Two series since the debut of the new Kick-Ass, Patience Lee, the vigilante is set for a collision course with the lethal crimefighter Hit-Girl in a new Image Comics miniseries by Steve Niles and Marcelo Frusin. The opening issue of the miniseries delivers on the bloody thrills that the two characters are best known for; readers that may be looking for a deeper, more nuanced story aren't going to be finding it here. And to Niles and Frusin's credit, that's not really the goal so much as to craft a summer blockbuster type of story, with all killer, no filler.
As Patience grapples with the emotional weight of her recent actions, including killing her brother-in-law, while running her own gang in Albuquerque, New Mexico to combat drug cartels throughout the American Southwest, Mindy Lee continues her one-girl worldwide rampage against crime. As Patience finds herself outnumbered and outgunned in her hometown, Mindy sets her sights on Albuquerque, setting the stage for the two vigilantes to explosively meet for the first time, with any number of guilty bystanders about to be caught in the impending crossfire.
Niles has a strong grasp on both of his protagonists' voices, especially with Patience as he and Frusin had taken the helm from original creators Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. on the main Kick-Ass series since September 2018. The new miniseries feels very much like an extension of that core series, with Patience serving as the main P.O.V. character for this opening issue. While the issue itself provides readers with a clean jumping point for those with only a passing familiarity to the premise and comic book world, no time is really dispensed with establishing who the new person is underneath the iconic green and yellow costume. Niles certainly explains some of the emotional anguish behind Patience but the fuller introduction for newer readers will likely come when the character comes face-to-face with Mindy for the first time.
Frusin, with colorist Sunny Gho, delivers a particularly moody debut issue to the miniseries, with a more meditative Patience setting the tone for the story. There are certainly action sequences delivered with guns blazing, high-octane intensity but the emotional fallout from the main series is the primary focus here. And while the sequences led by Patience tend to be more deliberately paced and contemplative, the sequences following Mindy appropriately bring blood and thunder as the two characters barrel towards one another for a showdown to be remembered, with the art team capturing the freewheeling spirit of the pint-sized vigilante juxtaposed to the inner turmoil and moral grey area experienced by Patience.
Originally scheduled to launch this past summer before pandemic-related delays, Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl really does feel like a summertime blockbuster between two hard-hitting titans. While the opening issue is more interested in setting the scene rather than immediately have its eponymous protagonists duke it out from the opening, there is plenty of requisite action delivered to meet reader expectations and catch their attention. Both a continuation of the main Kick-Ass series by Niles and Frusin and a crossover with the more escapist Hit-Girl line, the five-issue miniseries will thrill fans of Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.'s violent world while those unfamiliar with the world of Patience Lee may want to catch up on the most recent volume to understand the mindset of the new Kick-Ass as she prepares for her confrontation against the younger crimefighter.
