Two New Hack/Slash Titles

Fan favourites Hack/Slash have returned to hunt Revenants, chase killers, and face off against Vampirella, in two new series from Image and Dynamite this Halloween.

Fandom, in any genre, is notorious for its insatiable appetite; once fans find their property of choice they are continually seeking out the next chapter often before the present one is released. As this is being written, comic geeks and movie nerds alike are talking about the upcoming Han Solo, Obi Wan Ben Kenobi and Boba Fett movies while Star Wars: The Last Jedi has yet to hit theatres. (That being said, Boba Fett would be rad…).

Hack/Slash, it seems, is no exception to the fandom rule.

After giving the characters Cassie Hack and her stoic sidekick, Vlad, a hiatus, co-creator and writer Tim Seeley is ready to bring back his beloved and popular Slasher hunters.

“Hack/Slash is the book people always ask me about,” said creator Tim Seeley on Image.com. “I’ve been waiting for the proper time to bring it back, but I wanted to make sure I had the perfect creators first.”

Writer Tini Howard (Rick and Morty, Magdelan, Power Rangers: Pink) artists Celor (Dollface, Zombie Tramp) and K. Michael Russell (Judge Dredd, In the Dark: A Horror Anthology) create a new ongoing series titled Hack/Slash: Resurrection with covers by Hack/Slash co-creators Tim Seeley (G.I. Joe vs. Transformers, Grayson (DC)) and Stefano Caselli (Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man).

Hack/Slash follows the story of Cassie Hack who is the lone survivor of a high school mass killing carried out by ‘The Lunch Lady,’ who also happens to be Hack’s mother.

Hack commits herself to a life of hunting Slashers (labeled Revenants by the government), re-animated corpses who have no memories expect for their violent ones, driving them to murderous rage, with her companion Slash, the Lenny Small of the duo, sans rabbits and with a sizeable vocabulary, often wearing a gasmask to hide his peculiar features.

A first time reader, long time…not reader…will notice an immediate character trait develop between the two series in Hack trying to find her place within society’s social structures.

Resurrection opens with Hack living mostly off the grid, isolating herself from humanity as a safety precaution, making a living involving no human contact. In Vs. Vampirella, Hacks’s attempt at casual fact-finding conversations from Las Vegas tourists regarding a new rash of murders on the Strip, result in comedy as she clumsily navigates everyday situations.

As a starting point for new fans, “Have no fear,” says Shawn Aldridge, writer for the five part min-series Hack/Slash vs. Vampirella, with art by Rapha Lobosco (James Bond, Doctor Who), “Everything you need to know is within the pages of this book. No prior knowledge is needed.”

And he is right. Aldridge and Howard both create immediate, accessible stories.

That being said, Vampirella’s introduction is touched by what I call Wonder Woman Syndrome (trademark pending), where otherwise strong and effect storytellers (looking at you, James Robinson), have difficulty writing the character. Wonder Woman is a character who is consistently squandered by writers who seem to have difficulty having her hit her stride on a regular basis, either through needless revamps or being enlisted as a secondary character in her own title.

The Hack portions of the comic stay true to the tone of the original character, and does fine with Vampirella, but a rushed introduction of her mesmerizing gaze and chiropteran wings seem forced, as though those sections of the story were solely written in to demonstrate to new readers what powers she possesses. That being said, Vampirella only appears for a sum total of seven pages, so it may even out as the series continues.

Hack/Slash: Resurrection and Vs. Vampirella are both good opening reads for first issues. All in all, if you are looking for an adventurous fun romp into the horror / fantasy / X-Files meets Powers meets Steinbeck, and a baseball bat with protruding nails, then check it out!

Hack/Slash: Resurrection #1 is available now from Image comics.

Hack/Slash Vs. Vampirella #1 is available now from Dynamite comics.

Both titles have more variant covers than members of an old-school ska band.

Tags: comics, dynamite comics, hack/slash, image comics, reviews, tim seeley, vampirella

About the Author

The Riz is a prolific writer, musician, teacher, and speaker, who fronts demolition-rock sensation Ultimate Power Duo and is a co-founder of Draw Me In Comics.com.