Yes, Kick-Ass is morally repugnant. Yes, it involves teenagers (and one 10-year-old girl) who engage in violent superheroics with a casual disregard for killing. No, you wouldn't want to take your young daughter to see the movie (no matter how much or how cutely she begs) nor let her read the graphic novel upon which the movie is based.

But damn, I really enjoyed reading Kick-Ass today, and I look forward to that movie with keen anticipation.

Kick-Ass is the brainchild of writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita Jr. It comes from Marvel Comics, but -- given that the content and language here are nowhere near appropriate for the average reader of Spider-Man and X-Men books -- was published through its Icon imprint.

The story is about a teenage boy who dreams of being a superhero ... and who decides that a lack of superpowers is no real impediment. Of course, the bad guys -- who are, for the most part, larger, stronger and better armed than him -- have a different opinion on the matter. But an amateur video of this hero, newly dubbed Kick-Ass, fighting a gang sweeps the Internet and inspires a new wave of similarly costumed, unpowered vigilantes.

Primo among them are Hit Girl, the 10-year-old with fists of steel and an uncanny mastery of many weapons, and her father, Big Daddy. Certainly, no child should endure what Hit Girl (a.k.a. Mindy) goes through in this book, so don't think my enjoyment of the story in any way condones mental or physical abuse of children.

Kick-Ass takes the grim and gritty field of comics to a new level. It's unapologetic for what it is. It's well written, well drawn and a lot of fun ... for the appropriate audience. And I'm pretty sure the movie will *cough* kick ass -- if filmmakers don't do to this one what they did to another of Millar's over-the-top works of violence, Wanted. (See reviews of the book and movie to see what I'm talking about.)