Kick-Ass 2 (comics)

Kick-Ass 2 is a comic book series by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. It takes place chronologically after the Hit-Girl comic book series. The story follows the main character, Kick-Ass, who is trying to form a team of "real life" superheroes, while concurrently preparing for the arrival of The Red Mist (now known as The Motherfucker) – an enemy character who has been gathering a team of "supervillains" in order to defeat both Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl.

Production

Plans for the sequel to Kick-Ass were in the works when the first mini-series was being written. However, the success of the Kick-Ass movie, plus the popularity of Hit-Girl, led to the decision to expand the plan trilogy of mini-series to include additional volumes.^[1]

Unlike the first mini-series, Kick-Ass 2 was first serialized in Mark Millar's CLiNT magazine.^[2][3] It was later published as a mini-series by Marvel Comics under the "Icon" imprint, as was the first mini-series.

The series, like the first series, was published with massive delays between issues. In spite of it, it was a sales success and the first issue sold out within a week of its publication.^[4]

The series was later reprinted as a hardcover and trade paperback in 2011.

Plot

Following the events of the first Kick-Ass series and the first Hit-Girl series, Kick-Ass is training and fighting crime in New York City. Hit-Girl meanwhile is in a state of forced retirement, having been reunited with her biological mother. Her new step-father Marcus Williams, a former ally of her father Big Daddy, seeks to reintegrate Hit-Girl back into society as a normal girl. Though she continues to train Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl reluctantly obeys her step-father's wish for her to have a normal life.

Kick-Ass eventually joins 'Justice Forever', a superhero team of which his friends Marty and later Todd are members. Led by the repentant born-again Christian "Colonel Stars", the group launch a campaign against the local crime families of the city. Behind the scenes, the Red Mist (now using the code name "The Motherfucker") has begun recruiting his own group of villains using social media and his father's wealth. Together, the group (known as "The Toxic Mega-Cunts") brutally murder Colonel Stars by cutting off his head, inserting his dog's head on his body, and then launching a full-on assault upon the suburban neighborhood where Katie Deauxma (Kick-Ass's unrequited crush) lives. Nearly a hundred innocent children, police officers, and Katie's father are sadistically killed by The Motherfucker and his henchmen, who then take turns gang raping Katie.

The massacre leads the police (led by Detective Vic Gigante, who secretly works for The Motherfucker as a mob informant) to scapegoat the super-heroes for the deaths. All known heroes are rounded up and put into police custody, including the members of Justice Forever. Kick-Ass avoids arrest due to his father, who discovers his son's super-hero alter-ego, much to his horror. Despite his disapproval, Kick-Ass's father turns himself into the authorities to save his son from arrest. Shortly after, he is attacked by mob henchmen of the Motherfucker, who kill him as part of the villain's campaign to torment his rival. The Motherfucker then attacks the funeral, detonating a bomb in Kick-Ass's father's coffin and has gunmen open fire upon the crowd of mourners, including Hit-Girl and her family. In response, Hit-Girl springs into action to kill the henchmen who kidnap Kick-Ass in the confusion.

Now out of retirement and desiring revenge, Hit-Girl joins Kick-Ass as they raid The Motherfucker's lair and finds out that the villain plans a second massacre in Times Square. Blowing up every single comic shop in New York (along with Kick-Ass's apartment), the Motherfucker seeks to create a distraction to ensure the police will not be around to keep the Motherfucker and his group from slaughtering every living soul in Times Square. Using social media, Kick-Ass alerts all of the heroes still free to meet with him in Times Square to fight the Motherfucker's minions. Meanwhile, Hit-Girl alerts her step-father of the plot to distract the police with the bombings, so they can help the heroes fight them.

In Times Square, the Motherfucker starts his killing spree, only to be stopped by the army of heroes backing Kick-Ass. While Hit-Girl kills Motherfucker's bodyguard "Mother Russia", the police arrive. Unable to tell the heroes from members of the Motherfucker's group, they proceed to arrest all the remaining masked combatants, allowing Motherfucker to escape. Kick-Ass chases after him and after a rooftop fight, Motherfucker falls to the ground mortally wounded. Reluctantly, Kick-Ass summons help but gets accused of attempting to kill his rival. Hit-Girl spirits him away and the rescuers only see the young heroine, who is promptly blamed for the crime.

Once Kick-Ass is safe, Hit-Girl steals a police car in order to escape, but Gigante stands in the vehicle's path under the belief that Hit-Girl will never kill a cop. His hunch pays off and Hit-Girl swerves, crashing the vehicle and is arrested. When Marcus tries to come to her aid, he is also arrested by Gigante, when he is baited into revealing that he knew his step-daughter was the infamous Hit-Girl. Hit-Girl is then led away in cuffs, though the crowd of survivors cheers her on for her role in stopping the Motherfucker and his group.

Continuity

Though the second volume of the Kick-Ass series in publication order, chronologically the series is the third volume of the franchise as the Hit-Girl mini-series serves as a bridge between the first and second volume. The Hit-Girl mini-series fills in gaps in the narrative, such as Red Mist's transformation into "The Motherfucker" and Hit-Girl reuniting with her mother and meeting her step-father.

Due to the popularity of the Kick-Ass movie adaptation, elements of the film were incorporated into the series. Marcus Williams, created for the movie, is introduced as Hit-Girl's step-father. Similarly, the relationship between Katie and Kick-Ass is much calmer in the second volume, as Millar aligned the character with her movie counterpart.

Sequels, spinoffs and adaptations

Writer Mark Millar signing copies of the book during an appearance at Midtown Comics in Manhattan.

A Hit-Girl spin-off was announced at the Kapow comicon. The series focuses on Hit-Girl's story between Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2, and looks at how she deals with ordinary life, such as attending high school.^[5] At the end of Kick-Ass 2, Mark Millar indicates that there are two more parts for Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl, and that this will be the last Kick-Ass comic chapter that will end "with a major character's death."

Universal bought the rights to a film adaptation of the comic in May 2012.^[6] Jeff Wadlow was confirmed to direct.^[6] The comic book was adapted by Matthew Vaughn, Jeff Wadlow and John Romita Jr.^[6] Kick-Ass 2 was set to be released June 28, 2013,^[7] but was pushed back to August.

References

External links

• CLiNT magazine at Titan Magazines
• Kick-Ass 2 at Marvel.com