Kick-Ass #5

It would be easy to rave about a comic like Kick-Ass.

After all, it features art by John Romita, Jr., one of the best in the business who's working at the peak of his skills. Here he has the added challenge of working strictly in the real world, so he's forced to add insane amounts of detail - and he does it (seemingly) effortlessly.

He also manages to make the characters look real - not at all like the typical superheroes. Their costumes sag, they have normal builds, and everyone looks distinctly different.

The story is provided by Mark Millar, and there's no arguing with success. He's written some of the best-selling comics in recent years, including The Ultimates, Wanted and Civil War.

He's on something of a "real world" jag lately, both with this comic and with Marvel 1985, though the two titles are completely different in their approach.

And this comic is already a best-seller and, like Wanted, is being made into a feature film.

So it really doesn't matter that, while I love the artwork, the writing on this comic completely leaves me cold.

Here's a recap of the story so far: Dave Lizewski is a teenager who dreams of being a hero, so he creates a costumed identity and is nearly beaten to death in his first encounter with the bad guys (some local hoods). After he recovers, he tries again and by accident actually becomes a hero and a celebrity.

The problem is, the lead character is completely unsympathetic (though he is a bit pathetic) - he's foul-mouthed, a liar and his motives are more related to becoming famous, rather than helping people. When others copy his heroic style, he becomes jealous and bitter.

As a friend once said, I prefer reading stories about heroes who act heroic. You won't find any of that here (except for the police and firemen).

If I was grading for the art alone, I'd give it an "A," but averaging in the writing brings it down a bit.

Grade: C