Comic Book Movies 101: Kick-Ass

• 17th May 2011

At one time superhero status was only given to those individuals who sought asylum from their home planet or were bitten by radioactive bugs and as a result had incredible powers that a mere mortal could only dream of; being able to clear tall buildings in a single bound, having unbelievable strength and, the piece de resistance, being able to fly. The millionaire playboys then decided to get in on the act with Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark building all sorts of amazing gadgets to imitate the powers of the special ones. However, what happens when an average, high school geek decides to turn his hand to crime-fighting in the same way? With only a diving suit and a pair of batons at his disposal can he really rid New York of its seedy underbelly? Well, the answer is no, obviously.

Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan. He spends most of his time with his friends Marty and Todd and has a crush on the prettiest girl in school, Katie Deauxma. His personal trials are not that overwhelming and he has no tragic events to avenge; he just can’t understand why no one has ever decided to try and be a superhero before. His first attempt at heroism goes terribly wrong and Dave ends up in hospital getting pinned and plated back together. However, after a second attempt is caught on a mobile phone camera Kick-Ass mania grips the city. Meanwhile, Big Daddy and Hit Girl are taking revenge for the ill doing of powerful gangster, Frank D’Amico. However, he believes that Kick-Ass is responsible for the actions against his gang and plots a scheme to destroy him.

Kick-Ass was written and created by the brilliant Mark Millar, who also brought us Wanted and The Ultimate Avengers, and comic book legend, John Romita Jr. Although the film tends to stray away from the graphic novel it’s based on in a few major areas, it’s easy to see why. The story in the film is easier to follow and makes for a happier outcome, plus it involves fewer characters, giving more screentime to Katie and Chris/Red Mist. Usually, when film makers remove chunks of the original story and rewrite them to suit how they would like to see the film it’s to the detriment of the final product, this is certainly not the case with Kick-Ass. It’s a fantastic comic book and an awesome film.

I have to admit, it’s not often I get ridiculously jealous of a pre-pubescent girl but Hit Girl gets all the best costumes, fight scenes and lines in this film and I totally want to be her. I’m not even slightly embarrassed about admitting this either because I know that those of you who’ve seen the film are completely agreeing with me. I can’t get enough and as a result I’m glued to each edition of Clint Magazine, lapping up every instalment of Kick-Ass 2, which undoubtedly will be hitting a big screen soon.

Laura Johnson