A completely new character is taking up the role of Kick-Ass to carry forward the legacy of the popular young hero.
2018 is full of brand new superhero projects, whether it be DC, Marvel, and everything in between taking long heavy strides to impact streaming services and theaters in every way they can, it’s important to remember where these characters came from. The source material in comics has been seeing all sorts of shake-ups in crazy ways, one of which stands out is Mark Millar’s hit series Kick-Ass, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary next year. The original series grew a fandom all across the globe before making two theatrical films and a variety of merchandise and games. Now, 10 years after Dave Lizewski stole our hearts, the franchise is getting a fresh start with a new female lead.
During an interview with EW, Millar went on to explain the reasoning behind the new reboot.
“When we sold Millarworld to Netflix, two properties weren’t part of the deal. Kingsman and Kick-Ass both had unique arrangements with Matthew Vaughn and it made sense for these to continue, so in the year or so where we were preparing the sale I came up with this great idea for a whole new take on Kick-Ass. The entire story was all completely written in that year and it’s a monthly book, launching in February for the title’s 10th anniversary. It’s crazy to think that in the 10 years since it was created, Kick-Ass has spawned two Hollywood movies, video-games, toys, key-rings, PEZ dispensers, and even an upcoming board game. So the idea of it lying dormant was just insane and to be honest it’s the most fun I’ve ever had writing anything. I really love that world.”
The new Kick-Ass franchise seems to be more of a spinoff/sequel of sorts where Dave Lizewski has passed the role over to a military vet and mother, Patience Lee. Mark Millar, the creator behind of these characters, has described his passion for Patience Lee as someone he is very proud of creating.
“I don’t think I’ve ever created a better [character]. I love mom heroes. I did it in Empress and I’ve done it again here… The original four volumes of Kick-Ass, the Dave Lizewski story, got tied up a couple of years ago and this is a brand new character. I’d always wanted to do what Doctor Who or The Flash does and create a legacy character, Kick-Ass being designed for that. The idea is that he inspires other people to do what he did, just putting on a costume and cleaning up their neighborhood, and that’s what happens here. I wanted to shake up the setting a little and shifted the whole thing to New Mexico. The lead is a woman this time, a mother in her early 30s with two young kids. She’s also a military vet who came home to find her life in a completely different setting from the way it was when she went to Afghanistan so the actual dynamic of the book is really different, but at the same time the flavor is identical.”
The superb art direction behind the original Kick-Ass series is also returning, with artist John Romita Jr. coming back to build on to the stunning visuals of a world that has already proven to be full of life with the vision Romita Jr. has done over the years. Millar stated that he and Romita Jr. “missed each other so much” and the two are happy to be working together once again.
“I’d honestly missed his daily insults and pages and just his little Italian face. I love him. We did Kick-Ass right after a Wolverine run back at Marvel and just love working together. Getting him back [at DC] after his big run was just the most incredible coup. We’re really proud of this book and have a lot of big plans for the launch ten years on from the very day when we released this little very simple superhero idea absolutely nobody knew what to expect of.”
EW’s exclusive coverage and interview on the subject with Millar also afforded them a sneak peek into what we can expect with the new Kick-Ass reboot. What you see below is a small snippet of a much larger issue, but you can tall the dark tone and bright colors and unique Romita Jr. art style return in the same vein as its predecessor. If you aren’t a fan of reboots or sequels, then I would suspect a large verbal outcry in that regard, but as a huge Kick-Ass fan myself, I can tell you right here and now that this looks and sounds awesome. Plus, it’s better to have more Kick-Ass than no Kick-Ass at all.
The fresh new Kick-Ass reboot is set to begin its run starting this February 14, 2018.
