Hit Girl – Issue #01

Art by John Romita Jr

Written by Mark Millar

Damn. I love anything from these guys. Millar and Romita Jr take us back into the hilarious and insanely violent and vulgar “Kick Ass” Universe with the incredible spin off  called simply: Hit Girl. It’s a prep – lead in story that takes place between Kick Ass and Kick Ass 2.

The focus here is primarily on Mindy McCready (aka Hit Girl) and her home and school life where she endures bullying, isolation and the rigid and brutal social caste. She clearly does not fit in and it is very clear that she misses her father, danger and the action that took place in Kick Ass Volume #1. She does try her best to please everyone and avoid being some kind of social pariah.

Her stepfather for example is a Cop and wants her to be “normal” and “fit in.” Millar takes us into Mindy’s emotions and her mind in a refreshing story that is smart, fast and full of some very hip dialog. We go behind Hit Girl’s passions and what makes her tick. Her enemies are not costumed freaks that want to be evil but regular folks like her classmates and peers in school.

Dave is kind of an afterthought though as she eventually drafts him to train harder and faster. Here the comic excels with brutal panels and great dialog accented by Romita’s so tried and true artwork. I really enjoyed it but I wished it had been done in some type of order. Reading all of this now between KA and KA2 feels a bit disorienting but I’m just nitpicking here. It is a great Intro Issue into the life of Hit Girl and her life with and without Dave and his costumed cronies. A Recommended Read!

Hit Girl – Issue #02

We get more of the same with Issue #02 as Mindy gets Dave to agree to some hard and furious training in order to take down some mob guys. Only glitch is that Mindy has to sneak out of the house at night to train Dave which entails him having to crash through some large pane glass windows in order to make a grand and memorable entrance. During this we get to watch Mindy as Hit Girl hit a fever pitch as she curses, yells and belittles Dave during his attempts.

The back story involves Red Mist gathering some manpower for his gang as he proves that he is still a very crazy, twisted and rotten individual. Mindy, also, need to fit in and asks for Dave’s help in that department as a trade – off for his training exercises . I enjoyed Issue#02 just as much as the first and I can’t wait to see how it progresses. As I write this, my copy of Issue #03 should be waiting for me…oh yeah. More action and mayhem from Millar and Romita Jr. is always welcome!