#IReadsYou Review: THE SECRET SERVICE #1

THE SECRET SERVICE #1
MARVEL COMICS/Icon – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Mark Millar and Matthew Vaughn
WRITER: Mark Millar – @mrmarkmillar
ARTIST: Dave Gibbons
COLORS: Angus McKie
COVER: Dave Gibbons
VARIANT COVERS: Leinil Francis Yu with Sunny Gho
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (June 2012)

Mature Content

The Secret Service created by Mark Miller, Dave Gibbons, and Matthew Vaughn

The Secret Service was a six issue comic book miniseries written by Mark Millar; drawn by Dave Gibbons; and colored by Angus McKie.  The series was created by Millar, Gibbons, and writer/director/ producer Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) and was published in 2012 by Icon, a pseudo-creator owned imprint of Marvel Comics.  Vaughn directed a film loosely adapted from this comic book and entitled Kingsman: The Secret Service.  [The Secret Service has since been re-branded as Kingsman: The Secret Service to tie-in closer to the film.]

The Secret Service is apparently inspired by “classic” James Bond films and the spy thriller genre in general.  [I must note, dear readers, that I consider the James Bond films from Dr. No to A View to a Kill to be the “classic Bond films.”]  The story focuses on a super-spy and his young and wayward nephew whom he recruits into “the secret service.”

The Secret Service #1 opens in Zermatt, Switzerland where we find Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame in the clutches of mysterious, “middle-Eastern” types.  Later, in Peckham, South London, Gary “Eggsy” London is dealing with another awful night of home life with his mother, Sharon, and her English-white trash husband, Darren, and his rowdy pals.  So Gary decides to have a night of bad behavior with his own pals, but that will land him in trouble.  Once again, it's Gary's Uncle Jack to the rescue, but Jack London is secretly an MI6 agent, and he is ready to redirect his troubled nephew.

I saw Kingsman: The Secret Service on DVD not long after its home media release.  I thought some of it was really good, but most of it was mediocre slash OK.  I got a kick out of Samuel L. Jackson, Sofia Boutella, (that sexy-M.F.) Mark Strong, and Michael Caine (cause there is never enough Michael Caine).  I liked Taron Egerton, but he does not totally sell me on the idea of him being an action hero.  I put up with Colin Firth's character because he is played by Colin Firth.  Did I mention Mark Strong?

Reading The Secret Service comic book for the first time, what surprises me is how matter-of-fact the first issue seems.  It is unassuming and so lacks glamour (unlike the film) that after a few pages I thought The Secret Service was going to be a disaster.  However, I soon picked up on the steady pace, solemn pace.  There is something real and earthy about the interaction between Jack London and his sister, Sharon.  Reading it, I felt like I was eavesdropping on some real-world, old sibling melodrama.

By the end, I wanted to read more.  I'll see the new movie, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, but I hope the new comic book, Kingsman: The Red Diamond, is more like this comic book.

A
8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

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The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: CRIMINAL VOLUME 1: Coward

CRIMINAL VOL.1: COWARD
MARVEL COMICS/Icon

WRITER: Ed Brubaker
ARTIST: Sean Phillips
COLOR: Val Staples
ISBN: 0-7851-2439-X; paperback (May 2007)
128pp, Color, $14.99 U.S, $24.00 CAN

Criminal, the comic book series by writer Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, is less than a year old, and it has garnered acclaim from trendy comics critics and Brubaker and Phillips’ colleagues, who are all too eager to provide quotes for book covers.  Word is that Criminal is some kind of meditation of the clichés of the crime genre – the authors’ chance to play with and to examine what makes crime fiction.  Whatever.  Along comes Criminal Vol. 1: Coward, the first trade collection of this series.

The truth of the matter is that to hold Coward is probably what it’s like to hold a rattlesnake in your hands.  People wondered if there would ever be another great, long-running crime series like Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso’s 100 Bullets, and this little mean sonuvabitch could be it.  This is crime fiction.

Criminal Vol. 1: Coward collects the first five issues of the series and focuses on Leo Patterson.  He learned the art of being a pickpocket from his father Tommy Patterson and his “Uncle” Ivan.  Leo has never been arrested because he’s careful and he follows “the rules” to the tee.  His troubles begin when two old associates (from a job that went bad when Leo didn’t follow his rules) coerce him into a job with Jeff Driscoll, a dirty cop.  Leo takes control of the heist to make sure that everyone sticks to his rules, but the best laid plans mean nothing when dealing with a dirty cop.

Who will like this?  Fans of the aforementioned 100 Bullets and also admirers of David Lapham’s Stray Bullets are hungering for Criminal even if they don’t know it exists.  You can think of this as a hard-ass remix of elements of John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle, Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing, and Samuel Fuller’s Pickup on South Street.

Does this concept really work?  Brubaker’s writing is actually pretty elegant for such a down and dirty tale.  While the characters all fit a crime genre type, not all are stereotypes.  The female character Greta is a layered, rich personality and is completely believable as a former junkie.  If there is a movie version of this, a good actress can take Greta and turn her into an Oscar nomination.

Sean Phillips’ art isn’t so much gritty as it’s hard.  Where as 100 Bullets is crime fiction as slick, high art, Phillips paints Criminal as severe and as tough as a world in which people do kill without blinking.  He draws the characters in such a fashion that we know they’re hiding secrets and thoughts, but when something comes to the surface, Phillips makes sure it’s plain to see.

Ultimately, there is hardly a bump in the road here, making Coward a seamless crime comics classic.  There were times when I had to back away from this murderous little treat.  Read it.  Enjoy it, but don’t turn you back on it.

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THE UNITED STATES OF MURDER INC. #1

THE UNITED STATES OF MURDER INC. No. 1
MARVEL COMICS/Icon – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: Michael Avon Oeming
COLORS: Taki Soma
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
EDITOR: Jennifer Grunwald
COVER: Michael Avon Oeming
48pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2014)

The United States of Murder Inc. created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming

The United States of Murder Inc. is a six-issue miniseries written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Michael Avon Oeming.  It was originally published in 2014 (cover dated from May 2014 to February 2015) under Marvel Comics' Icon imprint.

The United States of Murder Inc. imagines an alternate history for the United States in which the American Mafia did not lose its war with the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI).  Instead, in the world of this comic book, the “Five Families” forced the government of the United States to concede most of the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., the city of Chicago, and parts of Nevada to them.  This area controlled by the families is euphemistically called “the territories.”  [If I understand this correctly, the names of the “five families” are Golanno, Lobombo, Luciano, DiGastra, and Bonavese, which I think are plays on the names of real-world mob crime families.]

The United States of Murder Inc. #1 opens on the day that Valentine Gallo becomes a “made man” in the Bonavese crime family.  Now, head of the family, Don Chucky Bonavese, sends Valentine on his first mission as a made man.  To complete this task, however, Valentine must leave the territories for the first time and travel to Washington D.C.

Not wanting to go alone on this momentous trip, Valentine takes his friend Dino with him.  Don Bonavese also sends his talented hit-woman, Jagger Rose, with Valentine.  Valentine must deliver a suitcase to Senator Fuller, a mission he completes.  Unfortunately, things go terribly wrong, leaving Valentine and Jagger hunted by both the mob and the CIA.  And Valentine's mother, Madonna Gallo, has a shocking secret to reveal.  Valentine was born to destroy everything in which he believes!

I remember seeing The United States of Murder Inc. #1 on a comic book store shelf, but, at the time, I had heard nothing about it.  I ignored it although I am a fan of both Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming and also of their seminal work together, the long-running superhero comic book, Powers.  So I don't know why I had zero interest in The United States of Murder Inc.

I should have been paying attention.  The United States of Murder Inc. #1 is the kind of first issue that makes the reader salivate for the rest of the series.  I practically tore through issues #2 to #6 and read the entire thing before writing this review.

Although The United States of Murder Inc. is a smoothly running operation as far as how a creative team executes a graphical narrative, the entire series tone is that of a rough and tumble, rollicking crime story as serial adventure.  The shocking terrorist act in the first issue exemplifies the explosiveness of the first issue itself and of the series as a whole.

I could not turn the pages fast enough or get to the next issue fast enough.  Readers who like alternate-history fiction and mafia fiction may find, in The United States of Murder Inc., that they have struck gold.  I look forward to the follow-up, United States vs. Murder, Inc. (DC Comics).

10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: EMPRESS #7

EMPRESS No. 7
MARVEL COMICS/Icon – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Mark Millar – @mrmarkmillar
PENCILS: Stuart Immonen
INKS: Wade von Grawbadger
COLORS: Ive Svorcina and Sunny Gho
LETTERS: Peter Doherty
COVER: Stuart Immonen and Wade von Grawbadger with Dave McCaig
VARIANT COVERS: Stuart Immonen; Stuart Immonen with Dave McCaig
44pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2017)

Rated T+

Empress created by Mark Millar and Stuart Immonen

Empress is a comic book miniseries from celebrity comic book creator, Mark Millar, and popular comic book artist, Stuart Immonen.  The series focuses on the wife of a ruthless galactic conqueror who escapes her husband with their three children and a loyal bodyguard.  Empress is written by Millar, drawn by Immonen (pencils) and Wade von Grawbadger (inks); colored by Ive Svorcina with Sunny Gho; and lettered by Peter Doherty.

Empress is set 65 million years ago and tells the story of Earth's first rulers.  This is a civilization lost in history, a time when people lived in gleaming cities at the same time dinosaurs still existed.  King Morax is the merciless ruler who executes his citizens with impunity.

His wife, Queen Emporia, has seen enough of her husband's monstrous ways.  She plots to take her three children:  a brash teenage daughter, Aine; a bookish 'tween son, Adam; and an infant son, Puck.  Loyal Captain Dane Havelock will pilot their escape ship, but even his skills may not be enough to keep them from the reach of King Morax.  They are eventually joined by the diminutive Tor and “Ship,” a floating, spherical machine that can teleport itself and its compatriots anywhere in the galaxy.

As Empress #7 opens, Emporia and company think they are safe, but Aine decides to take matters into her own hands.  Now, King Morax has arrived and is offering his quarry a chance to fight to the death.  But ultimately, he may be the one surprised.

In press interviews to promote Empress, Mark Millar said that he wanted to do a sci-fi comic book that was fun.  Well, Empress is fun, and I had a blast reading it.  This final issue is filled with happy surprises, some of it a bit to good to be true, but the golly-gee-whiz space opera of Empress demands that you suspend disbelief

Colorists Ive Svorcina and Sunny Gho turn Stuart Immonen and Wade von Grawbadger's compositions into space opera eye candy.  It is all prettier than I expected.  Usually I have to find a copy of The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch or some old B.E.M. comics from Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez when I want to have so sparkly, old-fashioned sci-fi fun.  Now, I have Empress, too.

I am glad to hear that there will be two more Empress miniseries.  Hopefully, they will be produced by Millar and Immonen and not some surrogates.

A-

http://www.millarworld.tv/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review EMPRESS #1

EMPRESS No. 1
MARVEL COMICS/Icon – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Mark Millar – @mrmarkmillar
PENCILS: Stuart Immonen
INKS: Wade von Grawbadger
COLORS: Ive Svorcina
LETTERS: Peter Doherty
COVER: Stuart Immonen and Wade von Grawbadger with Dave McCaig
VARIANT COVERS: Stuart Immonen; Stuart Immonen with Dave McCaig; Skottie Young; Steve McNiven with Ive Scorvina; Sean Gordon Murphy with Marte Gracia
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2016)

Rated T+

Empress is a new comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and artist Stuart Immonen.  The series focuses on the wife of a ruthless galactic conqueror and her bid to escape with their children.  Empress will apparently be comprised of three six-issue story arcs.  Empress is written by Millar, drawn by Immonen (pencils) and Wade von Grawbadger (inks); colored by Ive Svorcina; and lettered by Peter Doherty.

Empress #1 opens on Earth 65 million years ago during the time of Earth's first rulers.  This is a civilization lost to us when people lived in gleaming cities at the same time dinosaurs still existed.  King Morax is the merciless ruler who executes his citizens with impunity.  His wife, Queen Emporia, has seen enough of her husband's monstrous ways.  She plots to take her three children:  a brash teenage daughter, Aine; a bookish 'tween son, Adam; and an infant son, Puck.  Loyal Captain Dane Havelock will pilot their escape ship, but even his skills may not be enough to keep them from the reach of King Morax.

In press interviews to promote Empress, Mark Millar said that he wanted to do a sci-fi comic book that was fun.  He wanted Empress to be more in line with the original Star Wars (1977) and not like Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), a dark and edgy tale that has been influential on modern science fiction films.  And yes, Empress is fun – very fun.

With its dinosaurs, gleaming cities, a merciless ruler, and interstellar travel, Empress recalls Alex Raymond's comic strip, Flash Gordon, and Edgar Rice Burroughs' seminal planetary romance, the Barsoom series (also known as John Carter of Mars).  Both Flash Gordon and John Carter were obviously influential on the space opera, Star Wars, which informs Empress to some extent.

At this early point in the narrative, the characters are largely unknown, but Millar gives us a clear, basic explanation of the lead characters' motivations.  What really thrills at this point is the sparkly art by Immonen, von Grawbadger, and Svorcina.  The graphical storytelling is clean, spectacular though not complex, and, quite frankly, pretty.

So, yeah, I'm recommending Empress.  I enjoyed this first issue more than I did the first issues of other recent Millar comics, Chrononauts and Huck.

A-

http://www.millarworld.tv/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 8, 2017

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Albert Avilla Reviews: Hit Girl Issue 4

Hit Girl Issue 4
Marvel Comics/ICON

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: John Romita Jr.
Finishes/Inks: Tom Palmer

Say My Name! (Spoilers!)
The best female character in comics, and she has no boobs. We thought Hit Girl was caught in an untenable situation. She not only gets out of trouble with the most violence she can muster, she also gets home in time to protect her cover story. You have to love a little cutie who can mop the floor with blood-thirsty thugs. She has all the little bees at school in check; her position as alpha female is firmly established. Her plan to take down Genovese is set with pictures to go along with it. Red Mist is getting mystical martial arts training from con artists in Asia.

I got cramps in the old abdomen from laughing. How can someone make you cringe at the amount of blood splattered and at the same time laugh at the stupidity of the criminal? Talent has something to do with it. Sweet and spicy like General Tso's Chicken. The step-dad is locking down Mindy's room; I can imagine her planning how she'll pick the locks while Marcus is installing them. When Genovese's hit squad comes to kill Marcus, they grab Mindy and drag her to Marcus; they want Marcus to beg them not to kill her. They think that they are going to be pulling the wings off of a butterfly when they really stepped in a nest of pit vipers.

There is no moment while reading this story that you are not thoroughly entertained. Millar is the leader of the pack when we are discussing storytelling in the comic book format. I have to wait until next issue to see what Hit Girl has up her diabolical little sleeves. We are in store for some poetic violence.

John Romita Jr. is an icon in the industry. This is some of his best work. When you see his name on a comic book, you know that it is a major event. He has his own signature style which enhances any story.

I rate Hit Girl Issue 4 Recommend it to a Friend. Al-O-Meter's Highest Ranking

Albert Avilla Reviews: Hit-Girl Issue 3

Hit-Girl Issue 3
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Mark Millar Writer
Breakdowns: John Romita Jr.
Finishes/Ink Washes: Tom Palmer

You would expect the second miniseries to drop off like a second album or the second year of an NFL quarterback, but hell no. Hit Girl is bringing it. This series has the same style and tone of the first series. Merciless, vicious street violence remains the calling card of the series. The blood and gore are not spared; the timid need not read. The realism of the book is uncanny. I'll throw this oxymoron at you; it’s the best example of realistic heroic fantasy that I've read in years.

The Red Mist scene illustrates how Millar reminds us how unfeasible superheroes and supervillians are in the real world. No matter the outcome, Red Mist continues to embrace evil. That kind of evil requires determination. Mindy is blossoming socially; giving a new definition to hanging with your friend. The mob is leaning on Mindy's parents.

A furious finale is in the making; it’s going to hit the fan when the mob kills her mom or step-dad. The ruthless criminals are back; predators waiting for prey to slaughter. Millar continues to leave us with endings that make the months between issues that much longer. Waiting for the next issue is unbearable. Hit Girl falls down a chimney into the criminals' lair. We are left with Hit Girl lying on the floor at the mercy of the drug dealers. It’s on to the next issue.

If anything, I would say that the art is better than in Kick-Ass. It looks cleaner; the lines are smoother. The coloring is visually astounding. The facial expressions reflect what’s going on emotionally with the characters. Time was taken to make the art facilitate the story.

I rate Hit Girl Issue 3 Recommend It to a Friend.

I Reads You Review: Millar & McNiven's NEMESIS

MILLAR & MCNIVEN’S NEMESIS
MARVEL COMICS/ICON

WRITER: Mark Millar
ARTIST: Steve McNiven
COLORS: Dave McCaig
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
EXTRA ART: Leinil Francis Yu, John Cassaday, and Mark Millar
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4865-4; hardcover
112pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $22.50 CAN

Nemesis is a four-issue comic book miniseries from the team of writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven. Millar and McNiven produced two hugely popular Marvel event projects: Civil War, a six-issue series that was the impetus for a line-wide event, and the graphic novel, Wolverine: Old Man Logan (originally serialized in Wolverine Vol. 3 #66-72 and Wolverine Giant-Size Old Man Logan).

Nemesis is a creator-owned title that Marvel Comics published in 2010 under its Icon imprint. The four issues are collected in a hardcover volume entitled, Millar & McNiven’s Nemesis. This book has a dust jacket and includes Millar’s afterword from Nemesis #1, the variant covers from all four issues (including a cool one by Millar), a script-to-art comparison, and advertisements for two other Millar comic book projects (Superior and Kick-Ass 2).

The series focuses on two characters. The first is a Batman-like character, called “Nemesis,” who uses his skills, resources, wealth, and whatever super powers and abilities he has for evil rather than for good. Nemesis is very much like the Heath Ledger Joker in Christopher Nolan’s Batman movie, The Dark Knight (2008). What if a cool billionaire with all those planes, cars and gadgets, put on a mask and waged war on the forces of law and order, Millar asks.

The second character is Nemesis’ target and opponent, Chief Blake Morrow, the Chief of Police of Washington D.C. He is like Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” Callahan and Bruce Willis’ John McClane (from the Die Hard movies) blended into Commissioner James Gordon from the Batman comics. Plus, he is a staunch, conservative (pro-life, anti-gay) Catholic.

The story depicts Nemesis’ campaign against D.C. as part of a bid to be the winner in a small war he is waging against Morrow. Nemesis’ reign of terror leaves untold numbers of civilians dead and creates collateral damage (mostly among Morrow’s family, friends, and coworkers). Morrow believes Nemesis is seeking revenge against him because the villain claims to be Matthew Anderson, the only child of a couple whose depraved crimes where revealed by Morrow. As he gets closer to Nemesis, however, Morrow wonders what is true and what is just gamesmanship when it comes to Nemesis, the world’s only super-criminal.

I love a great villain – from Iago to Hannibal Lector: the conniving, brilliant, and/or genius types. I rooted for Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight, and it is hard not to love the X-Men’s Magneto.

Nemesis features a criminal genius and super-villain whose arrogance is as alluring as it is hilarious. In a series that offers some pretty deranged scenes, Nemesis’ best moments have the villain killing cops and other law enforcement and authority types. I don’t see Nemesis as a guilty pleasure or sinful delight because I don’t feel guilty about loving it so much, although if I am honest, perhaps it is a sin to take such delight in the depiction of cops getting killed by the dozens.

Millar paints the characters in broad strokes throughout the series, but the sharp dialogue makes them likeable, nonetheless. Steve McNiven’s art, from the standpoint of style, is acceptable, though it makes me wonder why he is so acclaimed. However, McNiven’s storytelling and page design are why this story is an action-packed page-turner that is tense even where there isn’t brutal action splashed across the page.

I read Millar & McNiven’s Nemesis in one sitting, flipping pages as if my life depended upon it. My life doesn’t depend on a sequel, but my life would be better in those moments when I’m reading a sequel.

A

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#IReadsYou Review: NEMESIS #1

NEMESIS #1

MARVEL COMICS/ICON

WRITER: Mark Millar

ARTIST: Steve McNiven

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos

COVERS: Steve McNiven and Leinil Francis Yu

Nemesis is the new comic book miniseries from the team of writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven. The duo produced the hugely popular Marvel event series, Civil War, and the graphic novel, Wolverine: Old Man Logan (originally serialized in Wolverine 66-72). Nemesis is a planned four-issue series that is being published under Marvel Comics’ Icon imprint.

As Millar has stated in press coverage for this comic book, Nemesis #1 introduces a Batman-like character, called “Nemesis,” who uses his skill, resources, and whatever super powers and abilities he has for evil rather than for good. What if this cool billionaire with all those planes, cars and gadgets, put on a mask and waged war on the forces of law and order, Millar asks. The story begins with Nemesis dispatching a famous police chief in Tokyo. Afterwards, Nemesis heads to Washington D.C. to engage his next opponent, Chief Blake Morrow, the Chief of Police of the nation’s capitol.

The cover of Nemesis #1 carries a large caption that reads “MAKES KICK-ASS LOOK LIKE $#IT.” I don’t know about that. Kick-Ass, Mark Millar’s previous Icon comic book which recently concluded, is some pretty deranged $#it AND very entertaining, but I am already a fan of this new comic book. I rooted for Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight and I love a great villain, especially one who has the pigs… I mean, law enforcement quaking in their boots.

It’s a fun read. Millar paints the characters in broad strokes, and in police Chief Blake Morrow, Millar has created a Clint Eastwood-Dirty Harry type who deserves to be taken down a peg or two or ten. Steve McNiven’s art is acceptable, though it makes me wonder why he is so acclaimed. Dave McCaig’s coloring is horrid. Still, I really like this comic book and can’t wait for the next issue.

B+

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#IReadsYou Review: KICK-ASS (Hardcover Collection)

KICK-ASS

MARVEL COMICS/ICON
WRITER: Mark Millar
PENCILS: John Romita, Jr.
INKS: Tom Palmer
COLORS: Dean White
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
INTRODUCTION: Rob Liefeld

Kick-Ass was an eight-issue miniseries from writer Mark Millar (The Ultimates, Wanted) and artist John Romita, Jr. (The Amazing Spider-Man) published under Marvel Comics’ Icon imprint. Kick-Ass is also a graphic novel serialized as an eight-issue miniseries, perhaps, the first of a series of Kick-Ass graphic novels. Before I read it, I thought that I might like Kick-Ass, but after reading the recently published hardcover collection of the series, I can say that I absolutely love it.

The series focuses on Dave Lizewski, a normal teenager and comic book fan, who decides to put on a costume and become a superhero. The first time he plays hero, some thuggish black teens beat Dave’s ass into a coma. Dave’s second mission becomes an Internet sensation, from which he takes his superhero name, Kick-Ass. Dave is cognizant of what he is doing and understands the impact of his actions, especially after his activities spawn a wave of copycats, including a rich teen who calls himself, Red Mist.

However, with Kick-Ass’s popularity skyrocketing because of viral videos and because of those very same superhero copycats, Dave becomes hooked on this new lifestyle and addicted to the adrenal rush and danger that lifestyle entails. Then, Dave meets another costumed duo playing superhero, the extreme violence, father-daughter duo of Big Daddy and the sword-wielding Hit Girl. They play for keeps, cutting a bloody path through the world of mob boss, John Genovese a.k.a. Johnny G. Suddenly, being Kick-Ass may be more than Dave bargained for.

Early in the series, Kick-Ass is funny, sarcastic, and poignant in the way quality drama about the trials and tribulations should be. Then, the first time Dave becomes Kick-Ass and springs into action, the entire narrative turns vulgar, obscene, and deranged… in a way that is an absolute joy to read. Suddenly, John Romita, Jr. (pencils) and Tom Palmer’s (inks) ugly art made sense. Visually, what these artists did was tell Millar’s story as a graphic narrative in the only way that would make it work. They had to produce comic art that could capture the rundown neighborhoods and gritty environments in which Dave lived. That art also had to depict the sudden and ferocious violence and its gruesome aftermath that defines the world of Kick-Ass.

The deeper into this crazy, kooky narrative I want, the more I wondered why Millar doesn’t do more of this. In fact, if comic book publishers want to attract more young male readers, they may want to consider publishing books like Kick-Ass, which could appeal to the guys who like 300 and Inglourious Basterds. I sat in a theatre watching Basterds with two young guys sitting a few seats from me, and they howled with delight and encouragement every time the characters did violence to one another. Those are probably shoo-in readers of comics like Kick-Ass.

DC Comics has spent the better part of a decade trying to find order in its fictional DC Universe and its 70 years of continuity. New readers won’t bother with comic books that navel-gaze like that. They will want comics that… dare I say it… kick ass. I don’t know what the hell Marvel Comics is doing – re-launching, re-imagining, and generally trying to make every two-bit character shiny enough for Hollywood… when they should just… kick ass?

All they need to do is look to this hot mess from Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. Kick-Ass is an inglourious basterd, and we need more Kick-Ass.

A

Buy Kick-Ass