Kick-Ass – The Dave Lizewski Years is a creator-owned comic book series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr. It was first published in 2008 under Marvel's Icon imprint before moving to Image Comics. The series is set in the Millarworld and follows Dave Lizewski, an ordinary teenager who decides to become a real-life superhero despite having no powers or training. His exploits go viral online, inspiring others to don costumes, and he soon becomes entangled with the brutal vigilantes Big Daddy and his daughter Hit-Girl, who are waging a bloody war against the Genovese crime family.
The comic gained notoriety for its extreme violence, dark humor, and deconstruction of the superhero genre. It explores what would realistically happen if someone tried to be a superhero in the real world — broken bones, humiliation, and very real danger. The series was originally published as a single title simply called Kick-Ass, but was later retroactively named Kick-Ass – The Dave Lizewski Years to distinguish it from subsequent volumes focusing on other characters.
The comic ran for three volumes, with the second and third books shifting focus to Hit-Girl's origin and the formation of a villainous counterpart to Kick-Ass. The series became a cultural phenomenon, sparking debates about violence in comics and launching a multimedia franchise that includes films, spin-off comics, and crossovers with other Millarworld properties like Kingsman and Wanted.