Image via Lionsgate
Published May 29, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT
Growing up in rural Iowa as a reluctant reader, it all changed when he started reading the original Fantastic Four by Lee/Kirby. Now Austin can't stop reading. He has written about comics for Comic Book Yeti and he has also written tons of indie comics, best known for Big Guns Stupid Rednecks.
Originally published in 2008 by Marvel Comics, Kick-Ass, written by Mark Millar with art by John Romita Jr., has inspired two feature films and several limited series centered around Hit-Girl. This August, Image Comics is releasing a Kick-Ass compendium collecting all the Dave Lizewski titles in the series.
Kick-Ass follows Dave Lizewski, a nerdy comic book collector obsessed with superheroes. Existing in a world similar to our own, he wonders why so many people want to be like Paris Hilton, but no one wants to be Spider-Man. He decides to take matters into his own hands by buying a scuba suit online and hitting the streets of New York City as the hero Kick-Ass. On his first outing, he ends up getting stabbed and hit by a car.
Image Comics’ official solicitation shares a great deal of information. “The New York Times bestseller and worldwide phenomenon is back in an all-new compendium! Relive what happens when Dave Lizewski asks himself, ‘How come nobody's ever become a superhero before?’ and makes his teenage superhero daydreams an ass-kicking reality. Dave Lizewski is an ordinary New York City teenager obsessed with superheroes. But one day, he takes the plunge, dons a costume, and begins prowling the streets of his city to protect the innocent. He soon realizes, however, that the danger is far more real than what he reads about in comics… This is the complete collection of all four volumes of the original series, KICK-ASS: THE DAVE LIZEWSKI YEARS, by MARK MILLAR (Civil War, Kingsman) and JOHN ROMITA JR. (Spider-Man, Captain America). Collects KICK-ASS, VOL. 1 #1-8, KICK-ASS, VOL. 2 #1-5, KICK-ASS, VOL. 3 #1-6, and KICK-ASS, VOL. 4 #1-8.”
KICK-ASS Is An Unforgettable Comic Series
After the Dave Lizewski years, Mark Millar handed over fan-favorite Hit-Girl to other creative teams. She traveled around the world in different limited series, battling crime.
Another character would don the Kick-Ass mantle after Dave retired. Paul McQue, and later Patience Lee, would become Kick-Ass. Dave would step out of retirement once in the massive Millarverse crossover Big Game. Big Game featured characters from several of Millar’s popular comics, like Wanted, Nemesis, and The Magic Order.
In 2010, the Kick-Ass movie hit theaters. It starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Dave Lizewski, Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist, and Chloë Grace Moretz as Hit-Girl. It was directed by Matthew Vaughn, who would later go on to direct Kingsman, which was based on another comic written by Mark Millar. The film was successful enough to warrant a sequel.
It is currently unknown if more Kick-Ass comics are on the way. However, the book being reprinted several times over the past 16 years shows the popularity of the series. Millar famously signed a deal with Netflix, and there has been online speculation about a new movie trilogy.
The KICK-ASS COMPENDIUM is available on Aug. 12 wherever comics are sold.
Kick-Ass
Release Date March 22, 2010
Runtime 117 minutes
English (US) · 