The aftermath of big superhero stories where we see characters punished for their actions is happening a lot lately Cyclops going to prison in AVX: Consequences, Loki imprisoned in Thor: The Dark World and then getting punched in the face by Jane Foster for New York - and now Chris Genovese aka Red Mist aka The Motherf**ker for the many atrocities he committed in Kick Ass 2. Holed up in hospital recovering from the beating Kick Ass gave him, Chris is facing lengthy jail time until his Uncle Rocco from Sicily shows up to help run the Genovese crime syndicate in America and get his nephew out of dodge. But Chris mother, Angie, is finding it hard to live in a city where everyone knows shes the mother of the Antichrist with the guilt of his many murders forcing her towards one inescapable conclusion her son must pay with his life. Meanwhile, Kick Ass comes up with a Bat-tastic plan to take on the regrouping Genovese mob with his team of reluctant superheroes, Justice Forever. Keeping in tone with the spirit of the series, this excellent second issue continues to explore superhero ideas in a real world context. If the Joker was real and wounded in hospital, he would be targeted by hitmen hired by victims families and friends looking for revenge. His life, if he ever got released back in to civilised society, would be short-lived as lynch mobs would hunt him down and police would cheerfully look the other way. Then imagine if you were the mother of the Joker how could you reconcile your sons actions in your mind? While the comic looks at the consequences of supervillain actions, it also examines the results of superheroism. The comic opens with Kick Ass getting mugged once again, his fathers watch stolen. This scene shows us that, despite everything thats happened, Kick Ass and Hit Girl havent made a difference crime is still rife and hes still helpless to stem the tide even with all of the training Hit Girl gave him. And wheres Hit Girl? In prison. So whats the point of being a superhero when its purpose seems pointless and its goal so futile? Not that this is noticed by Kick Ass in any way when he hears of Chris having a party to celebrate his release, he decides to crash it with Justice Forever basing his strategy on the famous scene from Batman: Year One where Batman appears in front of the mob bosses at dinner and gives them the You have eaten well speech! Even though hes still getting beaten up in the streets by nobody thugs, even though comic book tropes dont work in real life, Kick Ass is still putting on the outfit, patrolling the streets. Hes still trying to marshal his increasingly disinterested group, Justice Forever, to fight real crime and hes still going up against the mob. Its inspiring in its way, and shows that Kick Ass shares at least one quality with more successful superheroes like Batman and Superman they never give up. Were also introduced to the main villain of the series, Rocco Genovese aka the Big Bad on the cover, an old one-eyed Italian man from Sicily with a preference for young blonde men (like Dave!) and ice picks. The guy oozes craziness and cruelty in every panel and from the cover alone, covered in blood holding an ice pick and grinning, looks like a terrifying opponent for Kick Ass. The only thing I would critique is the outfit John Romita Jr gives Rocco which is a white suit and hat, which is Mafioso cliché through and through. Its a minor complaint in a comic that otherwise gets everything else right.
Based on the first two issues alone, Kick Ass 3 is turning out to be the best book in this fantastic series. Mark Millars script is full of great subversive ideas, brilliant plot twists and exciting characters while the story feels fresh and original. John Romita Jrs art is as fantastic as ever and showcases an artist at the top of his game. Kick Ass 3 #2 is a superb comic that everyone should be reading right now!
Kick Ass 3 #2 by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr is out now