Kick Ass is seeking to do something done plenty of times before, that is, it seeks to create a realistic super-hero comic book. Obviously this has been done before, even Watchmen could be described as such. So what do Millar and Romita Jr. do differently that should cause people to look up and pay attention? Kick Ass is attempting to make it as real as possible, and does this with great success. Millar has removed as many fantastical elements as possible in order to create a very real comic book, reinforced by Romita Jr.’s unforgiving pencils.
Millar uses this first issue to create a world that is as close to ours as possible. Characters talk like normal people, giving a flowing, non-scripted approach to dialogue. Frequent pop culture references are made to connect readers to this world as much as possible. But possibly the most believable part of this whole story is the protagonist: Dave Lizewski. Dave is simply the most likely candidate to end up dressing up and attempting to fight crime in the world we live in. He is a relative nobody with a minor obsession with comic books who leads a pretty normal life; playing video games, watching shows like Scrubs, listening to music like the Stereophonics (which is a very good band, by the way, especially their earlier stuff). He is incredibly relatable, perhaps too much. But, as Dave Lizewski states: “We all planned to be a superhero at some point in our lives,” and there is a scary truth in that. After all, super-hero comic books are mostly escapism anyway. This first issue follows Dave’s life, giving some background and eventually following him on his first excursion to fight crime. This final scene is very real, just like the rest of the issue, having him encounter vandals while everything goes terribly wrong at his own fault. The final panel leaves him reconsidering things, and readers wanting issue #2. Millar has done something so simple, it’s almost revolutionary. The ass being kicked is suspension of disbelief and Millar has created a title based on the extraordinary ordinary. Oh, and the issue is just a lot of fun to read as well, Dave's narration is very revealing and laid-back, giving a further approachability to the series.
John Romita Jr. follows the theme of realism in his pencils, filling the action panels with blood, bruises, and very grounded fighting. If a character even simply gets punched, it is felt and shown to have serious consequences. There are no supermen, when someone gets attacked Romita Jr. makes sure the reader knows that this would be exactly what would happen if it were to happen down the street. The characters all look very normal as well. Even the supposed hot girl sitting behind Dave is nothing to gawk at. Dave’s friends and himself are all skinny, plain-looking kids. Romita Jr.’s art has never felt been disproportionate to the extremes that can be seen in many titles, so his approach is perfect.
9/10 Takes the ‘realistic super-hero’ idea and actually executes it with conviction.
Thunderbolts #137
New creative team brings worry about this series' future quality.
Spider-Woman #2
The series still works, even without voice-overs!
Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1
The new Sorcerer Supreme, chosen to defend our reality is attacked by Doctor Doom in order to save our reality from...the new Sorcerer Supreme?!
Thor #603
Donald Blake and Thor help Sif establish a secret identity while Loki and Dr. Doom exchange “gifts”…
Spider-Woman #1
One of Marvel’s most sultry, sassy, and super powered heroines gets a new monthly series.
Old Man Logan: How the Best Went Bad
Last year Mark Millar began the best Wolverine story in a decade...and this year he completed a story that was just as bad as a thousand others.
The Amazing Spider-man #605
This issue is about love, or Peter Parker’s lack of. Just as the cover implies, it’s about all the people in Parker’s life and their “it’s complicated” love lives
Dark Wolverine #78
Daken, the Dark Wolverine has been witnessed killing innocent bystanders and Norman Osborn is trying to fix the mess
Captain America Reborn #3 of 5
While Captain America relives his days on ice and his fight against the Skrulls during the Kree / Skrull war, the Falcon rescues the current Captain America
The Amazing Spider-man #604
The Chameleon is on the loose about to explode a nuclear device in the middle of New York City