Review - Bad Ass #1

"That's why I'm going to kill your entire gang."

Deadpool has ridden his rough around the edges personality to success after success, garnering tons of readers and fans. Characters like him have that tendency, as readers want to root for the underdog, anti-hero every so often. Dynamite Entertainment has their own anti-hero they'd like to introduce you to in Bad Ass #1. The issue is written by Herik Hanna, illustrated by Bruno Bessadi, colored by Gaetan Georges and lettered by Marshall Dillon.

Dead End is someone who's not really keen on happiness and joy. In fact, he can't even enjoy a lunch on a crowded street without imagining some catastrophic event that decimates half the patrons. He's also really good at this job, which is doing the difficult work for Green Dragon, a criminal mastermind (?) whose disciples are eating from the palm of his hand. Eventually though, he decides that enough is enough and it's time to strike out on his own, prompting a rather creative way to resign from his post.

A lot of people are going to compare Dead End to Deadpool and it's an apt comparison. Hanna also seems to infuse Dead End with some Spider-man as well, creating a character who's somewhere between the two in terms of snark and cynicism, coupled with an exceptional fighting ability. That ability has made him extremely rich and capable of handling himself in any situation; even ones he creates himself. The character of Dead End is presented to the reader through a series of flashbacks to high school and his stream of consciousness in daily events. It's paced very well and brings the reader along without losing them in the details and there are a ton of great action sequences interspersed throughout.

Bessadi's art is effective and conveys the superhero tones. Dead Man has a look to him that screams machismo and confidence, something that Bessadi really hits with precision. Other characters are equally as illustrative of their roles and Dead End's main foil appropriately matches her personality. There's a Tick feel to some of the character illustrations that helps keep the tone of the book light and sarcastic. Panel layouts aren't very imaginative and rely on the tried and true rectangular layout, but the action is easy enough to follow along with.

Bad Ass #1 will appeal to fans of Deadpool and Spider-man who like a little Kick-Ass for good measure. There's plenty of wit and sarcasm, in addition to plenty of violence and fighting. The ending presents a clear direction and new opponent for Dead Man to square off against and, honestly, he's a character some people wouldn't mind seeing getting his comeuppance. The story is written very smoothly and features art equally as smooth, presenting a story that's not quite been played out yet. After all, there's not many books where the main character trips a kid and finds serenity in the kid's pain.

Bad Ass #1 is in stores now with interiors below.