The first issues of the Kick-Ass series, written
by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr.
Story[]
The comic opens with a narrator expressing how everyone, at one point in his or her life, wanted to become a superhero, while a man, on top of a building, in a suit with makeshift wings, attempts to fly, but dies in the attempt.
The narrator then states, "That's not me, by the way. That was just some Armenian guy with a history of mental health problems who read about me in the New York Post."
The narrator reveals himself to be a high school student named Dave Lizewski. Dave states that he is nothing more than a guy who "just existed." He states that his life has been boring; the girl of his dreams is disgusted by him, he is dissatisfied with the conversations he engages with his friends, and can only find solace when he reads comic books.
Dave then asks his friends, "How come no one ever tried to be a superhero?" only to be met with the answer, "Because it's impossible." Dave, wanting to make his life exciting, purchases a wetsuit off of the website eBay, and decides to become a superhero, training hard for the day to come when he will finally step into action.
One day, Dave comes across three lowlifes who are vandalizing a wall. He attempts to fight them off, but gets stabbed and run over by a car as a result of his efforts. The vandals escaped, and the driver of the car hastily drove away from the scene, with advice from her friend.