Hit-Girl Vol. 4 Hollywood #4 review

It’s the final issue of the Hit-Girl in Hollywood arc, which means one thing: a bloody final act with some ridiculously over the top action.

Writer Kevin Smith largely kept the series as grounded as a Hit-Girl series can be and waited until this issue to go nuts. That’s the best approach for Hit-Girl as too much cartoonish violence loses its effectiveness over four or five issues. There’s not a ton of plot here as all of the various factions close in on Mindy as she confronts Dick Taker and Super Agent.

The payoff for that confrontation is the highlight of the issue, which is too funny to spoil in this review. It might not make sense in a lot of books, but it’s perfectly fitting for Hit-Girl. I’m curious about Smith’s take on katana and cleaver physics, both of which are utilized for maximum carnage. Smith struggles with the same issue a lot of Hit-Girl writers in he can’t figure out a great way to give Mindy a challenge since being an unstoppable killing machine is basically her super power. It’d be nice to see Mindy challenged for a change instead of mowing down one helpless goon after another.

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Shifting the emphasis to mostly action takes away somewhat from Pernille Orum’s art. Orum uses a simple, more animated style with minimal backgrounds and sparse details. That works great during the dialogue heavy segments, but with lopped off heads and limbs, it’s not as effective since Orum’s style doesn’t lend itself to getting grimy enough to pull off this level of violence. Sunny Gho’s colors are also bright and cheery, which clashes with the story to a degree. These are minor complaints and definitely won’t take away the enjoyment of readers who’ve enjoyed the previous three issues.

I’d definitely like to see Smith and Orum play around in Hit-Girl’s universe some more. They’re an inspired creative team for this character and I’d love to see what they could come up with next. Hollywood was an obvious and satisfying target for Hit-Girl’s unique brand of justice. Hopefully the next spot on her world tour is equally as deserving and entertaining.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Photo Credit: Image Comics