Why I Love Hack/Slash!
Welcome to a very special edition of Why I Love Comics where we highlight the very best books in the industry, some that you have read, some that have you haven't and some that deserve some attention that they never seem to get. This week we celebrate one of the best books in horror written by a very good friend. The book I'm talking about is cult horror at it's best thanks to new master of horror Tim Seeley.
The back history for me started when I was on a very old review group on another board which has been reborn elsewhere on the internet. My first issue was Hack/Slash #7 where I was first introduced to Cassie Hack and her monstrous sidekick Vlad. For those of you who are long term followers of this column you know that I gave last years "Best Horror Award" to this series.
The thing about Hack/slash very simply is that the concept feels fresh and never really gets stale or old. Each new slasher that our heroes face has something unique going for them. For examples, we have Ashley who is a little like Freddy Krueger as he can attack his victims in the dream world. He's a vengeful little kid who was killed by his own mother because of his evil ways.
Hack/Slash actually started as a whole slew of one shots back in 2004 which are now collected in the very beautiful Hack/Slash Omnibus (cover featured below) which recent went into a second printing. The stories range from different slashers and even have guest appearances by 3 very awesome creators, Robert Kirkman/Steve Niles and Skottie Young. There is also a great crossover with Chuckie inside the omnibus that shows you just how much Tim loves horror.
The Chuckie crossover as well as the crossover with the Jeffrey Coombs version of the Re-animator character add new levels to the characters as well as add intelligent bits of backstory to the over all universe in hack slash.
Of course the crossovers aren't just related to fictional cult horror stars but also real world people. I mentioned the comic creators but Tim Seeley also managed to include some good friends of his known as the Suicide Girls in a really fun 48 page one shot that was a great read from beginning to end.
So what attracts me to Hack/Slash as a story? I'd have to say it's a mixture of story and art as well as the fact that the characters are believable and when Tim uses classic horror stereotypes, he uses them in creative ways.
Cassie Hack is equal to Buffy Summers where she is an incredibly strong willed lead character who deals with a lot in her life but never really gives up. She experiments with her sexuality, questions of faith and many other issues and just comes out stronger.
Vlad is the gentle giant who watches after cassie and it's really the most unique relationship in the book, whether its vlad admitting that he gets jealous of people cassie has attempted to date or Vlad finding love, it's just another added level to the book.
Tim also manages to give the book a supporting cast which wasn't there for the first few one shots, Skottie Young returned showing continuity in the series for a little while but Cassies's supporting cast is a constant highlight of the book. Chris who runs the hack/slash website and his dog pooch are usually the comedic relief of the series but Tim has once again managed to turn things around and throw in a plot line that forces chris to grow up and change as a person.
Something else I have to give pointers for is the artists that hop onto the series, whether its Tim himself, Kevin Mellon, Emily Stone, Skottie Young or the many other incredible artists that have graced the pages of hack/slash there really isn't a better way to showcase the characters art-wise which just helps the story.
So in closing, we have comedy/action/horror/slashers/classic cult cameos and plenty of great characters to fall in love with this book really has it all. It's currently soon to be on issue #27 and doing nothing but gaining more attention as more time goes on. I actually really want a copy of the art book which I know is coming out soon. Definitely worth your money to pick up the 2 volumes of the omnibus that are out now. The book is published monthly by Devils Due. See you next time readers!
Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching dvd's, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice. Eric shops at TJ's Collectibles. Visit them on the web at www.tjcollect.com!
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