Kick-Ass 2 Prelude: Hit-Girl

Just in time to read it before Kick-Ass 2 opens at the cinema, my copy of Kick-Ass 2 Prelude: Hit-Girl arrived. As the name suggests, this 5 part mini-series focuses on Hit-Girl's exploits in between the two full Kick-Ass editions. Kick-Ass takes the side-kick role here; learning the ropes from the 12 year old super crime fighting machine in the aftermath of his origin story.

Mindy McCready is now living with Marcus; her father's old partner, promising to put her costume hero days behind her, she sneaks out at night to finish the job her father started - destroying the Genovese crime family for good. Now being run from Ryker's Island, there are plenty of mobster to put to the sword before she can put the cape away and become a normal girl. Kick-Ass conveniently gets himself injured on their first outing, which serves the story in terms of keeping the focus on Hit-Girl's personal war.

Action packed and as violent as you'd expect from a Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. special, however the focus on Hit-Girl, who is the most interesting character in the whole franchise actually gives this story more depth that the other two installments. Hit-Girl must find a balance between the vengeance she seeks for her father and the fact that her superhero exploits are hurting her foster parents. Most interesting, she must also - for the first time in her life - face the fact that she is an 12 year old girl.