Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Kick-Ass 2 #3
Icon (Marvel Comics)
Millar & Romita Jr.
The third issue of the latest arc of Kick-Ass brings a lot of what you might expect. Millar tucks in some surprises, gives you a lot of blood and keeps it all interesting with some over-the-top humor. Romita Jr provides excellent visuals as always and it adds up to another very entertaining story. This series is nowhere close to the original (except in shipping delays) but it does provide a high level of entertainment. I definitely recommend this if you like some crude, sometimes bloody, adult stories.
The issue opens with the group of super heroes called "Justice Forever" enacting some justice on a prostitution ring. We learn about some of the characters in these scenes and Dave begins to really grow into a role on the team. The scenes have some blood but not a whole lot of action.
The comic then launches into a narrative about how the team does other things besides patrol as they volunteer at a soup kitchen and the like. During these scenes we get a few more of the characters introduced but not expanded upon.
The issue doesn't really pick up until the end when the villains show up and do some heavy damage on the "Justice Forever" team. However, the most shocking scene is the police discovering the crime scene as Millar once again proves that he's someone that can't possible sleep well at night.
The comic book has its highs and lows. The comic book revisits Dave and his dad fighting over him being a super hero, which feels like ground we've covered a lot in one form or another. Again, Dave tries to convince Mindy to join the team which is getting old as well. However, Millar mixes in some humorous narrative pieces, such as Dave's plans for people's pictures he has friended on facebook. This is vintage Millar to get you to think about stuff you probably wouldn't normally want to. The other hysterical scene is when his friend auditions his costume and super hero name to Dave. Overall, the highs definitely outweigh the lows.
The artwork is gruesome when it needs to be. The crime scene at the end is one of the more horrific and unforgettable images I have seen in a long time. Couple that with the creativity of the costumes and characters that Romita Jr jams into this book and you have a terrific artistic presentation.
Kick-Ass is a book that pushes the boundaries. This arc doesn't seem to have a terribly interesting story but Millar is making the most of the characters he's rolled out. It seems like there aren't a whole lot of books on the stands that jams this much entertainment into twenty-four pages and is only three bucks. I definitely recommend picking this up.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
