By: Tim Seeley (writer), Daniel Leister (art), Mark Englert (colors) & Crank (letters)
The Story: This Cassie Hack “Year One” miniseries wraps up. How will Cassie deal with Grinface?
What’s Good: This series did exactly what it set out to do by reintroducing Hack/Slash to its new audience that it gained with its move to Image, while staying true to the issues that Tim Seeley published through Devils Due Publishing.
For a final issue, I thought this issue hit all the right notes as it shows how Cassie is both vulnerable (as a misfit teenage girl) and tough (as a avenging killer of slashers) and it is that balancing act that makes this series such a joy to read (as I’ve been catching up on the series on my iPhone). If you’re a fan of 80’s slasher movies, there is just a LOT to love here as the bad guy (Grinface) and setting (abandoned barn next to a corn field) could have appeared in any of the horror movies I watched as a kid.
I’d love to see one of Seeley’s scripts because I think there must be constant notes that say, “Lots of blood”. Good lord is there a lot of blood sloshing around in this as people are hit with hammers (big and small), hit by cars, etc. and it might be excessive if this comic weren’t a loving spoof of those ultra-bloody movies. Otherwise, the art does a very good job of selling the story.
What’s Not So Good: I was lucky to get this issue because Tim Seeley actually said it would be delayed for a week due to “printing errors”. So, I don’t mean this as a complaint directed at Hack/Slash, but more at Image in general. Back in the spring, Choker had the same problem (again I was lucky enough to get both good and bad copies) and there have been a few other titles that had similar printing problems (black pages are over-inked making them wavy) without a redo. It seems like Image should be able to manage the printing of comics.
My only other issue is probably a little prudish… Since this is an origin tale and Cassie is in high school, that would mean she is 18 at the oldest, right? That was in my mind constantly as I looked at the sexy revealing images. I don’t have a problem with revealing creator-owned comics, but let’s not do it with girls who may be jailbait, okay? Just have Cassie make an aside comment like, “I can still fit in with these kids even though I’m a few years older” and it would be more than fine. But as it, it just skeeved me out a little bit.
Conclusion: If you loved 80’s slasher films, you need to read this. Very satisfying ending to the first story arc at Image!
Grade: B
– Dean Stell
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Conclusion