Teen-hero month: Kick-Ass.

I don't like Kick-Ass.

I get what you all see in this series, but it's just not for me.

If you don't know about possibly the most over-hyped series of our time, here is the skinny:

Dave is just a regular guy who likes comic-books. He and his life is pretty boring. So one day, Dave decides to do something about his pretty meaningless existence and becomes the world's first real life superhero.

... AAAAAAND then gets his ass handed to him on his very first patrol.

He manage to get better after his sever beating, and is a lot more successful on his second attempt at being a hero. His fight against a bunch of muggers gets filmed on a phone, uploaded on YouTube, and BAM!: he is a superstar.

But being a superhero is FAR from being as great as it sounds, and Dave finds himself surrounded by violence, the mafia, and insane people in spandex.

Sounds great, right? I disagree.

The first thing that bothers me is that this is suppose to be the great "what if superheroes really exist" book. But let's be honest here, folks; it's been done before. Like Watchmen or Blankman. It's not a revolutionary idea the comic presents to us. Not to mention that the real-life superheroes existed YEARS before the comic was published.

Another thing is that this book feels like it's been written by a teenager. I'm not implying that Mark Millar is a bad writer, not at all. In fact, he wrote my favorite Spider-Man comic. But sometimes, it feels like he is having too good a time writing unnecessarily dark and mean-spirited stories. There is nothing smart or well-thought about this comic. It's very loud, very bloody, depends on it's over-dimensional violence to sell, and is pretty much the equivalent of an action-flick movie.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing. I prefer a smarter story. I'm not saying that Watchmen is a better comic than Kick-Ass. They are two different stories to different kinds of readers. Saying that Watchmen is better than Kick-Ass is like saying that coffee is better than carrots. The two things are very different, has nothing in common, and should not be compared.

But I do have ONE major issue with the series;

Kick-Ass a fetish book.

Dave is lumped upon in every way possible(mentally, emotionally and physically). All for the reader's entertainment. We're "OK" with that because he's clearly a disturbed figure that needs the thumping to get by. This is the "choice" he makes. It's similar to why some like Jackass(notice that both ends with "ass") or extreme reality TV. Because the person who is suffering is asking for it, it's funny. And to be fair, comedy is about seeing the entertaining in misery(we all grew up with Tom and Jerry), but there IS a line. Kick-Ass does not simply cross that line, it also walks back to the line and urinate on it in front of children. And if only it actually WAS funny, then it MIGHT have been okay. But it's not, it's just uncomfortable to read.

But I actually like the movie. I think it embrace the fact that it's a silly story and actually allows it to be a dark comedy. Not a perfect movie, but better than it's comic counterpart. And to be fair, I DID enjoy the Kick-Ass 2 comic, which evolves the idea of what the superhero subculture could be like(but ends up with a final showdown full of plot-holes and lazy writing).

My advice; skip the comic and watch the movie instead. It's actually funny and has stuff like jet-packs.

That's all for now. Next time, I will talk about the N52 Batgirl series. And you are NOT going to like what I have to say about the wheelchair-less Barbara Gordon.

I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.