Kick-Ass 2 Issue 1
Well, it's about time. After an excruciatingly long wait (This is my sarcasm by the way), Balls to the Wall is finally here, and it's just what you'd expect it to be. Violent, foul-mouthed, and quite enjoyable. I'm a big fan of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., so the chance for more of their goodness is always a plus, but unlike the masses, I wasn't clamoring for this book so soon. Regardless, it's here and it's here to stay so it's time to kick some more @$$ with Balls to the Wall.
Essentially, this comic takes place months after Kick-Ass volume 1 and shows Kick-Ass training with Hit-Girl, Hit-Girl getting scolded by Marcus, and Kick-Ass reminiscing about the events of the past few months where his life has turned to cr@p. Flashback to earlier, closer to Kick-Ass volume 1, and we see Kick-Ass dealing with school, teaming up with Doctor Gravity (Who I love by the way), and and then meeting some people who will surely have an impact on the future of this comic.
Mark Millar seems slightly off here. I don't know if it's my growing older and more aware of things, but this comic just didn't read completely naturally to me. The first scene with Hit-Girl training Kick-Ass just dropped too many pop culture references for it to feel authentic. People don't talk like that, sorry. However, bringing in nicer superhero characters for Kick-Ass to work with was nice. Doctor Gravity just seems like some normal guy trying to escape his life and his dialogue when Kick-Ass meets up with him is great. Plus, the ending, loved it and can't wait to see it play out.
Now, when I saw that this was coming out while John Romita Jr. was still working on Avengers, I was interested in seeing how the art would work. As it is, John Romita Jr. supplies rough breakdowns that are then inked and given a wash by Tom Palmer. Dean White then colors it all. Seeing this, it looks fine. In fact, while this isn't the truest John Romita Jr. art, it may be the most accessible to those who don't like his art, because it's much smoother and more natural than his other work. I was very pleased with it, and his designs for the new superheroes we encounter are simple and likable, just like I'd want them to be.
Overall, this is a good start to the second volume. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this goes from here and hopefully this book will be as ridiculously fun as volume one. 4 out of 5 stars, not quite kick-ass yet, but I know it'll get there.
