Hello again! So you may have notice we are mad busy talking about multiple things around here. One of the things that has kept me preoccupied has been my ever-growing collection of comic books. I got a fair few for Christmas, amongst which was the last volume of Kick Ass. And tell you what guys…I was dreading the moment I’d get to read it. Why? Because Kick Ass 3 is the end of the Series…Yep, that’s it. No more Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. for you lovely people.
It was a tough decision to make. Picking up something you know once you finish reading, there is no more – apart from re-reading obviously! It was a moment I had been waiting for and yet, I didn’t want to get to. I loved Kick Ass from day one. In fact, one fo my first memories from moving to the UK to go to uni was going to Southampton’s Odeon during the Easter break of 2010 to see the first movie. Man, did I jump on that sit like a child on a candy store! Immediately afterwards, my parents and everyone who knew me were more than aware than I needed the comic. And obviously, I got it eventually. I was blown away by the crudity of the story, yet the invaluable lessons that were thrown at my face like – here, deal with it. Hit Girl was the coolest thing on print. The hype just wouldn’t stop. So I am just going to go on a rampage regarding this amazing series that if you haven’t read yet, you really should. Therefore, and before we continue, please be aware that SPOILER ALERT is on.
If you haven’t read the comic/s or watch the movie/s – seriously, just do. This story is about you, or rather what you’d rather like to be. This is what would happen if civilians, your common folk, would be Iron Man or Batman but without the cash. You’d be like Dave – whose name is obviously not just random; he is just Dave, that guy, a guy. Dave likes reading superhero comics and hanging out with his friends, and one day, after he gets beaten up to almost death, he decided he is just gonna become pro-active in this superhero business and become Kick Ass – an everyday superhero helping the people around him, the community and those in need. But things aren’t easy for Dave, and he gets his ass kicked plenty. Then, Hit Girl and Big Daddy come into the scene to get him into the superhero circle – but they are pros. The have equipment, training, weapons, intel, and all that jazz. They make poor Dave look ridiculous. But that doesn’t matter. He has a call to perform his duty. Then Kick Ass also makes friends with this other hero, Red Mist, who happens to be the son of one of the biggest mobsters in town – you know this cannot end well. Chris (Red Mist) goes rogue, daddymobster intervenes and things get nasty. That’s roughly how it goes. Hit Girl, is really the big deal – this little, cute deadly 10-year-old who can probably kill you in more ways you can think in a blink. She befriends Kick Ass/Dave and takes him in like her sidekick really, after Big Daddy is out of the picture. Business is business, so Kick Ass and Hit Girl take revenge on Chris and his dad who are the bad guys and everything goes kaboom. That’s roughly how the first comic and movie go. Other superheroes start cropping up after the originals break the scene and the plot is set. Chris would then become the villain the city needs under the pseudonym The Motherfucker and swears vendetta.
Volume two would become the development of the plotline where an alliance of superheros rises while Chris rallies up the baddies, all to end un a pretty hard-core war. In comparison with the movie, the comic is A Lot More Violent, but that doesn’t really affect the development of the action on-screen, and doesn’t really change the events all that much – dare I say it is probably one of the best comic-to-movie adaptations on the 21st Century. But volume two is not just about being a hero, is a bout being a person underneath the mask. This starts sparking in the first volume, but they were really setting up the precedent. Kick Ass 2 is much more deep than the blood splatter on the pages leads you to believe. Mindy (Hit Girl) goes through some hard-core identity issues, resulting on a further affirmation of her secret persona. Dave pays hard for his bravery, and mostly for the stupid or not always entirely thoughtful/considerate actions he performs at stages…-Super Spoiler, as if the previous lines weren’t – Dave’s dad is killed by The Motherfucker’s crew and his girlfriend is raped. Being a superhero, a real one, is even worse than being part of the Avengers – because you do not have Nick Fury to cover you, to take you out, to give you a hand. There ain’t no Commissioner Gordon coming to back you up. It’s you, and reality punching you in the face. Things get pretty overwhelming and tough. As a reader, I remembered thinking that ploughing through volume through at nearly 2am may have not been a good idea. My brain was thrilled, angry, upset, even a bit scared. I loved these people. I had engaged with them, and seeing them suffer was surprisingly real, and close. Why? Because they could be a friend, a family member, or even me. And I think, deep down, in my mind, I knew I was. I wanted to be like Hit Girl, tough, ruthless, hard-core. But sadly I was probably more like Dave, not even Kick Ass; just Dave…A nerd who wished she could take action on the world and try to make things right…hopefully have fun and rock while trying. I did also know a few people like Chris. Geeks come from all social backgrounds – we are not a class exclusive breed, that’s part of the beauty. There are good guys, bad guys, rich kids who wished they just had friends to share a comic with, while not caring about their parents corrupted enterprise and the consequences of it all. Deep down, Kick Ass is just about people trying to be other people, trying to escape their circumstances – in fact, escaping their circumstances successfully, but at a costly price.
So, number 3 in my hands…I will keep the spoilers low on this one, as it’s not as old as the others, and I can appreciate the tension. We take a step further, this is not about kids/teenagers/a young story looking for development. This is solid like concrete. This Is It. Not a single page, a single dialogue or speech bubble is in vain or coincidental, nothing is just a compliment. Everything plays a part. Mindy shows her darkest side yet, Dave is almost all grown up, and Chris…Chris makes it all worth while. I must warn you – the violence once again escalates. It kinda had to. The comedy gets much darker and bleak. And not everyone is getting out alive; it’s the end, you really wouldn’t expect them to, would you? I thought about it. I hold the comic and though of all the possible endings it could have, juggled, mixed and matched in my head. But, there is only one end for this – the only one that makes sense, and the only true story to tell. On a slightly lighter note, new secondary character who is quite cool – Dave’s new love interest – made me feel even more strongly that this comic is about everyone. His girlfriend to be has a hearing aid, is an everyday hero from a completely different point of view, and helps you restore your faith in mankind.
So…Do I really need to tell you, go get it already, or are you on your way? Just promise me one thing. Promise me you will savour it, and read it when you are ready. Because once the last page is gone, there is no coming back.
Thank you, Mark and John, for a lovely, heartfelt ride.
ManaBurnt 