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For the film adaptation of the comic book series, see Kick-Ass (film). For the unrelated collection of Carl Hiaasen columns, see Kick Ass.

Kick-Ass
Kick-Ass #2 (May 2008). Second-printing variant cover art by John Romita, Jr.
Publication information
Publisher	Icon
Schedule	Monthly with repeated delays
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	February 2008 - Present
Main character(s)	Dave Lizewski
Creative team
Writer(s)	Mark Millar
Penciller(s)	John Romita, Jr.
Inker(s)	Tom Palmer
Colorist(s)	Dean White
Creator(s)	Mark Millar John Romita, Jr.
Editor(s)	John Barber
Collected editions
Volume 1	ISBN 0-7851-3261-9

Kick-Ass is an ongoing, creator-owned comic book series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita, Jr. It is published by Marvel Comics under the company's Icon imprint.

Synopsis

Dave Lizewski, an otherwise ordinary New York City high school student and the child of Greg Willer, loving single father, takes his interest in comic books as inspiration to become a real-life superhero. He assembles a suit and mask, which he wears under his normal clothing, begins exercising, and practices things like walking on roofs, satisfying his ambitions for a time. He eventually seeks to fight crime, with his first attempt leading him to receive a severe beating and stabbing by thugs, followed by his wandering into the street and being hit by a car.^[1] He retains his secret identity, however, stripping off and hiding his costume before paramedics arrive.^[2]

Telling his father he was mugged, he undergoes intense physical rehabilitation, including four operations. He is released weeks later, and as soon as he is off crutches dons the suit once more and goes on patrol. When he saves a man from a beating,^[2] an onlooker catches the scene on a cellphone camera and uploads it to YouTube, turning Lizewski into an overnight sensation christened with the name Kick-Ass.^[3]

In school, the mugging excuse used to cover up his bruises spawns rumors Lizewski is a gay prostitute. Believing them, his longtime crush, Katie Deauxma, adopts him as a "gay best friend". Lizewski goes along with this in an effort to spend time with her. His father, worried about him, gives him a can of police-issue pepper-spray for protection.^[3]

As Kick-Ass, Lizewski sets up a MySpace account, so people can contact him for help. The first such request he investigates leads him to an apartment of violent lowlives who try to kill him. He is rescued by a costumed, sword-wielding young girl named Hit-Girl,^[3] who kills all the attackers and then leaves to join a grown man named Big Daddy.^[4] The two disregard Lizewski, who later learns that Kick-Ass has inadvertently inspired a subculture of people dressed in makeshift, original superhero costumes. Later, one such hero, the Red Mist, appears, and teams with Kick-Ass on street patrol. The two gain great public popularity after nearly being killed rescuing a cat from a burning building.^[5]

Kick-Ass, at the behest of Big Daddy and Hit Girl, accompanies Red Mist to meet the duo at an abandoned warehouse to strategize the takedown of local drug kingpin John Genovese. There they find Big Daddy and Hit Girl captured, and Red Mist reveals himself as Genovese's son, who had orchestrated this ambush.^[6] The gang kills Big Daddy and tortures Kick-Ass, but fails to kill Hit Girl, who escapes and returns to kill several of the gang members.^[7] Afterwards, Hit Girl kills John Genovese while Kick-Ass beats Red Mist into submission. Lizewski helps Hit Girl go back to a normal, calm life with her mother and stepfather, however Lizewski's own life is no better than before. He had told Katie Deauxma about him not being gay, and she shuts him out once again. When he comes home, he catches his father with Eddie Lomas' ex-girlfriend Lucille. The main story ends with the superhero who tried to fly at the start of the story catching the elevator to the top floor of a building. The epilogue has someone resembling Red Mist swearing vengeance on Kick-Ass.

Promotion

Prior to the series, a viral campaign featuring a short video of the main character of the comic, Kick-Ass, being "caught on tape" performing a heroic act was uploaded to YouTube and spread around the Internet.^[1] Later, a MySpace page was created, supposedly maintained by the character, where it was written that "Mark Millar [...] is doing a comic-book about me with [...] John Romita Jr."^[8]

A charity auction was held to name the main character. The winner, Dave Lizewski, chose his own name.^[9]

Each issue also singles out specific comic shops, crediting them for taking part in the "home-made effort" to promote the book and encourages readers to support them.

Film

A film adaptation was reportedly in the script stage in May 2008.^[10] The Hollywood Reporter said production would be fully financed by Matthew Vaughn's MARV Films, the script written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, and the movie directed by Vaughn.^[11] The industry trade magazine gave the financed amount as $30 million,^[11] while Millar updated the figure to $65 million.^[12]

Aaron Johnson has been cast as the main character Dave Lizewski.^[13] Nicolas Cage will play Big Daddy, a former cop who, in his quest to bring down an evil druglord played by Mark Strong, has trained his 11-year-old daughter to be the ruthless vigilante Hit Girl,^[14] being played by Chloë Moretz.^[11] Lyndsy Fonseca has been cast as Lizewski's crush, Katie Deauxma.^[14] Christopher Mintz-Plasse has been cast as Red Mist.^[14] Series creator Millar, a native of Scotland, has asked Scottish TV children's-show host Glen Michael to make a cameo appearance.^[15] Wrestler Big Daddy V said he has a part in the movie.^[16]

Notes

References

External links

• Official site
• Kick-Ass at MySpace
• Kick-Ass (2010) at the Internet Movie Database

Reviews

• Best Shots Round Table: Kick-Ass #1, Newsarama, March 26, 2008
• Best Shots Extra: Kick-Ass #2, Newsarama, April 1, 2008
• Kick-Ass #2, Comic Book Resources, April 2, 2008