By: Mark Millar (writer/creator), John Romita, Jr. (breakdowns/creator), Tom Palmer (inks), Dean White (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters) & Aubrey Sitterson (editor)
The Story: Kick-Ass and the new Justice Forever crew run into their first serious adversity.
What’s Good: Fun issue, if you like this sort of thing. Even though it has been almost 5 months since the awkwardly named Kick Ass 2 #2 came out, this story is simple enough that you’re not really lost. Sure, in the first scene, the Justice Forever squad is roughing up some dude (with a special ball-biting assist from the dog) and I couldn’t remember who the bad guy is/was. But, it doesn’t really matter and within a couple of pages, the story has progressed and has simultaneously reminded the reader of what came before without resorting to much exposition. The theme is the same as the first Kick Ass: normal folks dressing up as heroes to make a difference, except for the fact that they aren’t invincible like comic superheroes so that when bullets fly, they die.
This is the issue where the story really gets going and Justice Forever runs into its first real adversity. Millar’s choice of who to cut down from the team is a poignant reminder of this “in real life, people die” theme. I don’t want to spoil who get’s cut down, but let’s just say it is someone who seemed pretty competent. And, it makes all kinds of sense when you consider that Kick Ass is all about the concept of real-life heroes. Consider the recent helicopter crash in Afghanistan that killed many U.S. Navy Seals; you will not find more fearsome warriors on the planet than Seals, but they die in helicopter crashes just like anyone else. In real life, there are no healing factors.
Of course, as Millar is ramping the story up, he does it with typical Millar excesses. I know some folks loathe that stuff, but love comic creators who push the boundaries of good taste and aren’t afraid to be transgressive. The ultimate demise of this one character was enough to make me pause and think, “Wow! That’s kinda screwed up!” and throughout the issue he isn’t afraid to do things like make fun of how superhero costumes can pretty quickly look like something worn at a gay pride rally. Most writers won’t write that dialog because it will be offensive to some people. Millar clearly doesn’t care. I’d bet he thinks that if his comics aren’t offensive to ~10% of the readership that he hasn’t done his job.
Very few writers are able to make us react emotionally to a comic, but Millar almost always delivers.
I still can’t believe how cool it is to see John Romita, Jr. drawing things like an attack dog biting a bad guy on the balls (complete with blood). I’ve loved his art since I was a little kid and he drew Uncanny X-Men, but he was never the artist who got into drawing blood and guts just for the fun of it. So, seeing him cut loose like this is really fun. But, it is still pretty classic Romita even if you can see a lot of Tom Palmer in the inking. Love the coloring by Dean White. When you read how I’m always asking for flatter colors, this is what I’m talking about. The coloring on this issue just pops off the page.
What’s Not So Good: There’s nothing really wrong with this issue. It has all the basic goods, but it is missing the deeper social commentary that we sometimes get from Millar. It’s also kind of a downer of an issue. I have no doubt that a triumphant moment is to come in future issues, but it isn’t here yet.
Conclusion: A fun and very professionally done issue. The story is streamlined enough that the long delay since issue #2 doesn’t really matter. Can’t wait for next issue when it looks like some pretty hot things might happen.
Grade: B
-Dean Stell
Follow Dean on Twitter.
Grade
Conclusion