With the “Kick-Ass” movie buzz, one may have overlooked this week’s release of issue #7. Unfortunately, the release schedule has been sporadic, but nevertheless Kick-Ass is here.
Mark Millar’s expose into every comic nerd’s daydream to squeeze into tights and start kicking ass gets a bloody dose of reality. The author left our gang of comic book hero wannabes in the hands of angry mobsters, who are all too real. Red Mist betrays Big Daddy, Hit-Girl, and Kick-Ass; torture and death ensue. No need to reveal who dies and how – it’s brutal, messy, sadistic, cringe-worthy, and blood soaked.
John Romita Jr.’s art takes center stage this issue, simply because a plot is non-existent. By allowing these pages to be dominated by uber-violence, the talented writing skills of Millar are not evident. I found the level of violence disturbing in this issue for one reason – these characters are kids! This issue could have used a little more plot. Romita does a fine job of capturing the details of the tortures and executions (if that’s a good thing). The art is bloody, but very well done.
Mark Millar sets the stage to conclude this inaugural story arc (or series?) with the next issue. How much more can the characters take and keep going? We are pushing the limit here, but Kick-Ass is a fun comic fan fantasy, as long as you can stomach the violence. As Kick-Ass plans his revenge for next issue, I’m looking forward to it. I just hope it comes out on time.
4 out of 5
This issue is another excellent installment in one of Marvel’s most original and consistently good titles. This book continues to satisfy.
After a one-issue break from this story, author Swierczynski returns us to Hell with Danny and other immortal weapons. Their escape plan begins to take shape plan as Danny is forced to face off against the original Iron Fist. The back-story provided in this issue is a great read. Often authors will throw characters into sweeping epics without sufficiently providing enough details and nuances to make the worlds believable. Swierczynski does a fantastic job as he creates a creepy world and deep characters. While the back-story is great, it’s more compelling than the main story.
Penciler Travel Foreman is the real star of Iron Fist. His creative layouts along with his sharp images make for a thing of beauty. These are gorgeous pages to admire, regardless of Iron First’s impressive story.
A title with a talented author and a top notch artist earns its place on my pull list. I’m looking forward to the story’s conclusion next issue. I also am excited about where we’ll go next.
4 out of 5
