Hit-Girl #1

Opening Remarks:

I’d almost forgotten this was added to my pull list a while back and seeing as I wasn’t thrilled by Kick-Ass 2, I was cautiously hopeful about this issue. I do discuss some scenes in the book that I found particularly nice and interesting so these could be considered to be spoilers.

The Good:

The pacing of the issue is very nice as the story unfolds in a way that is easy to follow, logical, and just has a nice feel to it. There are a nice few pages that show Mindy having a pleasant family life. We also get to see an emotional side to Mindy that we don’t get the pleasure of behold very often. After being belittled by some classmates, we find her at Big Daddy’s grave. The subtle effect of her windblown her hair and the tears that stream down her face really stand out and went well with the scene. During this visit she confesses that she’s having difficulty grappling with adapting to dealing with normal kids despite having taken down a variety of scumbags really touching. The last panel on the page shows that silence can work wonders when used well.

In another scene, she somewhat shyly asks Dave for help about learning how to deal with said kids by teaching her how to be normal. Shortly afterwards, is the coolest moment in the book so I won’t spoil that here. The flashbacks to key moments in her career are nicely done and go well with the narrative. However, despite her newfound vulnerabilities Mindy has in no way lost her edge and there’s a great scene where she busts Dave’s balls over how he inappropriately dresses for the cold.

We also get to see Red Mist start to transition into the cold hearted villain he is in Kick-Ass 2 and seeing how this develops should be interesting as the series unfolds. This is punctuated quite well by how creepily the beginning of the only scene he’s in is framed.

The Bad:

I’ve got nothing bad to say about this issue.

Overall Opinion:

Loved this issue because of the emotional depth it shows. It’s good to see that, despite all her training, Hit-Girl is still a young girl who, on top of having to deal with the recent death of her father, also has to deal with a huge career change and with having to deal with normal kids. Her difficulty adjusting to her new circumstances endears her to the reader while adding a nice touch of believability to a series whose accepted, over the top violence requires an obvious suspension of belief. When this is coupled with the particularly abhorrent nature of what happened to Katie in an issue of Kick-Ass 2, this gentle touch is especially appreciated. In short, grab this issue. You will not regret it.