Kick-Ass [Hardcover]

Mark Millar (Author), John Romita Jr. (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Kick-Ass | Publication Date: February 17, 2010

Have you ever wanted to be a super hero? Dreamed of donning a mask and just heading outside to some kick-ass? Well, this is the book for you - the comic that starts where other super-hero books draw the line. Kick-Ass is realistic super heroes taken to the next level. Miss out and you're an idiot! Wolverine: Enemy of the State's team of Mark Millar (Civil War) and John Romita Jr. (World War Hulk) reunite for the best new book of the 21st century. This title collects Kick-Ass numbered 1-8.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Millar is one of comics' most commercially successful writers, his work includes Wanted, Judge Dredd and the bestselling The Ultimates.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Books (February 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785134352
• ISBN-13: 978-0785134350
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.6 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Marvel

More About the Author

Along with Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar has been one of the key writers for Marvel Comics in the 21st century. After proving himself in the '90s as a talent to watch while writing for DC Comics and the UK comic 2000AD, his arrival to Marvel came at a time when Ultimate Spider-Man had just shot up the sales charts. It was in this environment that Millar made his first major contribution to Marvel with Ultimate X-Men, as Millar integrated forty years' worth of X-Men history, characters and lore into a solid two-year run, making the companion title to Ultimate Spider-Man every bit the creative and commercial success. Next up was The Ultimates, a new rendering of the Avengers that was to continue building on the success of the Ultimate line. He and artist Bryan Hitch pulled it all off in spades: The Ultimates and its sequel, Ultimates 2, were ensconced at the top of the sales charts every month; what's more, they were critical successes, as well. Meanwhile, Millar was invited to enter the regular Marvel Universe to take a stab at two of its most iconic characters: Spider-Man and Wolverine. Paired with industry heavyweights to draw his stories -- Terry Dodson on Marvel Knights Spider-Man and John Romita Jr. on Wolverine -- Millar brought the same fast-paced and cleverly constructed plots with which his Ultimate fans were already familiar. Amid building a small library of Millarworld indie comic books -- including the titles Chosen and Wanted, the latter of which was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Angelina Jolie -- he managed to write Civil War, the epic seven-issue miniseries that definitively reshaped the landscape of Marvel's heroes. Kick-A**, a Marvel Icon project done in tandem with John Romita Jr., made an impressive impact on the sales chart before also being adapted for a major motion picture. In addition, Millar has reunited with Civil War artist Steve McNiven in both the pages of Wolverine and their creator-owned book Nemesis.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We only get one life and I wanted mine to be exciting...", April 4, 2010

By 

H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kick-Ass (Hardcover)

My goodness, no wonder there's a movie coming out. What Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. have done here simply calls for a cinematic adaptation, and I am salivating. If you've ever wondered what it'd be like if some fool - and an untrained kinda nerdy high school fool, at that - decides to don a superhero costume and prowl the slimy streets in search of mischief, this'll be an eye-popper.

John Hughes never dreamed of something like this in his high school flicks. The central figure is comic-book-reading 16-year-old Dave Lizewski who doesn't boast that tragic a past; no radioactive insects bit him; he wasn't exposed to a magic word; and he's not an orphan from an exploded planet. To quote Dave Lizewski, his origin is he was bored. But under Mark Millar's insanity, Dave's story takes on this dark, outrageous, ultra-violent turn while still staying somewhat in the periphery of what's realistic.

This trade collects the first eight issues and lets you into an urban bloodbath. Because when you put on a wet suit and start looking for trouble, odds are you're gonna end up bumping against some seriously hard mothereffers. And when your only super powers are perseverance and some talent for soaking up punishment, you'll most likely end up hitting the floor really hard. Dave gets severely pounded his first time going up against some thugs, and then he gets bowled over asss over heel by a hurtling car.

Months of recovery from his injuries, and you'd think Dave's learned his lesson. But then Dave puts on the costume again and resumes his night patrols. And then, while bracing some muggers, Dave becomes an overnight online sensation, the first real-life superhero. The Internet even gives him his superhero code name. And soon other costumed freaks are following in his footsteps, including a badasss ten-year-old girl expertly wielding swords. Go throw your hands in the air for the lethal and potty-mouthed Hit-Girl. And, okay, with Hit-Girl, Millar does wander past what's believable. But she's such a cool character that we have to, have to give her a pass.

Despite the Rob Liefeld intro, this trade is a jaw-dropping read, but it's horribly suited for children, nuns, and perhaps Armenians. Profanity and nudity are a healthy presence. Let me say that KICK-ASS is bloody and brutal and subversive and simply in your damn f----- face, and Millar shows you why no one's actually gotten away with putting on a costume and stomping on amoral lowlifes in real life. Artist John Romita, Jr. comes in with some of his best stuff and there's even that smidgen of that Frank Miller vibe in his art. Saying that this series is violent is to understate matters, kinda like suggesting that Big Daddy exhibits questionable parenting skills. I've already said that Mark Millar is insane, and I'm sticking to that. But the guy is also a master of his craft, and so we eat up his dish of bloody visceral bombast, and I also relish how Dave and, later, Red Mist go about on their new careers (Meanwhile, Big Daddy & Hit-Girl's relationship is really too dysfunctional to be relatable). So is this an unflinching, credible look at costumed vigilantes in the real world? Probably more so than not. The dialogue, by the way, rings true, as does Dave Lizewski. And the story is funny as well. I laughed my titmice off at what happens when Dave arrives at the moment in which he feels he ought to start leaping rooftop to rooftop. Dave Lizewski is a compelling character, but I think the kid is seriously disturbed. Still doesn't keep me from saying that his alter ego absolutely friggin' rules!

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, but maybe not for the squeamish, February 22, 2010

By 

dawg - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kick-Ass (Hardcover)

Well written, brisk pacing, fantastic art, fun twists, and great characters all combine to make this one of the best reads out there right now.

Is it shocking? Sure, but that's part of the fun of it! However, the "shock factor" is only one small part of what makes this book feel so fresh.

For me, Millar and JRJR kncoked this book out of the park. You can tell how much fun they're having telling their story, and I love being along for the ride.

If you're sensitive to violence or to underage kids using guns, swords, and adult language, this book may not be for you; but if you can appreciate it for what it is, you won't be disappointed. Don't worry -- it's nowhere near as "shocking" as many other comics out there such as Preacher or The Boys (or pretty much anything else Garth Ennis writes), but it certainly is edgy.

Overall, it's a surprisingly fresh and unique take on superheroes, geek culture, and adolescence, masterfully illustrated and perfectly paced.

I love it!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bombastic, over the top blast, March 16, 2010

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kick-Ass (Hardcover)

If it's one thing Mark Millar (Wanted, Wolverine: Enemy of the State & Old Man Logan, Ultimates, Civil War) knows, it's how to shock the audience. The much anticipated, and much delayed, Kick-Ass does just that and more. Published under Marvel's Icon imprint, Kick-Ass reunites Millar with his Enemy of the State partner and Marvel artist mainstay John Romita Jr. (World War Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man), and once again finds Millar poking fun at the sort of comic book conventions he did with Wanted, although the results are not nearly as nihilistic. Dave Lizewski is a comic book obsessed teenager who decides to take his love for superheroes to a new level when he dons a green costume and decides to fight crime. Naturally, things don't work out quite so well for him at first, and eventually, he finds that he isn't alone in the superhero business as he encounters Hit Girl, Big Daddy, and Red Mist. That's really only scraping the surface of Kick-Ass, as Millar presents the humdrum and dreary existence of Dave with such dark comedic flair that it's hard not to admire the series as a whole. That, along with the great artwork by Romita, makes Kick-Ass all the better. Word of warning however, Kick-Ass is definitely not for the squeamish: it is ridiculously bloody, violent, and will be more than likely deemed offensive by some. With that in mind though, Kick-Ass should be checked out at the very least regardless, and if the upcoming film adaptation is half as good, there will be even more reason to celebrate.