Kick Ass vs Hit Girl #2 is published by Image Comics, written by Steve Niles, art by Marcelo Frusin, colors by Sunny Gho, and letters by John Workman. With Hit Girl arriving in town, things are going to get bloody quick. Meanwhile, Kick Ass is looking to clean house as she begins to go after those who are betraying her. It’s only a matter of time before these two inevitably clash.
We reap what we sow. That’s the age-old adage. And while, like most old sayings, it’s not 100% accurate, it gets it right enough to feel real. So perhaps the criminals of Albuquerque shouldn’t be shocked when Hit Girl arrives doing what she does best. Unfortunately for them, they aren’t even the real targets. They’re just something to smoke their boss out so the real game can begin.
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Just as the series’ open focused largely on Kick Ass, this issue spends most of its time on Hit Girl. Wasting no time, Hit Girl immediately starts collecting information on the whereabouts of Kick Ass in the most brutal way possible. As it turns out, nobody knows much about the crime boss, and Hit Girl can gather little more than a rising body count from her first attempts.
Meanwhile, Kick Ass is preparing to do a little house cleaning as she prepares to confront her employees who have set their sights on what’s rightfully hers. However, when she follows some of them to orchestrate this confrontation, she is greeted by a surprise visitor.
Kick Ass vs Hit Girl #2 is light on anything outside of violence. Beyond a brief moment where we see Kick Ass in her civilian life, the entirety of this issue is devoted to the splatter of blood. While this isn’t bad in itself, the violence perpetrated in this story is fairly unimaginative and bland. With copious amounts of blood flying, it feels like these sequences don’t really serve any purpose beyond reaffirming a room full of goons with guns can’t get a single shot off when confronted with a lone assailant.
The art does its best to get the most mileage out of this story. With blood and bullets flying everywhere, artist Frusin does a solid job of capturing the moments. However hard the art might try, though, it can’t breathe excitement into what inevitably ends up being one-sided brawls. In this book’s couple of confrontations, there is never any doubt that Hit Girl will be the only one walking away from the fights. This further drains the moments of any impact, try as the visuals might to deliver some.
The colors here further help to breathe some intensity into the story. Colorist Gho’s use of muzzle flair to really light up panels gives an added punch to the weapons used throughout the story. Contrasted by the dark setting these fights take place in, this lighting approach really catches the eyes.
Rounding out the visual presentation is Workman’s lettering. The letters provide a clear delivery of the book’s story, allowing the reader to easily follow what little story there is.
When all is said and done, Kick-Ass vs Hit-Girl #2 delivers a story that is light on narrative and heavy on violence. If these violent moments had more weight or creativity to them, this might have been adequate. As it is, this shallow story feels like simple violence for the sake of it.
Kick Ass vs Hit Girl #2 is available wherever comics are sold.
Kick Ass vs Hit Girl #2
TL;DR
When all is said and done, Kick-Ass vs Hit-Girl #2 delivers a story that is light on narrative and heavy on violence. If these violent moments had more weight or creativity to them, this might have been adequate. As it is, this shallow story feels like simple violence for the sake of it.
