Well, the full title is Kick Ass 2 Prelude: Hit-Girl (2012), the second in the series of graphic novels by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.  

Hit-Girl is in the title since she—Mindy McCready—is the focus here: the young hero who calls himself Kick Ass takes a back seat.  And, no doubt about it, when I picked THIS up, I selected one hyperviolent, foul-mouthed publication; and the savage blowing-away of criminals is allied with a strong libertarian-conservative (both) outlook and anger.  When Dave, a.k.a. Kick Ass, unironically exhorts Mindy to watch TV shows about celebrities instead of Fox News—the better to get her to fit in with her peers—Mindy replies, “So how do I keep tabs on Obama and our record f–king deficit?”

There is nothing wonderful about the plot, but nothing wrong with the gutsy artwork either.  The book cover for Kick Ass 2 says it is “now a major motion picture” but, no, most of what appears here never made it to the screen.  It’s rougher and more felt than what’s in the adaptations.

Kick-Ass 2

Kick-Ass 2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)