Hit-Girl debuted in the pages of the Kick-Ass title and went on to become a solo star on her own, but later this year she'll meet the new Kick-Ass, Patience Lee.
And from the title - Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl - they won't get along.
Scheduled to debut November 11, the five-issue Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl is drawn by Marcelo Frsuin, of Hellblazer and Loveless fame. The book will be written by Criminal Macabre's Steve Niles
Ahead of that release, Newsarama spoke to Niles and Frusin about the Kick-Ass franchise, and what their experience was in contributing to it. For more about the franchise's biggest showdown yet, read on.
Newsarama: Marcelo, you worked on a number of huge titles including Hellblazer and Loveless before you joined Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl. What will you be bringing from those experiences to this comic?
Marcelo Frusin: I usually keep in mind the care of the characters, their appearance, expressions and costumes, their way of moving, and try a good choreography in fights and action scenes. I also like to play with the composition, with the settings, angles, and lighting to reinforce different moments in the story. Likewise, I try to give the backgrounds the importance of one more character, with clear spaces where the characters move. And I am looking for a clear narration and page design, and always be attentive to capture the intention of the story in the images.
Nrama: Without spoiling anything, Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl begins with a very heavy, emotional scene for Patience Lee, the current Kick-Ass. How do you, as the artist, make sure that emotion comes through to the reader?
Frusin: In that scene, I tried to do it with gestures and looks. I also used a natural element such as rain, which reinforced the drama and emotions contained. And the camera angles that seemed me appropriated to emphasize the feelings for each moment of these pages.
Nrama: Speaking of emotion, Kick-Ass comic books are known to be pretty shocking. What about your style will you use to shock the reader?
Frusin: I try to look for different ideas for each impact scene, combinations of extreme close-ups with wide-shots, varied angles, dramatic lighting, and in the violent scenes some unusual detail, sometimes gore, with knocks and impacts of weapons that seem brutal, that give the feeling of rawness and pain in the reader.
Nrama: The Kick-Ass franchise has earned a lot of fans since its debut in 2008. What will those fans like most about Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl?
Frusin: I hope they like the arrival of Hit-Girl as much as I do, I loved the way she entered the story, her confrontation with Kick-Ass, also the existential doubts and the double life of Patience, sometimes sweet and sometimes cold and deadly, and of course, the villains, the suspense and the brutality of the action scenes.
Nrama: Steve, we know that, at the start of this series, Hit-Girl is on her way to Albuquerque to deal with the 'imposter' Kick-Ass. But how much does Hit-Girl know about her latest target? What doesn't she know?
Steve Niles: Well, that is hard to answer as I don't want to give anything away, but it's clear that Hit-Girl has a very different idea as to what the new Kick-Ass is up to.
Nrama: That imposter, Patience, has been using the Kick-Ass name to run a criminal empire. Being Kick-Ass has cost Patience dearly, so why does she keep putting on the mask?
Niles: Her goal is always to burn it all down. But every time she knocks down one drug lord, another springs up in their place. She's caught up in the thick of all of it, but all she wants to do is finish it and create a better world for her kids.
Nrama: How will her time as Kick-Ass prepare her for what Hit-Girl's got planned? Or is Patience pretty screwed?
Niles: I think we've seen Patience fight monstrous, iron-hard criminals. And her background as a soldier, she's incredibly hardened and capable to handle anything and anyone.
Nrama: You tend to write a lot of anti-hero characters, Criminal Macabre being a prime example. Is that what drew you to Kick-Ass? Do you view her as an anti-hero?
Niles: You know, I think she's very much a real hero. She's got a great deal of drama going on, but she's got a pure spirit in what she's trying to do.
Nrama: My last question is for both of you. Who wins in a no-weapons fight between Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass, and why?
Frusin: Both are experts in martial arts. Kick-Ass has more strength and size and Hit-Girl more speed and agility for being lighter, if the little girl knows how to keep the distance and hit at the right moment with speed, she can give her a good fight.
Niles: I'll go with Kick-Ass. She doesn't lose her temper while fighting, she stays focused and knows when to cut her losses.
