Customer Reviews

Hack/Slash, Vol. 1: First Cut

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alright, the book description and tagline on the cover "The slasher victim slashes back!" sums it up pretty well, so I'll offer some helpful details if you're still on the fence as to wether this is for you.

First off, the artwork is very high quality. One team illustrated the first story, while another team illustrated the remaining two stories. The style in the first story is dark and sketchy, with a painted look to it. The other two stories share a crisp, animated television show look to them. So both styles are different, but very good. The artists and colorists have really captured the expressiveness of the characters, the proper mood for various scenes, and the right amount of bloody gore.

Not only are the visuals fun, but the writing is good, too. Yes, it's B-movie horror stuff, but it's really good B-movie horror stuff. The origins of the monsters are creative, the dialogue is funny and inventive, and the characters themselves are actually interesting, especially the main character Cassie Hack. She could have easily been a one-note character, but instead has a surprising amount of depth to her. Yes, she can be a kick-ass, sarcastic killing machine, but she also has her moments of doubt, fear, and even embarrassment. She even opens up a couple of times to her friend Vlad about why she does what she does. So these two characters, who I thought would be simple and generic, end up being surprisingly likeable and easy to relate to.

So the artwork and writing are fun, so what about everything else not mentioned? Like what ages could this be for? There is violence and cursing, but no graphic nudity or sex, so it's somewhere between the PG-13 and R-rated areas of entertainment. In other words, it'd be fine for teenagers, but not kids, in my opinion. Then there are the bonus materials. The art gallery and sketches are a nice bonus, plus pictures & info of the play that was performed by the Millennium Theatre Company are pretty cool! On a personal note, I love the fact that on the back are pictures of the main creators of the graphic novel. It's nice to see what these talented people look like. Tim Seeley (creator/writer), Stefano Caselli (co-creator/artist), Sunder Raj (colorist), Federica Manfredi (penciler/colorist), and the rest of the team did a really great job, because I really enjoyed reading this.

I have just read the first TPB of Hack/Slash and though I enjoyed reading it, I did have some issues with the book. The art is good by mainstream comic book standards. However, I disagree with other reviewers that the art is spooky or sinister. The action moves so fast that there is no chance for the artwork to create a spooky ambiance (unlike say 28 days of night). The concept behind the book has promise (a post-modern take on the slasher genre with lots of self-referential comments and humor) but the writing is clunky. As a for instance, the author wants to tell reader about the history of the main character. There are subtle ways to do this and it could have been drawn out(in order to draw the reader in to the story). However, the author just has the buddy of the main character ask her, "so why do you do what you do?" The main character then goes off on a monolog that tells us all we need to know. The background is actually kind of funny, but the way it spills out in the monolog flattens the humor somewhat. Also, the clunkiness of the dialog grates at times. There are other examples of plodding exposition where the material in the exposition could have been delivered in a more interesting way and in a way that didn't upset the flow of the story. The book makes for a fun hour's reading, but it is not a great comic.

With a genuine appreciation of slasher films of the 1980's comes Hack Slash: The First Cut from Devil's Due Publishing. Filled with all of the great clichés of those camp classics, Hack Slash is a fitting tribute to this favorite horror genre. Collected here are the stories of "slasher hunter" Cassie Hack, herself the daughter of a slasher known as "The Lunch Lady", who spends her days hunting down these serial killers accompanied by her hulking, misshapen partner Vlad. The book is filled with equal parts horror and humor as the pair hunt down a trio of gruesome killers. While the book may appear from the cover to just be another "scantily clad hot chick kicking butt" it's not...well it is, but it's not.

Writer Tim Seeley's irreverent tone keeps the stories moving at breakneck speed. In the first tale, Cassie and Vlad journey to a town where a mysterious figure is using undead animals to attack the locals. We soon find out that the figure is, or was, Bobby Brunswick, a mentally retarded employee at a vet's office that was the source of bullying by other locals until a prank went horribly wrong. Now Bobby is back from the grave with a legion of euthanized pets all ready to do his bidding and help him get revenge.

In the second tale, a goody-two shoes college girl whose boyfriend had an affair with another girl over spring break has used a dark book of magic to gain control over a true fire and brimstone, not to mention dead, man of the cloth to carry out her vendetta against the tramps and trollops of spring break. The third tale takes Cassie and Vlad to the "Whizzer World Philadelphia" convention where a serial killer is stalking comic creators Steve Niles, Skottie Young and model/artist Messy Stench. With a few well placed barbs at Wizard Magazine...and their show employees, this story dredges up the most loathsome serial killer yet. And yes...Steve Niles dies!!! Violent, but amusingly so.

Hack Slash was a truly a treat to read. It's not too often you find a graphic novel that is just plain fun to read these days. Any fan of slasher films will certainly enjoy the book. The art by Stefano Caselli and Federica Manfredi is very good without trying to go over the top. The book features an excellent pin-up gallery as well.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Great cover art and the first story is excellent. The artwork by Stefano Caselli is beautiful, kind of painted and sketchy which really adds to the mood. If the art was consistent throughout I would have given this volume 5 stars. However, in the remaining stories another artist with a generic style takes over. It's not necessarily bad - just a different feel and a step or two down from what kicked off the series. And the final story is just cornball, involving some of the creators as characters at a comic con. I suppose it was fun for them to do but really not much fun to read. Overall a series with promise but hopefully the quality of the other volumes are more consistent.

A great comic book for horror fans. The books is composed of three main stories, each one is like a miniature slasher movie but with a couple of "slasher slayers" thrown in to the mix to aid the unfortunate targets of these undead serial killers. The idea is very interesting, especially if you're a fan of the 80's style hack and slash horror flicks. The characters are interesting, the artwork is great, there's a good amount of violence in usual slasher movie fashion. If you like horror comics, check this out.

R. Barnes (see below or above depending on where my review appears in the list here) makes some good points in his review and to a certain degree they ring true , I can see where he's coming from.. still I have to admit I personally enjoyed this graphic novel and I can see why it won an award for "best new rookie comic" (see the wikipedia entry on it ;) ) .. definitely not a comic with stunning dialog or a well evolved plotline that hits you in the face and makes you go "wow" so if you're looking for something as epic as say DC's Watchmen, Sandman, Preacher et cetera you'll be disapointed .. having said that if you can appreciate it as what it is - an extremely dark, good humored parody of both slasher flicks and, to a degree, buffy the vampire slayer with a certain amount of "fluff" - you're going to enjoy it... in the world of comic books I'd consider this to be a big mac (or substitute whatever fast food strikes your fancy) instead of a gourmet burger from chili's, applebee's or what have you - not the best burger in the world but still a tasty little snack.

UPDATE - just read volume two in the series , "girls gone dead"... loved it ! If you purchase both this and volume two it will make volume one seem much more worthwhile, as a "precursor" of sorts that sets you up for volume two

Gory, Funny, Cheesy and FUN!

Anyone who doesn't like these stories is insane. This series is basically a fun take on all the crappy/popular horror movies of the 80's.

Given, some of the pictures get a little mature, but who cares? It's a comic book.

Simply amazing. If you're a fan of horror cheese, then Hack/Slash is for you! When I say "horror cheese" I'm in no way making fun of the comic. For someone that grew up on classic "H.C." movies (Nightmare on Elm St., Friday the 13th, Child's Play, and all the GREAT Troma films, this comic was written for me. All the different stories were so enjoyable. I can't wait for the other volumes I ordered to get in!
Highly Recommended

This is a fun book for fans of 80's slashers. Anyone who is a big horror fan will dig on this. It's generally not overly gruesome or anything, but it does a good job poking good natured fun at the genre.

this compilation was a great read today at work. really kicked bordom out of the way!
it's three stories together, and each one of them was great (great is thrilling + funny).
I'm waiting for vol. 2 to arrive, and I hope it'll be as good as this one.
buy it.