What does it take to be a Kingsman?

I love me some Colin Firth. I also love me a good action movie. So when The Chancellor suggested a date night to see Kingsman: The Secret Service for Valentine’s Day, I was elated. Seriously, who needs Fifty Shades of Bleh? Overall, I enjoyed the movie up to the very end when a crude and tasteless sexist joke left a bad taste in my mouth. I was curioust o see how the graphic novel stacked up, and how Matthew Vaughn drew from the source material.

The basic plot is fairly similar to the film: Gary Unwin (Eggsy) is constantly getting into trouble, partly because he is restless, and partly because his mom’s boyfriend is constantly threatening their security. His uncle Jack is a secret serviceman who feels guilty for neglecting his sister and nephews. So when Eggsy gets in trouble for seemingly the last time, Jack uses his influence to pull Eggsy into training to be a member of the Secret Service. But just as Eggsy gets ready to join the field, a sudden new threat to the world enters the arena, and everyone will be tested to capacity.

The graphic novel lacks the sexist joke, but it also lacks some of the sparkle that made the movie so much fun. Roxie is noticeably missing, which is too bad. I enjoyed her in the film. Also interesting is the merging of the Samuel L. Jackson villain and Gazelle with the character of Gazelle in the novel–the villain is an older white man and Gazelle is a male, black amputee with swords for feet. I wonder how the change was made to create both villainous characters who were non-white. That said, I very much enjoyed reading the novel. It makes use of plot and stylized violence to create a moment and scene.