Hit Girl Comics Review: Utter Mayhem

Firstly, Mark Millar seems to be some sort of twisted genius. If the dark undertones of Kick Ass, entwined with the sharp gutter humour and eyeball exploding violence are anything to go by, this should be evident. But it could have been a one hit wonder, a stab in the dark that produced something both unique and fantastic. Then there was Kick Ass 2, and it was every bit as good as the first comic series. We were pulled again into the lives of Kick Ass and Hit Girl as they take matters into their own hands, and slice a few hands off at the same time. The recently released Hit Girl comics bridge the gap between Kick Ass and Kick Ass 2 and are every bit as rewarding as the series they have spun off. In one word; Hit Girl is AWESOME.

But if you are inclined towards more words, follow me under the jump.

Hit Girl centres around Mindy McCready’s new found ‘normalcy’. After the events of Kick Ass, she is living with her fragile mother and her adoptive cop step dad. Trying to fit in isn’t proving as easy as stringing up mafia men. Mindy has trouble letting the crime fighting life go and desperately misses her dad, whom she is now convinced taught her the real lessons she needed to succeed in life.

Resuming her post as Hit Girl, under cover of darkness and with the help of some pharmaceuticals slipped into wine and coffee, Mindy starts training Kick Ass and putting together both a plan to squash the new mafia leader and develop their own super team.

I said before, Mark Millar is a genius. I don’t really have words to describe what happens in this new comic series except to say that there is utter chaos and mayhem in every instalment. The violence is absurd in its creativity (after all, isn’t that how Big Daddy rolled?), the black humour and well crafted one liners make you laugh out loud while wanting to throw up at the same time. Mindy’s attempts to fit in with the cool crowd at school are just as hysterical and terrifying as her encounters with muscled bodyguards and her memories of training with her dad.

John Romita Jr. definitely gets a shout out for his spectacular art. No one else could convey both the supreme violence and the comic book qualities of Kick Ass & Hit Girl like he can.

Nothing about the Kick Ass series is for children or even for the faint of heart, but if you fall into neither of those categories, then it’s definitely worth picking up and discovering for yourself what Mindy gets up to, how Chris becomes and super villain and what comes before Kick Ass 2.