Title: Kick-Ass

Author: Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.

Publisher: Marvel 2011

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 192

Rating:   5/5 stars   Movie: /5

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; Support Your Local Library; Books2Movie

How I Got It: Library Loan

Dave Lizewski is just an ordinary American teenager. Then an idea hits him: why not become a real life super hero.

J had me see the movie when it came out, but I had never gotten around to reading the graphic novel.  Amazingly, my local library had it just sitting there on the shelf begging for me to take it home.  And home it came.  I read it in one little sitting last night.  It's über violent.  It's über gorey.  But at the heart, it's a great little story about a nobody that starts a crime fighting revolution and sorta finds his way.  Plus, I was excited to actually get the references to other comic book characters and series.  I think I'm turning into a comic book reader.  Anyway, I really enjoyed Kick-Ass.  It's not light and fluffy.  It's gritty and nasty, but in an awesome comic book way.  And I read that Volume 2 is due to be released this June 2012.  I must keep that on my radar.

Movie:  

I'll admit that when J proposed watching this, I was hesitant.  I bloody, gorey action film about a comic book geek that want's to be a super hero.  I was worried that it was going to be cheesy.  But then I found out that Nicholas Cage was in the movie.  I'll see anything he's in, even the absolutely horrible stuff.  He's my movie kryptonite.  So we watched, and I'm glad we did.  I love seeing the interplay between Dave's regular life and his after hours fantasies.  It was an interesting take on the genre.  And Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist was perfect casting.  Hands down the best performance of the movie was Chloe Grace Moretz.  Her Hit Girl had all the vulnerability of a child but the strength of a superhero.  I loved seeing the interactions between her and her dad.  Best scene of the movie: where Big Daddy shoots Hit Girl to teach her to anticipate it in the future.  Disturbing but amazing.