EXCLUSIVE: Inside Hit-Girl’s Global War On Crime

In an era where the rest of his Millarworld franchises are taking off into the Netflix era, Mark Millar’s most well-known universe isn’t ending. It’s just going on vacation.

That’s because the stories of the world of Kick-Ass are barreling full speed ahead over the next year – particularly the adventures of foul-mouthed pre-teen crime killer Hit-Girl. After the recently wrapped launch arc by Millar and artist Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, guest creators are taking Mindy McCready on an international adventure where each arc sees the hero slash her way through a criminal organization in a different locale.

While this round robin creative journey began with a Canadian-themed arc by Jeff Lemire and Eduardo Risso that wrapped this week in issue #8, Millarworld editor Rachael Fulton is already assembling the global stories to come. Included will be adventures in Rome by Brazilian creators Rafael Albuquerque and Rafael Scavone's, a Hong Kong showdown from Daniel Way and Goran Parlov and planned future stories from Kevin Smith, Peter Milligan and Alison Sampson.

Below, Fulton goes inside the process of plotting the future of Hit-Girl and shares an exclusive look at the interior art from Albuquerque’s adventure.

CBR: Rachael, give me a little background on how the entire world of Hit-Girl is working these days. We know that Mark teed up the new international status quo in his "Colombia" arc. What have been the marching orders from there? Is there a certain ideal or concept that you carry with you as you work on future stories?

Rachael Fulton:Hit-Girl’s vigilante world tour was set up way back at the end ofKick-Ass 3(now Kick-Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years 4.) While Dave hung up his costume, Mindy stayed true to her life mission and set off to serve justice. The plan was always that we’d follow her in her own series, and that we’d bring in new writers to take over as foster parents for our favorite tiny psycho. Mark had some fantastic writers in mind and really wanted them to have creative freedom with their stories. The brief was simple: it had to be true to the country or city of choice, Mindy is perpetually a 12 year old Polly-Pocket-meets-Punisher, and there should be no sexual threat to Mindy. The latter is very important and it’s a rule we made for the Millarworld Annual, too. So the writers have a lot of freedom -- Mark wants the writers to tell the stories they are keen to tell -- but I’m in charge of pointing out the bits that don’t add up and suggesting changes where I think they’re needed. Plus harassing anyone who falls off schedule and working on design with my teammate, designer Melina Mikulic.

Liberatore's variant cover for issue #9.

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Obviously, each of the new Hit-Girl stories are meant to stand alone as Mindy takes on a new crime element in each country she visits. But as you've been working on the various arcs, do you see any common threads building up? In other words, in which way does this series feel like an ongoing as much as a series of miniseries?

The writers send their pitches in so that we avoid any repetition, but to be honest they have been so wildly different that I haven’t had to worry. We’ve got drugs, gangs, right-wing terrorists, predatory men, school shooters, men who enslave and torture children...The diversity of the subject matter has been mindblowing. Also the way in which all the writers have approached Mindy -- some have really seen the vulnerable child in her, while others have really focused on her wise-cracking badass side. It’s been amazing to work on. They are all standalone arcs, although she’s on a journey -- the artists have been allowed to interpret her costume and look in different ways, and have dealt with her personality and pain differently.

Jeff Lemire and Eduardo Risso's Canada arc definitely showed off the interests of its creators. What kind of personal flourishes did you see in their work?

I love the Canadian arc. The action is freaking incredible. Jeff has captured Mindy perfectly -- beyond the swearing and bloodshed. In the middle of all the carnage, she’s still just a little girl who has lost her Dad. She’s fighting through the grief, both emotionally and with her trademark arsenal of weapons. There are some seriously touching moments here, where we don’t just see the suffering she inflicts on others, but her own suffering. Then she bounces back and kicks more ass, of course.

In particular, Risso's art here seems like a strong mix of his classic work but also something that leans into what's been established in Hit-Girl stories past. How have you been working to keep the feel of this series cohesive even as individual artists have their take on the series?

As I mentioned before, the design is pretty open -- everyone’s got their own take. Risso’s Mindy is very stroppy and expressive, Rafa’s is button-faced and cute, Alison Sampson’s is based on a real-life 12-year old actress called Hester and is frighteningly and beautifully lifelike. There are variations on costume, wigs and weaponry. Mark really wanted the writers and artists to have fun with these arcs, and they’ve run wild!

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Looking to the future, October 17 will see the start of Rafael Albuquerque and Rafael Scavone's Rome arc, which is different in a few ways. It's a heist story told by creators who come from a very different background for Western comics. Have you been discussing with the pair making this perhaps a more European-flavored style of comics? It almost has shades of Mark's Supercrooksat first glance.

That’s so interesting you bring that up, because it has been fascinating to work with writers from Brazil about a story in Rome. The Rafas LOVE Rome and really wanted to set their story there. Having now had the good fortune to visit the city myself, I’m in love with it too. They really take the story in their own direction. They’ve set huge scenes in these incredible Roman settings, and Marcelo Maiolo’s colors will make your eyes pop out of your head. I think the trickiest part in terms of creators from different places is establishing Mindy’s tone -- she’s wise-cracking, very American, and 12. Capturing that tone is challenging enough, even as an American. So it’s about getting her voice, but then also thinking about her approach to others. How does she act with people in different countries? How do they perceive her?

The Daniel Way/Goran Parlov arc seems like a very different kind of story in that, as far as I know, those guys don't live in Hong Kong. What was the appeal for them of taking Mindy to such a major city that even in a global age remains largely unknown to Western readers? And how do they play with both the very visually appealing setting and the kind of history of Hong Kong action cinema?

Hong Kong was Mark’s choice I believe, and I think the appeal was he wanted Hit-Girl to explore this incredible, striking city and bring Mindy to Hong Kongese readers too -- to have local people want to read the comic because it’s set in their home country. We’ve got these beautiful cityscapes from Goran, and the villains in this arc -- honestly, the depth and complexity of the bad guys, coupled with Goran’s fantastically expressive art is just amazing. I honestly think I might like the villain better than Mindy in this arc (don’t fucking tell her...). As for Hong Kongese cinema -- we have huge, epic fight scenes in Hong Kong Holocaust, but she’s not focused on busting out her best kung fu moves….mostly just a shitload of guns and grenades.

Kevin Smith is on the docket for next year with an arc set in Hollywood. What update can you give us about where that arc is at, and how does Mindy's return to the U.S. (even though to a city that can be as different to East Coasters as one over the ocean) change the story and direction of the series?

We are looking for the perfect artist for this project. It’s going to be huge. I can’t stress it enough. Guy had a major heart attack and then handed in script #3 like it was no big deal, and each issue blew me away. The first issue is silent and terrifying. The arc is so out-there, so distinct, and so incredibly hilarious. There were points I was reading the script thinking “This is insane. This is actually my job...what will I tell my folks I did at work today?” You’ll know what I mean when you read it. Like the others, it’s so unique and stands alone. It’s probably truest to the original, Kick-Ass version of Hit-Girl, so will appeal a lot to old and new fans.

Interior art from Hit-Girl #9 by Rafael Albuquerque and Marcelo Maiolo.

Overall, what's the biggest takeaway you've gotten as the person leading the charge of Hit-Girl's new status quo? What about this book will people hold onto once all the stories are out in the public eye?

EVERYTHING! I just think there’s so much enjoyment to be taken from the series in so many different ways. Kevin Smith’s is, in his own words, cockamamie -- it’s completely mad and topical and side-splittingly funny. The Rafas have created this beautiful love letter to Rome full of psycho nuns and dead saints, Jeff and Eduardo have this Fargo-esque Canadian dream sequence, Peter Milligan and Alison Sampson have made a touching, very sensitive arc set in India, in which the story and art is complex and beautiful. ...I love it ALL.

Hit-Girl is my baby, or at least the unruly devil child I’m babysitting, and I wouldn’t swap her for anything.