-ASS: THE DAVE LIZEWSKI YEARS are being released through Image Comics. Relive what happens when Dave Lizewski asks himself "How come nobody's ever become a superhero before?" and makes his teenage superhero daydreams an ass-kicking reality. Superstar creators MARK MILLAR and JOHN ROMITA, JR. present this true 21st-century classic. Collects KICK-ASS #1-8

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes, Marvel

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2010

About the author

Mark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.

His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.

Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: Very Itchy & Scratchy, it's nuts: a salty teenage fantasy, with heart beneath its blood and guts and rollicking vulgarity.

[Baba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kick Ass book one - a superb tour de force of superheroing reality set in New York. A fanboy teenager still at school, decides to become a costumed superhero and finds out that it is far more dangerous and difficult, but also more addictive than he ever imagined. A Watchmen-esque take on costumed heroes by Millar and in my opinion an even more realistic on the genre. A no holds barred Five Star, 10 out of 12

2012 read; 2010 read

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-Read 2016



My 16 year old son wanted to read this, which made it easy for me to have another go at it, and see if I still thought it was a fun bit of savagery.
It was!
Poor idiot kid...I could totally see this shit happening to me if I ever decided to put on a wet suit and fight crime.



PS- My kid loved it. He even made me go back to the library to get Kick-Ass 2 and Hit-Girl.

Original Review: 2011

Wow! I'll admit it. I really thought I'd hate this one. I'm more of a violence lite kind of girl, and Kick-Ass definitely does not go easy on the gore. Never in million years would I have thought I'd enjoy seeing a 10 year old ninja-girl carve up mobsters like a psychotic Cuisinart. But I did. So there.



Now, I'd like to say that there was some strong underlying social commentary that was woven into the fabric of the story. That way, I could at least pretend there was a morally superior reason that I liked it.
Sadly, there's not.
Don't get me wrong, the story was great, but it's not going to make you want to be a better person or anything. Yep, it's pretty much just evil brain candy.

Yum.

[Noah · Rating 1 out of 5]

By and far one of the worst things I've ever read. Artistically bereft and emotionally immature, this managed to offend me on every possible level there is to be offended. "Oh, well that's the point. It's supposed to shock and appall its readers in order to show them that this isn't the typical super hero comic!" Yeah well... it fucking worked. Fuck this book. I remember being told that this comic is like "superheroes in the real world" and rolling my eyes pretty hard back then, but then I actually read the damn thing and rolled my eyes even harder. It seriously looked like I was being possessed. This whole series feels more like a childish, hateful reactionary response to people who actually enjoy the genre rather than any kind of clever subversion. Like throwing a temper tantrum in literary form. Sorry, but being overly cynical doesn't automatically make your story more "deep" and "real" than something that's more lighthearted, it's just that; cynicism for cynicism's sake. You have to actually say something rather than just showing a series of gory and graphic imagery and being like, "yeah, my work here is done." This series is bad. It's ugly and mean and if I could rate it lower I would. The only reason why I’m writing this now is because I was cleaning my bookshelf and found this buried in the deepest regions, collecting dust like that penguin in Toy Story 2, and it reignited my anger.

[Kemper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve got to be one sick puppy. Only a twisted individual could find great entertainment in watching a pre-teen girl slaughter gangsters while wearing a costume and cursing like a sailor.

(As a bonus, I’m now scared of my niece. She is about that age, and she does gymnastics and dance so she’s got all these crazy flippy-flip moves. Thanks to being raised with video games, she’s also got reflexes like a fighter pilot. God help us all if she goes dark side.)

But while I loved the movie version of Kick-Ass, it left me a little uncertain about what it was trying to say. At times, the story of a nerdlinger who puts on a costume and gets beaten like a rented mule on a regular basis seemed like an indictment of trying to live in a comic book fantasy, but when Hit Girl and Big Daddy go ballistic, it seemed to be all about celebrating the Woo-Hoo! factor of splashy over-the-top violence.

After reading the comic, I know that Millar meant it to be about fan boys who took their comics too seriously getting a hard cold dose of reality. Maybe the changes were necessary for the movie to even get made (because it almost didn’t happen), and it’s still a great flick. But the comic has a more consistent vibe and deliberately stripped out all of the Hollywood cool that you find in most books, and obviously, in the movies.

So if you’re like me and don’t have a problem with watching or reading about a young girl acting as a foul mouthed killing machine, then enjoy both the comic and the movie. If you think that it’s wrong….well, I can’t really argue, but quit looking down your nose at me!

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's happened-I've turned into a comic book nerd. I was one when a child and now I've gotten sucked back into that abyss..and I like it.

This book was pure awesomeness.
Dave is just that nerdy kid. He reads comic books and hangs out with his friends when not fantasizing about his biology teacher. His mom has recently passed away and his dad works long hours at night. Dave realizes it doesn't take trauma to make you a super hero: just loneliness and despair. So he suits up.


Dave does not have an easy time with the whole superhero thing. He gets the crap beat out of him. A whole lot. Poor kid.



He tries to hang up the crime fighting hat but then along comes a guy dressed up like a superhero named "Red Mist", that kinda pisses off our Kick-Ass hero so he dons the suit again and they team up.


Now this book is violent as shit. You have a 10 year old girl who cusses more than I do.


However, this book is one of my favorite comics that I have read so far. *whispers read this*

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic book really kicks... butt!!!


LEARNING ABOUT IT

I hadn't read the original comic book story until later having watched the film adaptation. In fact, right after watched the movie, it was like "Oh, my God!!! Why the heck I haven't read that?!!!"

So, I bought then, the TPB, since sadly, I guessed that it was gonna be impossible to get the single issues of the miniseries already too late after publication.

But, I guess fate favored to the real fans, since some months later, between two local comic book stores (one still active, another which closed some time ago), I was able to get the single issues and even in ridiculous low prices (sometimes even under printed original price) and that not only made me quite happy for having that jewels of the comic book universe, but also, helping me to increase the average value of my comic book collection ;)

THE WRITER BEHIND IT

I was already fan of Mark Millar as writer thanks to works like Superman: Red Son and The Ultimates (Years 1 & 2) (luckily too in single issues), but definitely Kick-Ass was the icing of the cake, it was the title that really puts him in "my book" as a "Top10" writer in the genre of comic books to me. Later I got TPBs of other stuff by him like Civil War and Wanted and he always delivered! Always something superb to read.

KICKING IT!!!

Writer: Mark Millar

Illustrator: John Romita, Jr.

Kick-Ass is the story of the young Dave Lizewski who after reading just too much comic books, asking himself the big question... Why the heck nobody had tried before to be a real super-hero in real life?

So, Dave got into a costume, adopting the codename of "Kick-Ass" and meet the dangerous world of crime. Soon enough, he knew why the heck nobody tried to to such insane task.

But, even with severe setbacks in the beginning, in the moment less expected he found out that indeed there were real superheroes out there, and they were THE REAL DEAL.

Enter: Big Daddy and Hit-Girl

And the universe of comic books was never the same... it got better!!!

Kick-Ass is indeed a smart tale where people can realized how would be in real life trying such daring feat of becoming a costumed crime-fighter, all its greatness, but also all its dangers and bloody consequences.

This story isn't shy of showing how the grim real life with sadistic mobsters and corrupt cops can smash the naive Dave Lizewski and his fantasy of a world with heroes.

But in the middle of a fire of sadness, an unlikely friendship will be forged and the world will tremble!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s more entertaining: a murderous, gun-toting, foul mouthed raccoon or a murderous, sword wielding, foul mouthed little girl dressed like a superhero? Frankly, it’s a toss-up.

Dave Lizewski is a bored, depressed, comic book reading teenager, who goes beyond just reading and fantasizing about superheroes. He dons a costume, sneaks out of his house and fights crime. And promptly gets beaten up.

Comics have come a long way from romanticizing super hero exploits. The notion that someone could get dressed and effortlessly pound thugs and super villains and not get scratched or bruised is antiquated. This series takes a further step back and examines what would happen if your average Joe Citizen becomes a costume wearing vigilante. It’s not pretty. Aside from the adulation you might get on social media sites and being able to boost your ego and self-worth a little, getting sliced, diced and broken seems like a steep price to pay. And Dave Lizewski continues to pony up.

Millar creates a thoughtful look at the allure and ultimate realities of being a super-hero. My one quibble would be with the art. I’ve never been a fan of John Romita, Jr., but using his cartoony art, instead of someone whose style is more realistic, I would assume, further separates and anesthetizes the reader from the ongoing violence and gore.

Highly recommended.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed my ass off at this. Everyone in Perkins thought I was a crazy person....

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing a re-read with these new editions out from Image. Millar and Romita take a real world approach to what would happen if a teenage comic book reader actually put on a costume and tried to fight crime. They'd get their ass kicked repeatedly. Romita doesn't pull any punches either. Every punch is illustrated in full bloody, pulped glory. My one gripe is Romita draws all the teenagers and kids with huge heads. They look like bobbleheads. Then Millar throws us a curveball with Hit-Girl. Here is this little girl who is slicing limbs off left and right. It's fantastic, even if the real world approach is suddenly left by the wayside. I found myself rooting for this crazy little nutjob, especially since Dave is a real douche with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The book may be called Kick-Ass, but Hit-Girl is the true star of these books.

[Dylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a great line in Kick-Ass, the film adaptation, where comic-book-nerd turned vigilante-superhero Dave Lizewski proclaims to his friends “Jesus, guys, doesn’t it bug you? Thousands of people want to be Paris Hilton and nobody wants to be Spiderman”. Dave’s query cuts to the core of Kick-Ass (still the film), which beneath all the flayed limbs and gored bodies, is about doing the “right” thing, about standing up for what’s right and trying to make a difference. The superficial pleasures of Paris Hilton’s life aren’t something to be aspired to – helping others is, and that superhero lore often doesn’t correlate with the real world is something Dave will have to learn along the way through his foray into vigilantism.

A similar line is featured in Kick-Ass, Mark Millar’s graphic novel, but it’s no longer so great. Mark Millar’s Dave Lizewski isn’t the same naive altruistic hero, but a self-absorbed loner whose ascent into superherodom is guided solely by the power-trips and ego-boosts he gets from running around in a mask at night. He isn’t in it for the “little guy”, he’s in it for the Myspace friends and press coverage, and says as much several times throughout the book. Dave would rather be Spiderman than Paris Hilton not because he wants to help people, but because shooting web is “cooler” than putting out sex-tapes. He fumes when the media find a new vigilante to follow; he gloats about how great saving a cat will be for his reputation. Millar’s graphic novel is the piece of nihilism critics unfairly derided the film as, not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that. Much of Kick-Ass is an examination of the delusions of fanboys, the obsessive loners who find solace and refuge from insecurity in the tales of superheroes. It’s also an exploration of what superheroes would be like in reality, not guided by near un-human levels of altruism, but by the same insecurities, fantasies and psychological issues the rest of us suffer from. While this may not be as feel-good as Matthew Vaughn’s approach in the film, it has the potential to be a much more thoughtful work.

Unfortunately Millar makes it quite clear from the off-set that besides a few brilliant moments, he’s content reveling in the gutter. Millar jumps from one bloody altercation to the next at breakneck speed, which is a shame because the real interest lies in the characters and the idea. Entire months of the storyline are condensed into a line or two, but the final battle extends for a good sixth of the book. This reads more like a blueprint to the film at times rather than a developed story in it's own right. There’s no sense of character beyond Dave, no sense of story beyond the most basic outline and no aspirations beyond mindless violence and shock-humor that could have been relegated to any number of lesser-ideas. The constant gore is tiring, as well as the lame attempts at shocking by any means (lets have a 9-year-old say the c-word!) and Millar’s fetish for testicular-violence is just strange, taken to the point where there’s even a character named “Ball-Buster Bobby”. Kick-Ass, the film, has Dave go after a mafia king-pin to atone for the consequences of his superhero shenanigans - Kick-Ass, the comic, has Dave go after a mafia king-pin to avenge his "balls". I know which one I prefer.

[Donovan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dave Lizewski is a smug, lying, know-it-all douchebag. He’s a lower-middle-class entitled white kid with a father, friends, freedom, yet he creeps on women, beats up minorities, obsesses over his own fame, and somehow thinks of himself as desperate and lonely enough to prove himself. What a hero! If the least empathetic hero ever isn’t enough, his world is filled with cliché gangsters and gratuitous, unenjoyable violence. Nothing to keep me reading here except JRJR’s artwork.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a a lot of people I had seen the movie before reading the comic and thought it would be redundant but that was nicely far from the truth. It's very similar to the movie but there were enough differences to keep me engaged.

Tale is about a high school kid who becomes an actual superhero but finds himself mostly getting beat up as he tries to protect people. His first incident is so bad he ends up in the E.R. But somehow he keeps going and inspires other people to later become superheroes and there's this craze that takes place.

Just like the movie there's a lot of gore and swearing but unlike the movie this one has some explicit sex scenes. The ending for the love story is far more vague and tragic than in the film. The artwork had some nice touches. I was quite impressed the comic drew me in even after I had seen the movie. Most novels couldn't make that claim.

STORY/PLOTTING: B plus to A minus; ARTWORK: A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus; WHEN READ: mid February 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B plus to A minus.

[Carlos De Eguiluz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calificaciones:

Historia: 3.7
Ilustraciones: 4.5
Calificación promedial: 4.1 estrellas.
Menos la exagerada vulgaridad en los textos (-1): 3.1
Más los múltiples "WTF!?'s" que me hizo exclamar durante la lectura (+.5): 3.6
Calificación final: 3.6 estrellas.

Sí, está bueno, pero no es especialmente una obra maestra; aunque el sadismo de las ilustraciones es espectacular (la sangre y los decapitados are kinda my thing).

"By the time I got home, I had fifteen abusive texts from Katie's friends and a photo on my phone of her sucking Carl's dick.

I'd never felt so low in my life and I'm ashamed to admit I whacked off at that picture while crying, some nights" WTF!?

¿Ahora entienden lo que ocurre? LOL.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lonely young man decides to right the wrongs of the world the only way he knows how - by dressing up as a superhero called Kick Ass and wandering the streets for crime! News of his exploits spreads via YouTube and Facebook and soon he is a celebrity but not before he's beaten nearly to death during his first encounter with crime. He soon finds other "superheroes" though - the Red Mist, another young man with a costume but no real powers, and Hit Girl, a 12 year old girl with mad martial arts skills and a masked gun toting father. All roads lead to a mafia boss and Kick Ass soon finds out what it means to be a superhero.

It's an excellent concept and Mark Millar writes a fun, witty script with dark overtones of a disenfranchised society. The characters are excellent and the story barrels along at a fast pace. Millar is quick to point out where comics heroes ends and real world heroes begins which adds to the overall strength of the book. John Romita's drawings are also top notch with a lot of gore to offset the cutesy "kids in costumes" concept.

The book is almost the same as the film but with one notable exception - Hit Girl's father's motivations. They changed it to fit a more mainstream cinema crowd but Millar's original idea is fascinating and speaks volumes about the idea that grown-ups are supposedly grown up.

An excellent comic book with a great script and fantastic art, forget any preconceptions you may have, this is as good if not better than Marvel and DC superheroes. Can't wait for the sequel.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction:

Now, I will admit that I honestly have not heard about Mark Millar’s famous series “Kick-Ass” until I heard about the movie that came out. Even though I have not seen the movie yet as of this review, I was interested in checking out the comic book it was based off of before watching the movie and I must admit; I was TOTALLY blown away by this really creative concept of a comic book!

What is this story about?

Dave Lizewski was your average high school teenage boy who is not that popular, but is not that unpopular either. He also happens to be a huge fan of comic books in general and he loved the fact that the superheroes in the comic books would always save the day in the end. So, when Dave decided that he would like to become a superhero himself, he became the legendary crime fighter “Kick-Ass” and would go out into the city to save the citizens from the various criminals that pop up. Unfortunately, Dave will soon learn the hard way that being a superhero is not all that easy when he becomes famous and he ends up meeting with other masked vigilantes who may or may not be a threat to him.

What I loved about this story:

Mark Millar’s writing: I have read Mark Millar’s works before (his run on “Ultimate X-Men” and “Old Man Logan”) and so far, I had enjoyed most of his work. Now that I finally read “Kick-Ass,” I really appreciate Mark Millar’s unique storytelling even more! I loved the way that Mark Millar wrote Dave Lizewski as being a teenage boy who is genre savvy enough to learn that being a superhero can be a dangerous and risky job, but he goes through with it anyway since he has a strong desire to become a superhero. I also loved the fact that Dave Lizewski became a superhero, not because he was affected by some kind of radiation that gave him powers or because he came from another planet, but because he was bored and he just wanted to be a superhero. This motivation really gave a more creative spin on the superhero genre and I loved the way that Dave mentioned so many fictional superheroes that inspired him to become a superhero. I also loved the way that Mark Millar mentioned so many Marvel superheroes in this story, especially Spider-Man and Wolverine. My favorite mention of the Marvel superheroes was when Dave mentions about how Joss Whedon’s run on “Astonishing X-Men” managed to surpass “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which he happens to be a big fan of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer!” I also really loved the character Hit-Girl, who Dave meets later on in the book as she seems to be the opposite of Dave, as she would kill anyone in an extremely gruesome manner while Dave, still trying to get used to being a superhero, refuses to kill people (not only that, but Hit-Girl is only TEN YEARS OLD and yet she is able to kill absolutely anyone with ease)!

John Romita Jr.’s artwork: Now, I am a little fifty-fifty with John Romita Jr’s artwork in this comic as I have seen his artwork before in the 1980s issues of “Uncanny X-Men” and they were pretty stellar in those issues. However, there were some problems I had with the artwork in this book, which I will explain in the cons section. But, what I did like about John Romita Jr.’s artwork in this comic is that the action scenes where the characters get bloodied up are extremely vivid in detail and I actually cringed whenever the characters are getting killed or tortured.



What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like gory violence and strong language, this comic definitely has lots of gore and language that might offend anyone who does not like reading such material. Also, one of the issues I had with John Romita Jr’s artwork was that the characters look a bit too noodle-like in appearance and it distracted me a bit from the story. Since this is a dark and gritty story, I would have expected to see the characters look a bit more realistic to really convey the darkness of this story. Also, I felt that the characters look a bit too old for their respective ages, such as Hit-Girl being only ten years old, but yet, she looks to be close to twelve or thirteen years old.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Kick-Ass” is a truly brilliant graphic novel that really details the realistic side of being a superhero and I am definitely looking forward to the second volume of this series!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilariously gruesome, offensive and explicit rodeo of extreme violence and superhero satire.

Dave Lewzeski is your typical high school comic book nerd that daydreams about being a superhero. After beating the stuffing out of some run of the mill thugs while dressed in a ridiculous green spandex uniform, he starts a crazy new trend of normal everyday folks dressing up in imaginary superhero costumes to beat the crap out of lowly criminals to go viral on the internet. Seems like a pleasant trend at first, but it quickly spirals out of control into a deadly fiasco of murder, kidnapping and extreme gang violence. There’s only one superhero that might just be the real deal, and she’s a katana wielding middle schooler named Hit-Girl.

This was a lot of fun, like Scott Pilgrim with the brutal insanity of Preacher and The Boys. The characters are incredibly flawed, but they are so batshit crazy and maniacally outrageous, you can’t help but love their wild antics.

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with Mykle's review: the book is fine, but the movie is a clear improvement. The story flowed better, and I thought all the important changes to the story were good ideas. In particular, the romance with Katie was more fun, and so was the ending.

Above all, though, the film medium allowed many sight gags that were impossible in comic-strip form. Starting with Hit-Girl's amazing balletic routines as she dispatches dozens of huge, heavily-armed opponents in hilariously bloody fashion. They made the movie for me, and in print form they're just hinted at. You may argue that that's more subtle, but, trust me, subtlety is not what Kick-Ass is about.

Three stars for the book, at least four for the film!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really debated between 4 and 5 stars on this one and settled at 4.5 (with the possiblility that I may bump it up to 5.0 at some later date). However, this rating comes with a strong warning. Any parent that lets their kids (meaning in this case anyone under 25) read this book deserves to be spanked (I'm 39 and I may still be too young to read this).

This is foul-mouthed, gruesome, violent, violent, did I mention violent, story about kids doing things that kids should never do, namely dressing up like super heroes and going out at night to beat up and kill criminals. That said, I thought it was INCREDIBLY well written and a very clever story. If reading my warning and knowing what you are getting into doesn't put you off then I think I can say pretty confidently that you will really like this book as it is quality writing, great art and an engaging, if very violent, story. It is in the same mold as graphic novels like The Name of the Game(i.e., the Boys) by Garth Ennis, Gone To Texas(i.e., the Preacher) by Garth Ennis and Watchmen by Alan Moore (though Watchmen is pretty tame by comparison).

Highly Recommended (with caveats)!!!

[Anete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Šis bija aizraujoši, asiņaini un izklaidējoši. Tieši tas, kas vajadzīgs Ziemassvētku brīvdienām.

[ily · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It didn't take a trauma to make you wear a mask. It didn't take your parents getting shot...or cosmic rays or a power ring...Just the perfect combination of loneliness and despair.”

Yo también quiero disfrazarme y salir a combatir el crimen..... o solo disfrazarme

Sangriento, crudo, violento, Kick-Ass sí patea traseros. Es una novela gráfica perfecta para los amantes de la acción y el peligro, y para quienes aman las escenas de peleas. Sobra decir que me encantó, incluso más que la película.

Dave es un adolescente solitario y unpopular, que adora los cómics sobre héroes. Cansado de la monotonía de la vida de un adolescente, Dave decide ponerse un traje y salir a combatir a los malos. O algo así. En una de sus noches de pelear el crimen, Dave obtiene una paliza. Un enfrentamiento lo deja gravemente herido en el hospital, y con pocas ganas de continuar siendo pateado casi hasta la muerte por vándalos. Pero sí regresa a sus antiguas andanzas, y contra todo pronóstico se convierte el un verdadero héroe.


Me gusta Dave por ser un personaje con el que cualquiera puede identificarse. Su madre murió recientemente; su padre trabaja durante todo el día; su vida es aburrida y la escuela no le emociona. Su única pasión son los cómics, por lo que decide vivir la vida al máximo como los héroes de sus novelas gráficas favoritas. Eso hasta que la realidad lo golpea: no tiene poderes ni habilidades que le ayuden a combatir el crimen.


Ese gif me causa mucha gracia

Mi parte favorita del cómic fue Mindy. La adoro. Para muchos resultaría bastante raro ver a una chica de diez años diciendo tantas malas palabras y cortando cabezas por todos lados. Esa es Hit-Girl. Arrogante, tenaz, fuerte como diez hombres, Mindy es todo lo que anhelo en un personaje femenino.


Me he divertido muchísimo leyendo Kick-Ass, y resultó ser tan bueno como esperaba. No es un cómic para todos, pero si te gustan las escenas de acción bien sangrientas este cómic es definitivamente para ti.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is supposed to be a movie which I clearly missed, so I made do with an analogue medium namely a paper version of a comic, just call me old fashioned.

This is not a comic about superhero's but a comic about people wanting to be one. It is the story of Dave Lizewski, a teenager who sets out to become a real life superhero. His actions are publicized on the Internet and seems to inspire other people to become more involved. However this also means he gets noticed and he gets caught up with ruthless vigilantes Big Daddy and Mindy "Hit-Girl" McCready, who are on a mission to take down the Genovese crime family.

This is a really different kind of superhero comic and feels original with a new view on superhero worship. It is also a really harsh tale that makes sure you know that it is fairly dangerous to play with villains who absolutely do not behave like in movies or comics.

A really good comic that is original, for those who do not read there is always the movie.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave Lizewski ist der klassische, nerdige Niemand an seiner Schule. Kein gehänselter Looser, aber dermaßen unauffällig, dass er weder viele Freunde um sich scharen kann, geschweige denn vom weiblichen Geschlecht auch nur eine Nuance positiver Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt bekommt. Während er sich in die Welt von Comic-Superhelden oder erotischen Fantasien mit seiner Biologielehrerin Mrs. Zane flüchtet, wächst der Wunsch, aus dem langweiligen Leben auszubrechen, etwas zu verändern, Abenteuer zu erleben. Warum wollen tausende sein wie Paris Hilton, aber niemand wie Spider-Man?

Einsam, gelangweilt, verzweifelt und inspiriert von all den Captain Americas, Iron Mans & Co. legt er sich also Kostüm und Schlagstöcke zu, um das Verbrechen in die Schranken zu weisen - oder eigentlich nur, um irgendwie das Gefühl zu haben, etwas Sinnvolles zu tun. Das geht zunächst schrecklich schief und endet für ihn mit zwei gebrochenen Beinen, einem gebrochenen Rücken, einer tiefen Stichwunde und einem schweren Schädeltrauma. Keinesfalls gibt er auf und das Leben als "Superheld", als Kick-Ass, nimmt einen sehr spannenden, dynamischen und blutrünstigen Lauf.

Mark Millar hat mit Kick-Ass eine sehr brutale, überzeichnete Geschichte entworfen, bei der sich wahrscheinlich gar nicht so wenige mit dem Protagonisten identifizieren können. Wollten wir nicht alle mal die Maske anlegen, auf den Dächern patroullieren und die Jungfrau in Not retten? Blöd nur, dass in der Realität keine FSK ab 12 Jahren gilt, dass die Kugel nicht stets wenige Zentimeter am Kopf vorbeifliegt und der Held das Mädchen am Ende für sich gewinnt. Millar nimmt sich dem Szenario, dass Menschen ihre Helden zu ernst nehmen, auf die höchstmöglich überzeichnete und brutale Weise an. Es gibt immer wieder zahlreiche Referenzen zu populären Comics und Filmen, die als kleine Gags gut funktionieren, darüber hinaus viel derben Humor (ja, dazu gehören auch Penis-Witze), der sich m.E. gut eingefügt hat und auch nicht zu aufdringlich verwendet wird. Der Entwurf von Dave Lizweski aka Kick-Ass ist Millars großer Pluspunkt in dieser Geschichte, denn er ist glaubwürdig und durch die Serie hindurch ein guter Orientierungspunkt, ich konnte mir stets einen Reim auf seine Motivation machen.

Ein wenig enttäuscht war ich von der Charakterzeichnung Hit-Girls, die im Film, gespielt von Chloe Grace-Moretz, für mich deutlich nahbarer war. Sie hat auch im Comic einige Momente, unterm Strich bleibt sie aber eher blass und kommt über die Rolle des militaristisch indoktrinierten, anti-demokratischen (bezogen auf die Partei) Freaks nicht hinaus. Dieselbe Kritik lässt sich abseits vom Protagonisten Dave leider bei allen anderen Figuren wiederholen, hier wird sehr sparsam mit Charaktertiefe gearbeitet. Emotionale Momente, sowohl für die Figuren als auch für den Rezipienten, gab es im Gegensatz zum Film leider kaum. Generell hat sich Millar meiner Auffassung nach beim Spannungsbogen am Ende etwas verzettelt, der Abschluss fühlt sich sehr übereilt und nicht ganz rund an; auch hier wurden in der filmischen Adaption sinnvolle Änderungen vorgenommen. Die Hefte #1 - #6 kann ich durchaus mit bis zu 4 Sternen bewerten, aber ausgerechnet das Finale in #7 - 8, dass defintiv starke Szenen hat, legt für mich einige Schwächen offen.

Am Ende gebe ich 3,5 Sterne. Da es zu Hit-Girl ein eigenes Spin-Off gibt, erhoffe ich mir hier, dass Millar hier nachliefert, was mir in Kick-Ass gefehlt hat.

Fazit: Es ist nicht der Geniestreich, als der das Comic in vielen Rezensionen beworben wird, aber ich hatte meinen Spaß. Für mich war es der zweite Mark Millar-Titel, bei dem ich allerdings erneut der Meinung bin, dass die Verfilmung den besseren Erzählfluss hat.

[Pramod Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I always wondered why nobody did it before me. I mean, all those comic book movies and television shows, you'd think at least one eccentric loner would have stitched himself a costume. Is everyday life really so exciting? Are schools and offices really so thrilling that I'm the only one who ever fantasized about this? C'mon. Be honest with yourself. We all planned to be a superhero at some point in our lives." - Dave Lizewski, a.k.a Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass from Mark Miller - of Marvel Comics fame – is the story of Dave Lizewski, a regular high school kid, who always wanted to be a super hero. He dons himself in a self-designed suit and tries to deliver justice for people in his neighborhood. But things don’t go well for him from the start and the reader is in for a visual mayhem of blood, gore, wicked humor and supreme violence. This is a comic book, which takes a dig at other comic book heroes and is extremely brutal and dark in its contents. Each frame of the cartoon panels pulsate with action sequences drenched in blood and viscera illustrated in brilliant artwork by John Romita Jr. If you are a fan of the Kick-Ass movie then this will be a comic book worth reading. If you abhor violence then this is a book that is to be avoided as it is bleeding violence. Suitable for mature audience only.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so good! The story is about this guy named Dave Lizewski and he is obsessed with comics and all and so wants to become a superhero and he dresses up and within the first few pages gets beaten up, bloody and all and then again doesn't give up and that just sets the stage for this series. Its hard hitting and real and holds nothing back. We follow him on his journey to be a hero only to see him beaten every turn and then meet with this insane Hit-Girl and her daddy and goes on an adventure f secrets being out, forming partnership with Red mist, fighting notorious psychopathic criminals, being betrayed or being rescued and seeing the ugly world of crime through his eyes. Its a very graphical book and its awesome. You just see the effect of reading too many comics but its very realistic and then there is his love interest, friends, father and most of all - his resolve and conviction. The book was really good and the art was pretty good too! One of the better Millarworld books!

[RG · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. Story was so similar to the film but definitely had its differences. I actually liked the novel more. The artwork was oh so gory and colourful. Great work from Romita Jr. Cant wait for the next volume.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Biggest waste of my time. If you're autistic like me, don't bother reading. It's ableist as hell.
Sucky part is I was actually looking forward to reading it

[Deborah Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that the two children on the cover are covered in blood is almost fair warning -- as much as they could put on a picture everyone will see. This is one of the most graphic, grisly comics I've ever seen. I had to ask a friend if I'd been out of the comic scene so long that this was now the norm. He assured me it wasn't.

The extensive gore is the point of this narration. Kick-Ass is a young man who wants to be a superhero. This story is trying very hard to show what that would mean in real life. It means that real fights are messy and repulsive, and that people who die in those fights don't do so neatly. It means that courage and determination mean very little against superior fire power. It means that if you've never fought before and you decide to jump into the ring without training or backup, you're going to get the crap beaten out of you. It means that violence is, well, violent.

It means that many comic books have been lying to us by glossing over this last point. That's what makes them so entertaining. And it's what makes reading Kick-Ass so difficult.

One more point. I don't know how she's portrayed in the movie, but make no mistake: There is nothing cute about Hit Girl. Her upbringing has been so saturated with violence that she smiles sweetly as she crushes a man to death.

Well, we know she's a freak as soon as we find out that she's being -- yep! -- homeschooled. By a father who "tells her everything she needs to know": extensive details about weaponry, what to do when a junkie pulls a forty-five, and the dictionary definition of a Democrat ("a ****ed-up prick who will march for the right to murder babies, but hold candlelight vigils for serial killers"). Yes, I understand why how her father raised her was important to the plot; but I'm never thrilled to find yet another story with the message that when you need the ultimate freak, find a homeschooler.

Anyway. This story says what it needs to say extremely effectively. What it needs to say is quite disturbing. Don't pick this up lightly, and do NOT give it to your kids without reading it first.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of conflated the Jackass and Kick-Ass franchises in my head without having had more than a passing familiarity (i.e., film trailers, quick book ads) with either of them. As it turns out, both are funny, violent, and undermine the idea of what it means to be a "man." Like Shakespeare's Prince Hal with Falstaff, we get to debate the nature of true courage and manhood, and choose Falstaff's buffoonery. So Kick-ass is so violent and the language so bad that I had to hide the language and pictures from 8 year old Henry as I was trying to read it (and later, had to hide myself away to finish it). It IS sort of Jackass for Superhero lovers, in a way, as we get to see what it would due like for teens to take on the mob… you end up in the hospital, natch! But the idea from the makers of Superman through Jeffrey Brown through today, that nerds, losers, weaklings who want to prove they are tough(and maybe do good in the world) will put on a costume and fight the bad guys and overcome their own weaknesses and accomplish some good… well, that is there, with a kind of cynical edge, since these boys are not just altruistic do-gooders… but mainly this is entertainment and not a serious reflection on superhero-dom. It's played for fun and laughs, and pretty much works, though I like Jeffrey Brown's less violent and profane version of this approach to Kick-Ass. But I liked it more than I thought I would, and the art is really great (okay, there IS a lot of bright red blood color in it, a warning to the squeamish…) from John Romita.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the storytelling and pencil work in this package.

My major gripe with this would be the constant tone deaf handling of gay related jokes, or derogatory use. Seeing how this volume came out in the late 2000's I'm hoping they can cut this for the next volume.