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fakenietzsche's review against another edition
4.0
After seeing the movie, I decided to pick up the original source material and see how it holds up in comparison. Now, I'm normally not a Mark Millar fan. I found Ultimates to be tedious; too much over-the-top, look-how-clever-I-am dialogue, a real smug sense of its own coolness. I read the first issue of Wanted and thought the same. The only thing I've ever really liked of his was Superman: Red Son, which was entertaining, restrained, and thoughtful in a way his work almost never is. But, I really enjoyed the movie version of Kick-Ass, so I thought, maybe the book will be good too?
Well, it's pretty good. Compared to the movie, it is far more cynical, in particular about the whole wish-fulfillment aspect of being a super-hero. The ending for our "hero" Dave is not nearly as cheery in the print version, and Big Daddy & Hit Girl (the former especially) are way more disturbed and psychotic. In part, I liked this, but then again, Nic Cage's performance as Big Daddy was so great that any major deviations in his personality seem like negatives. While the bleaker tone of the book (which is still an ultra-violent comedy, mind you) detracts from some of the fun, it is more... realistic, maybe?
One thing that the movie has way ahead of the book is its overall crafting. The film was tightly written with a strong story -- everything fit into place. The book meanders quite a bit, with a lot of wasted material. This is partially just the nature of the media: in a book, even a comic book, you can go off on tangents, while in a movie everything has to fit together nicely. Even so, the characters and their relationships were a lot stronger in the film. What the film also had over the movie -- and again, this is one of the strengths of the medium -- was the repeated trope of watching through different lenses. The book stays on one level, which flattens out the experience a bit, while the film smartly moves among different levels of reality (from the story into the comic book, from the footage of a security camera out into the viewers' space, etc). The movie, then, was far more effective in playing up the experience of consuming media, which, after all, is what the story is all about.
I'd definitely recommend it for comics fans and fans of the movie, but it isn't earth-shattering. 3.5 stars
Well, it's pretty good. Compared to the movie, it is far more cynical, in particular about the whole wish-fulfillment aspect of being a super-hero. The ending for our "hero" Dave is not nearly as cheery in the print version, and Big Daddy & Hit Girl (the former especially) are way more disturbed and psychotic. In part, I liked this, but then again, Nic Cage's performance as Big Daddy was so great that any major deviations in his personality seem like negatives. While the bleaker tone of the book (which is still an ultra-violent comedy, mind you) detracts from some of the fun, it is more... realistic, maybe?
One thing that the movie has way ahead of the book is its overall crafting. The film was tightly written with a strong story -- everything fit into place. The book meanders quite a bit, with a lot of wasted material. This is partially just the nature of the media: in a book, even a comic book, you can go off on tangents, while in a movie everything has to fit together nicely. Even so, the characters and their relationships were a lot stronger in the film. What the film also had over the movie -- and again, this is one of the strengths of the medium -- was the repeated trope of watching through different lenses. The book stays on one level, which flattens out the experience a bit, while the film smartly moves among different levels of reality (from the story into the comic book, from the footage of a security camera out into the viewers' space, etc). The movie, then, was far more effective in playing up the experience of consuming media, which, after all, is what the story is all about.
I'd definitely recommend it for comics fans and fans of the movie, but it isn't earth-shattering. 3.5 stars
ed_correa's review against another edition
4.0
Un par de giros narrativos muy buenos en una historia entretenida y rebelde. Eso siempre es algo bueno de esperar de parte de Mark Millar. El arte de Joh Romita Jr., lejos de los superhéroes tradicionales es hermoso y el color resalta demasiado cada detalle.
marcele's review against another edition
4.0
It's great when something surpass my expectations! I was expecting a stupid and silly comic, got one that is gritty, sometimes even gruesome, but also funny and mundanely teen. Hit-Girl is equally amazing and disturbing, and because of it, one of the best parts of the comic.
angieromina's review against another edition
5.0
¡Excelente! Increíble relectura de este cómic, me ha encantado nuevamente y la experiencia de leerlo esta vez en papel ha sido maravillosa.
Campaña #Voyalabiblioteca
Campaña #Voyalabiblioteca
vang_glorious's review against another edition
3.0
Turns out the movie was pretty faithful to the book. So if you saw the movie, you don't need to read the comic.
The movie was better anyway--and not just because of Nic Cage.
The movie was better anyway--and not just because of Nic Cage.
lasbulle's review against another edition
5.0
En väldigt fin serie om en pojke som försöker bli en superhjälte i dagens samhälle, i det verkliga livet. Toppenfina bilder och roliga referenser till vår egen vardag. Gillade den mycket och längtar tills jag får läsa tvåan.