Kick-Ass 2

[runawayboulder]

I got tired of the constant lateness and the first few issues were really boring.

 

[Drz]

I'm used to Millar having rape in books that deal with super villains and so forth, and it's an M rated comic book. It just makes sense for gang wars to have casualties like this, so i don't understand why people are reading a comic book, you can't even use the escapism argument because the idea of the book is to show what real life heroes would be like, this isn't escapism at all.

 

[Red Mask]

I'm going to have to check this out later. But now I wonder if Kick Ass 2 has now gone to the level of "The Boys" in graphic violence.

 

[runawayboulder]

Kick-Ass is nowhere near as violent and graphic as The Boys.

 

[DACrowe]

Did you read the last issue? Because (SPOILERS) Red Mist shot four or five children in the face, shot up a suburb and gang-raped a teenage girl (Katie).

It was done in a way that I didn't think it was a piece of shock **** (like Millar's own Nemesis), because it did serve this story and move the plot forward in a dramatic way (finally)....but it was grotesquely excessive and over-the-top is my point.

 

[runawayboulder]

Did you read the last issue? Because (SPOILERS) Red Mist shot four or five children in the face, shot up a suburb and gang-raped a teenage girl (Katie).

It was done in a way that I didn't think it was a piece of shock **** (like Millar's own Nemesis), because it did serve this story and move the plot forward in a dramatic way (finally)....but it was grotesquely excessive and over-the-top is my point.

Have you read any issue of The Boys? I thumbed through KA #4 and saw it and I've seen heavier stuff in The Boys.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

So was I the only one who picked up KA2 #4 today?

I thought it was actually surprisingly good overall. The last two chapters had been extremely lackluster and kind of dull, IMO. I still think between the two of them could have been one issue that was just padded to fill out an 8-issue run. But now the storyline is finally moving and the wheels are turning. The complete delusion of Dave and his team meeting in a diner is hilarious and contrasted with the complete evilness of Red Mist.

Last month did I say that Millar's Red Mist is an irredeemable, unlikable *****ebag? Well, this month he goes way further than that and starts crossing that line into "Nemesis" territory. His awful killing spree that began with children in Queens with biting pop culture-satirizing lines was horrific, but Millar's tone gets away with it, but when they reach Katie's house and [blackout]gang rape[/blackout] her, Millar crossed that line from the bad taste he loves playing in to being just repulsively awful.

Still, overall the book had the plot move and for the first time since the first issue, Kick-Ass 2's had a cliffhanger where I actually didn't want it to end and cannot wait until the next issue....which won't be until November--and that's if it's on time! Given #4 was on-time, I find that unlikely.

Lastly though, Mindy's monologue about Red Mist and his crew was hilarious.

P.S. The issue ends with hinting that Kick-Ass 2 (the movie) is happening! I get online and see Millar in an interview said it may happen (which means it probably won't) but it will happen without Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman....the creative energy that made the first movie so fun. What a letdown, in my opinion.

I just picked it up and I agree with your assessment. It was a page-turner for me and I hated to see it end. Can't wait for the next issue.

Still holding out hope for a KA2 movie....but it probably won't follow this storyline. (I doubt Red Mist will be that evil) And as you say, if Vaughn and Goldman aren't involved, that's scary.

 

[kguillou]

I dunno, to me it seems like Millar is slowly entering that "frank miller" era of his career where he's starting to phone it in and just go bats*** crazy. My jaw dropped when i read this issue but not for the right reasons. I mean this was just excessive, real excessive. I mean there's a right way to do disturbing scenes like this (for example in Watchmen when The Comedian killed that pregnant girl) and the wrong way which this issue displayed. Kick Ass 2 has been very underwhelming for me.

 

[Drz]

Why are so many people shocked by the rape? It's not the first comic book rape he's written and will definately not be the last, especially considering Supercrooks is a villain centric book for crying out loud.

 

[runawayboulder]

Kguillou thoughts brings me back to the comparison between Kick Ass and The Boys. I felt the almost same way with the scene in Kick Ass #4 that it was shocking just for the sake of being shocking. The murder of Big Daddy in KA1 was more of a jaw dropping moment.

The end of this months issue of The Boys, #59, was one of the more creepy endings I've seen in any story in a while. Butcher, previously in the book's run, has part brawler with a side of con artist/manipulator. This time around he was methodical and outright scary.

 

[Spider-Man '92]

Have you read any issue of The Boys? I thumbed through KA #4 and saw it and I've seen heavier stuff in The Boys.

He wasn't implying that KA has greater violence, just that the extremes it suddenly jumped to made a turn in the story. I know that KA has violence that doesn't compare to others, but this is pretty moving compared to what we've had so far, and it's definitely setting up for a great conclusion in my opinion.

 

[Red Mask]

Why are so many people shocked by the rape? It's not the first comic book rape he's written and will definately not be the last, especially considering Supercrooks is a villain centric book for crying out loud.

I was just shocked. Period. Miller is definitely writing Mofo as the most despicable character to date. But as for the rape - and killing kids - those are tactics used in some wars these days. This is the type of escalation everybody should fear in a conflict.

 

[vincentomoh]

I'm surprised that we haven't seen Carl yet. Is she going to think that Carl was Kick-Ass?

 

[Thundarr]

Just read #4, and I just gotta say "Wow". The violence was pretty extreme, but that was pretty much par for the course in KA comics. After reading all of your comments about the rape, I was expecting much more than what was actually printed.

In one pannel, Mofo unzips his pants and says "Now you'll learn what evil c**k tastes like." Then there's two whole pages of Mother Russia gunning down cops like they're untrained civilians with pellet guns. Then there's a second panel of the two other members of Mofo's gang zipping up their pants. That's it, the whole rape scene.

Disturbing? Sure. Graphic and over the top? I don't think so. I've seen worse in the Friday The 13th comics. The way you guys were describing it, I thought it was going to be a hard Rated R/NC-17 type of imagery.

So is it the subject matter (rape) which you find so over the top? Or the manner in which it was presented? Because to me, the manner in which it was presented is the perfect way in which to present such disturbing subject matter. Especially if you don't want the rating of the comic to go any higher than "Mature".

 

[Thundarr]

Has issue #5 been released yet?

 

[Spider-Man '92]

Nope, it was supposed to come out earlier this month when last I checked. Any week now.

 

[Spider-Man '92]

Correction, it's coming out next week.

 

[cthulhu]

Kick Ass 2: the movie is just about to be announced... http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/10...ut-to-be-announced-and-more-from-millarworld/

 

[Thundarr]

Kick Ass 2: the movie is just about to be announced... http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/10...ut-to-be-announced-and-more-from-millarworld/

Already read that interview in the Marvel Films board. Most people on SHH who have read it seem to think it's a bunch of bull. I, for one, will remain cautiously optimistic (IE: I hope it happens, but won't be surprised if it doesn't).

 

[Thundarr]

Kick-Ass 2, Issue #5 IS IN STORES NOW!!!

Just read it earlier today. Starts off kinda slow, but picks up about midway through. Pretty much at the point where

Spoiler

Dave's dad get's killed, things really heat up.

Then at the end,

Spoiler

when Mother-F**ker has his men attack Mr. Lizewski's funeral, pissing off Hit Girl

, things really get good.

I'm looking forward to more.

 

[Thundarr]

Bump, 'cause I like this series.

 

[Thundarr]

 

[DACrowe]

Well I finally read this issue (I was highly anticipating it, but when it missed its original release date of 11/09, I honestly forgot about it until this week).

I liked it. Surprisingly emotional and sentimental for Mark Millar and while I'm not about to call the man Neil Gaiman in terms of writing deep characters and strong relations, it was effective for this story. It was kind of nice to have all the violence and carnage (that I do think went too far) of issue 4 to be grounded in the aftermath of this issue with what happened to poor Dave's dad dying.

But boy was that cover misleading. I predicted that Hit-Girl would only return on the final page, but I was really, really hoping for an epic return. Something that would have left us wanting more--as this did--but satisfied the expectation of a triumphant, kicking-ass return. Instead we got (another) teaser.

Still, the funeral scene was well done and it all left me wanting more. Supposedly Issue 6 comes out at the end of this month. I'll eat my hat if that actually happens.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

This most recent issue was wild!

 

[GammaAzazel]

I honestly thought this was the best issue out of all of the series so far...Every page I read made me want to keep going. I mean...Dave just keeps getting lower and lower. They keep kicking him down further and further. I'm glad to see hit-girl is back and I'm really wanting to know where it goes from here.