Book: Kick Ass #8
Publisher: Icon
Price: $2.99
Author: Mark Millar
Art: John Romita Jr.
Colors: Dean White
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Cover: John Romita, Jr.
Verdict: Something tells me there was a different ending before the movie was optioned.

Background:
Mark Millar is sort of the Garth Ennis for the masses, he has that violent streak but merges it with high concepts and after his initial Ultimates run, he is considered the father of wide-screen comic story telling.  Kick-Ass was his attempt, I think, at a more realistic and gritty take on what a kid trying to be a super hero would actually be like (as a mirror image of his 1985 series, which asked what if the comics came into the real world) and started off with a very violent, black humor filled book – but ultimately a plausible version of this idea.  During the long break between issues 5 and 6 and then 7 and 8, I get the feeling that due to the movie being optioned and produced during these hiatuses, the story may have shifted and therefore the last half of the series doesn’t quite feel as fresh and realistic as the beginning.

The Story:
The book begins right where issue 7 left off, with the betrayal by a key character and the reaction by Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass to the beating they took.  This is the revenge issue, no question.  Suffice it to say that colorist Dean White probably had to bring an extra red pen to work on this one.  The bulk of the story is the final battle between our two protagonists and the Genovese crime family and it is a blood bath.  Hit-Girl has the best moments and lines (literally) although there is a call back reference to Kick-Ass that only makes sense if you have recently re-read the first issues again.  After the ‘titans pimp-slap’ (as the cover so adeptly describes the issue) the family, we are abruptly thrown into epilogue mode where I feel the issue, and the overall arc of the story, seem to unravel.  If the goal was to have Dave, Kick-Ass, simply be a punching bag with no real personal growth or lesson learned than the creators have succeeded.  Or like when you call a big guy “tiny”, Millar is going for the ultimate irony where the person called “Kick-Ass” is really everything but.  Still, there may have been a push to make the movie slightly different than the book, or to keep the ending more open and vague so as to satisfy the need for more material if the movie blows up.  Whatever the reason, and I’m sure even if one is given, it will be the party line, ‘Book One’ of Kick-Ass is extremely fun as individual issues, but the overall arc just misses the mark of becoming a classic.

The Artwork:
JR jr. has been around forever, my first exposure to him was on his early Iron Man run back around issue #141, and he has evolved quite a bit since then.  I am honestly a fan of the man’s work, but there is a certain ‘Jack Davis like’ feel to his work when he seems rushed, and I sense he was on the clock here.  Younger readers not used to his style may find it unappealing, but his sketch lines and exaggerated facial expressions fit the pulp feel of this story perfectly.