From Mark Millar, the man who brought you ‘Wanted’ and started the Marvel Universe’s Civil War, comes a relatively new series beautifully titled ‘Kick-Ass.’ It is the story of average nobody, Dave Lizewski, who loves comic books a little too much.

He decides to don the mask and costume of a super-hero and fight crime in his neighborhood. But sadly it doesn’t work out as he hopes and not only does he take a beating, get stabbed, and hit by a passing car, but to keep his secret identity safe he must dump his costume and is found buck-naked in the street.

Though, not to be deterred, after months of rehab he goes back out to fight crime and luckily only suffers minor bruises. But hey, if this was a comic about Plain-Jane good and evil then it wouldn’t be a Millar comic.

So because of his heroic beatings, when he goes to school covered in bruises he says he had gotten mugged, high school students, the hateful little beings they are, spread rumors that Dave is actually a gay prostitute.

In the rest of this beginning series Dave becomes an internet sensation, saves a citizen from a vicious beating, and gets saved by a 10-year-old girl who subsequently brutally murders his attackers.

This series has pretty much just started as it’s only on its fourth issue but it its pretty good in the way it distributes its violence, language, and great storyline. It makes you want to root for Dave when he tries with all his might to fight the bad guy but laugh as he goes along with the “gay prostitute” story so he can hang out with his crush.

John Romita Jr., who does the artwork, does a very good job with making the story come to life and have a very real feel to it. With the combo of Millar and Romita Jr. this comic is taken somewhere that isn’t shown a lot. What if a regular, powerless kid went out and decided to fight crime? Would he survive? Would he prevail? Read and find out.