I am a little torn by the comic I just read. Yes, it was a great read, but only after I had a chance to look back on it and take myself far, far, far away from any kind of moral decencies. You see the comic I just read had so many scenes of utterly disgusting and reprehensible acts that your moral compass would have to be pointing in the opposite direction of a normal person to like it. Then again those acts do culminate into the catalyst for bringing back one of the main characters. WARNING – some of the panels shown will be graphic.
First let me start off with the art. John Romita, Jr. was born to draw this book. I could not imagine this book or its predecessor being as successful drawn by another artist. The way he doesn’t make his characters overly “super heroic” really adds to the realism of the book. Of course the art is something that has been consistently good with Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2. Romita, Jr. is already an artist that should be in the Comic Book Hall of Fame. After all, you can’t tell the story of comic books without mentioning him. (Note to self, someone really needs to start a Comic Book Hall of fame).
The art alone should make you buy the book. Whether Romita, Jr. is drawing Captain America and Hawkeye handing down a beating to some Skrulls or drawing a dog castrating a man, he is always at the top of his game.
Now on to the writing… Millar is far and away one of the best writers in comics. There is no denying that whatever he touches seems to be up there with some of the greatest comics of all time. He isn’t an Alan Moore type of writer, but he uses today’s vernacular and pop culture to craft an exciting story that is relevant to today’s teenage/young adult type comic readers.
After gushing over Millar and Romita, Jr. you would think that I would absolutely be in love with this book. You are probably right too, but in saying that it scares me a little bit because of some of the things that happen in this book.
Two things obviously stick out in this book that really has me second-guessing continuing on with this story. This is spoiler territory so do not continue on if you plan on reading this book and want to stay oblivious to the storyline. Staying on board? Well let’s get to it.
This book is absolutely filled with violence. That is not surprising because historically each and every issue is filled with violence. The problem I have is the manner in which this issue shows it. In one scene Red Mist or as he is known now “The Mother F#$%#r”, without hesitation mows down a group of six to seven year olds, just to make a statement. Not only to his group of villains, but to the reader as well. Maybe if this scene were not actually shown on page, it would not be as bad. It would have been better to show a panel with just Red Mist from the torso up pointing the gun with onomatopoeia all around. Instead we get the following panel…
The second moment is one that is not shown in panel (thank goodness), but is inferred by scenes before and after the event. It is a rape scene where The Mother F#$%#r and his band of villains kill Katie Deauxma’s family (and entire neighborhood) and then partake in raping her. As I said before, at least the raping scene is inferred and not seen on panel.
Although these scenes are appalling, they do serve the story well by telling just how twisted and vengeful The Mother F#$%#r has become since his Red Mist days. He really has it in for Kick-Ass since the death of his Father.
After the horrible events of the day, the Police get IP addresses from the FBI of all the heroes and villains. (Why they Tweet and post on Facebook is beyond me. It is just another one of those things were Millar likes the pop culture references I guess. They decide to round up everyone. While Kick-Ass and his friends are visiting Katie in the hospital (secretly), The Mother F#$%#r texts Dave that he should not worry about his girlfriend (Katie) and should worry about his Dad. Dave quickly leaves the hospital to run home.
Dave arrives home to find the Police have arrested his Dad for being the superhero Kick-Ass. Dave’s Dad has taken the fall for his son. Then the book gives us a big “To Be Continued”…
I have sworn not to buy this book again because of the scenes mentioned, but to be honest I will keep reading. Millar continues to appall me, but at the same time give me a story that I must see to conclusion. If you are a fan of Kick-Ass you will love it. If you are a fan of violence you will love it. If you just like a good “Super Hero” story, you might want to steer clear of this one. I am not going to rate this one because I honestly can’t give a particular rating to it. It both repulses me and intrigues me at the same time. (If that is possible)