Pick of the Week: Kick-Ass by Mark Millar

Posted by Stephanie Cox Sep 13, 2008

A little late, but my Pick of the Week for September 3 is "Kick-Ass" #1-3 written by Mark Millar and drawn by John Romita Jr. The first 3 issues of this interesting series were released in one book this week by Icon comics.

Ever fantisized about becoming a super hero? Better yet, know an imaginitive, unbalanced teenaged comic fan who you think just might have it in him to pretend to be a super hero at night? Give this book to him.

Kick-Ass is not set in any traditional comic book universe. Rather it follows the story of a bored 14-year-old who likes the Goo Goo dolls and and Heroes who sews his own super hero costume and decides to fight crime at night. With this storyline, the series could have taken on an entirely cheesy tone rife with morals and junk. Fortunately, Millar writes what would actually happen, a mix of the wannabe super hero getting physically destroyed by criminals and a stint as a You Tube celebrity among other side effects of a life as a masked vigilante with no fighting skills. The surprise gratuitously violent ending is great for Millar fans also.

With this kind of honesty, Kick-Ass is a hilarious and in-touch-with-today read, and the series is probably worth at least browsing in the future.