Aug
22
The comic book series “Kick-Ass” debuted earlier this year. It’s not quite monthly. I think Marvel’s only put out three issues to date, not counting variants and reprints. But the title, written by Mark Millar and pencilled by John Romita Jr., has already attracted the interest of Hollywood. Director Matthew Vaughn is quickly assembling a cast and going hat-in-hand to independent financiers.
“Kick-Ass” is a mature readers book about a high school pariah (think Peter Parker before the radioactive spider-bite) who becomes a superhero, albeit one with no super-powers. He gets his ass handed to him in his very first battle. After a lengthy hospital stay, not mention some therapy, he takes up his mantle again and gets into another scrape. But he wins this one. His victory is captured on someone’s camera-phone, and he quickly becomes a YouTube sensation.
Mark Millar is aces at filtering comic book conventions through of-the-moment cultural trends. “Kick-Ass” is a great read. That being said, I’m not quite sure if it’s earned a movie deal quite yet. The first storyarc isn’t even over; Millar’s “Wanted” totally fell apart in its final issue. The first issue of “Kick-Ass” begins in medias res, as he’s being tortured — with the interrogations having attached a car battery attached to his man-parts! — before launching into a flashback. I’d like to see how everything comes together, so I can complain if the movie totally gets it wrong.
The casting of Nicolas Cage as a character in the film, according to Reuters, gives me hope. He’s been orbiting comic book roles for years. He was up for Iron Man in the ’90s before he chased the part of Superman in Tim Burton’s non-starter. Ultimately, he played Johnny Blaze in last year’s “Ghost Rider.” I’d like him to have another go at the genre. Of course, I’m the one and only person, apart from Cage himself, who wanted to see him play Supes. I’ve been a fan of Cage for years, not enough of a fan to have seen “Wicker Man” or “Next,” but I will be attending “Bangkok Dangerous” on opening day. It looks kick-ass.
-Brad Lohan
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