We criticised Kick-Ass 2 for being more of the same. Where the original comic ploughed a new path, Kick-Ass 2 retrod the same one.
Hit Girl, which sits between the two books in terms of continuity (which, it has to be said, is a little confusing) is a stronger book than Kick-Ass 2 because it adds depth to Hit Girl, one of the characters that made the first book so unique. Hit Girl is a twelve-year-old with a serious attitude. Trained from an early age to take mayhem and murder back to those who dish it out, she’s probably the most amusingly chilling anti-hero you’ll find in comics.
She doesn’t have Big Daddy by her side any more, and has to sneak around her policeman step-father. He doesn’t approve of vigilantism at the best of times, but least of all when it’s being performed by little girls who are supposed to be in his care. At the same time she’s struggling to fit in to high school, having failed to spend the prerequisite amount of time researching celebrities and fashion to get along with the popular girls.
However, when the outside world breaks in to Hit Girl’s new family and threatens to destroy everything they’ve got, Hit Girl has no choice but to get out there and crack a few skulls, sever a few heads and let loose a storm of bullets.
It’s an entertaining, violent romp through Hit Girl’s chaotic life. Millar has toned down the language she uses but the violence is as full-on as ever. Romita Jnr’s art is spot-on, capturing the juxtaposition of innocent child with crazed killing machine.
Overall it’s an enjoyable book, particularly for Kick-Ass fans. But while it’s better than the sequel, it still doesn’t quite recreate the thrill of reading the first book for the first time.