The Tale of a Hero

A review of Kick-A**

Do you like gory realistic comics that have incredible storylines?

If so Kick-A** is a must read for you.

The story is always intriguing. And one of the reasons it stands out is its realistic gritty story telling; that is so rare from a superhero comic. One reason it’s gritty is the comic isn’t afraid to portray the government in a negative light, and the story makes it seem very much like it could happen in real life. Another reason it's so good is the marvelous art by John Romita Jr. He has worked on Iron Man, Super man, Spiderman and many others. I was never a big fan of John Romita Jr till I read Kick-A**, I feel like his art was just made for this comic. The way he draws fight scenes is amazing, and it's only helped by the colorist who makes the backgrounds red, and the fighters in shadows, and the blood  flying everywhere. It’s incredible. Mark Millar will always keep you at the edge of your seat, he has written such amazing comics as Civil War, Reborn, Witchblade, and many others. After you read one of his comics you will want to continue reading the books he has worked on. With two industry giants behind it. Kick-A** will surely have you coming back for more.

In Kick-A** no one has superpowers, every hero, (and villain) is a normal person, and the fights are always gory and just a great read. The two main characters are Kick-A** and Hit-Girl.

Kick-A** (who’s alter ego is Dave Lizewski) is your average high school student, except he wonders why no one has stood up for their community and fought back against the corrupt city. The mafia controls the police and the politicians and they all turn a blind eye while the mafia commit crimes. Dave Lizewski wants to fight crime, to become a superhero. He buys a wetsuit and confronts some vandals, from there things go bad. He gets stabbed and limps away and gets hit by a car; the car speeds off and leaves him in the road to die. As the book progresses and “superheros” become more popular and mainstream you see more people stopping and helping, instead of speeding off. I really like the natural progression with things like this in the book.

Hit-Girl trained with her dad to get revenge on the mafia because her dad says they killed her mom. She encounters Kick A** later on in the book when she has to save him when he is getting beat up. She is trained with swords, guns, and all things murder. Hit Girl is my favorite character because she always charges into the face of danger.

Something else I like so much about this book is that most of the character’s prime motivations and values change very little throughout the series. It was nice to see a book that broke free of the reins of the norm. In most books, the character learns a lesson and their motives change. But in this book people stay close to their roots, and it's very refreshing.

In conclusion you should definitely read this comic. You will fall in love with art and the story, and of course the characters.