By Tim Seeley (Writer), Emily Stone (Art), and Mark Englert (Colors)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve made no secret about the fact that I’m quite a fan of the Hack/Slash formula. It successfully blends a variety of genres into one extremely satisfying product. One part bloody horror story, one part buddy action comedy, one part grounded drama, and one part supernatural thriller, Hack/Slash somehow manages to work on nearly every level. While the series has hit a few bumps here and there, it always keeps me coming back for more because the basic concept is just so much fun. Simply put, you should be reading Hack/Slash.
The Story: The latest chapter of Hack/Slash sees Cassie’s past catching up with her in a big way. Longtime fans will either love or loathe the surprise returns in one of the more oddball issues of the series. Let me just say that it features one of the more interesting uses of an old lady in a comic book. Yep…
What’s Good: Story-wise, Hack/Slash #21 scores more points with me for what it sets up than for what actually happens. Though that’s not to say it isn’t a fun and entertaining issue. In fact, it might actually be one of the funniest comics I’ve read in quite some time. The bits with the elderly lady, Muffy, are so ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh. Cassie and Vlad even get in on it with some great character moments both humorous and, at times, poignant. Good work Mr. Seeley.
Also worth mentioning is the art team of Emily Stone and Mark Englert. They provide solid visuals throughout the book, with a few extremely stand-out moments. I’ve been a bit hard on Emily Stone in the past (mostly regarding facial consistency and the occasionally sketchy panel), but Hack/Slash #21 features some of her best work. And that work is complimented well by Mark Englert’s effective, quality coloring.
What’s Not So Good: A lot of your enjoyment of the latest Hack/Slash arc will probably rest on what you think of the returning characters. I can easily imagine at least one of them annoying or irritating people, so I can easily imagine his (or her?!) return falling flat. Personally, I think introducing new characters might have been more interesting, but I’m not exactly against how things now stand.
Another not so good thing is that some of Stone’s pencils tend to look a bit sketchy and rough at times. While it doesn’t really distract from the otherwise nice visuals, an extra layer of polish would have helped. I say that especially because Hack/Slash is extremely close to being a consistently good to great looking series as Stone’s solid work continues to improve.
Conclusion: Hack/Slash #21 is a surprisingly funny installment to an extremely entertaining series. While some may find themselves a bit irked by the returns, I believe most will be forgiven by the time they hit the cliffhanger of an ending. I look forward to seeing where Tim Seeley and his creative team take things from this point on.
Grade: B
-Kyle Posluszny