Writer: Tim Sellet
Artist: Chris Burnham, Ross Campbell, Danil Leister, Jason Millet
Editor: James Lowder
Devils Due Publishing
Hack/Slash is a comic I have been eyeing for sometime now. Having seen it in the monthly previews quite often I always found the cover art fascinating and it always left me wanting more. Despite the enticing covers and intrigue of the title I had still shied away from actually purchasing and reading it. But, I can now happily say that whatever it was that was holding me back from purchasing Hack/Slash is dead and gone – I should not have been missing this much awesome for this long. Having only read this issue thus far, I am aware I hold very little power in saying the series itself is amazing, but, this issue in the least is worth your attention.
Being new to the Hack/Slash world I started with the series summary on the back of the cover-page. Shockingly enough for having been such a short synopsis I began this comic with a complete understanding of what is going on – Cassie and Vlad are friends and their out killing Slasher’s, as vigilantes. Super Sleepover Sidekick Slaughter begins with Cassie and Vlad driving down Highway 81 listening to the Late Knight A.M. Radio show. A caller named Ronnie complains about Cassie and Vlad’s group S.K.K (Serial Killer Killers) claiming that they are nothing more than murderers. The story then follows into Ronnie’s house, where we learn that he’s a shaggy-haired, comic book fan-boy out to become a real life superhero. He and a group of his friends plan to follow in the footsteps of past heroes Nightmare and Sleepy – for they do not possess abnormal amounts of power, but, as so correctly referred to in the comic, have abnormally large balls.
The art in this issue of Hack/Slash is great overall. My only complaint would be that the art for the main story arc, although consistent, is ultimately thrown under the rug by the art in the two Nightmare and Sleepy stories. “The Undying Jack O’Lantern” had a very old school feel, where whites are actually yellows and pixels are plenty apparent, while “Sister Sacrilege Returns” carries a very realistic and airbrushed feel. Next to these the main arc looks a lot more flawed and unoriginal. I was also expecting more blood and guts, an area in which this issue was greatly lacking. I can understand the need to have less in an issue based around superhero wanna-bees, and though the deaths of Knight were well done and somewhat gory, it was something I was left craving at the end of the issue. Although, the gore was absent, I am sure that with the tension already built between Ronnie and the S.K.K there will be plenty to come in future issues!
In case it has not yet been made clear, I really enjoyed this issue of Hack/Slash and it is something I plan to read a lot of in the near future. I was impressed with how new-comer friendly and approachable the writing is as well as the flow and style of the art. I would recommend this issue to both horror and superhero fans alike, because there is something to be said for both genres. Hero fans be ready for a cool new take on vigilante superheroes and horror fans prepare for some gruesome art and great story-telling!
Related articles
- Hack Slash Number 28 from Devils Due Publishing (comicsforge.com)
- Hack Slash Number 14 by Tim Seely (comicsforge.com)
- Hack Slash Eva Monsters Ball Number 1 (comicsforge.com)
- The Living Corpse Featuring Hack Slash (comicsforge.com)
