Image Comics
What would you say if I told you that there was a place that combined Buffy the Vampire Slayer, every slasher movie you’ve ever seen, and the sexuality of a Suicide Girls pinup shoot? Sound like something that might interest you? Well then you’re in luck because that’s exactly what you’ll find in the pages of Hack/Slash. The graphic novel series is a mash-up of all these things and more. The story follows one young Miss Cassie Hack, your typical young damsel in distress type. But much like the Buffy series, Cassie is not what she appears on the surface.
She is in fact the survivor of your stereotypical monster movie situation. Basically, she fought her version of Freddy Krueger and won. Now where most heroes/ heroines of horror films return to their normal lives (at least until the inevitable sequel), Cassie decided that she’s so damn good at killing these supernatural killers or “Slashers” as she calls them, that she should use her talents to hunt them down all over the country and save other unsuspecting teenagers.
To aid her in this mission she has a best pal named Vlad. Vlad is a huge, disfigured man who wears a gas mask. Although initially thinking him to be a monster, Cassie discovered he was really more of a big overgrown kid with a talent for killing the undead, as well as the libido and manners of a fourteen year old. Vlad acts as comic relief, muscle, and friend to Cassie.
At this point you might be picking up on the fact that this book is a little odd, to say the least. We haven’t even gotten to the hairless pervert demon dog. Yes, Hack/Slash is not for everyone. But those who it speaks to are bound to love it. The series really owns the fact that it’s a send up of horror movie clichés. Many of the supernatural killers are obvious homages verging on ripoffs of classic horror movie monsters. In fact they even did two official crossovers with cult horror figures. First off being a storyline with Herbert West otherwise known as The Reanimator, as well as a multiple issue arc with Ash of Army of Darkness fame.
In addition to these great cameos, the book develops its own recurring characters and arch villains throughout many, many story arcs. One of the best parts of reading the series is seeing what genre or property they will take inspiration from next. My personal favorite being a multi-issue run where Cassie and Vlad visit a small town where a kid is being fought over by two women while his goofy buddy wears a Burger King style crown. Yup, Hack/Slash has its own version of Riverdale of “Archie Comics” fame. Not only are the characters and small town setting based on “Archie,” the art for those books changes to mimic the classic comics style. Using such a classic slice of Americana and inserting a vicious supernatural serial killer is a great piece of parody. If you’re someone who knows pop culture and is into horror you’ll be sure to find a lot of inside jokes and sly winks to other properties across a multitude of genres.
The art style as I said before is also used to great effect. The style is very clean and easy to follow, a must for any successful comic series. It manages to balance a popping color palette with darker shadows to both work as horror and comedy. While its images of women are definitely in the realm of exploitive and maybe even a bit misogynistic, the series is well aware of the oversexualization of its star and makes mention of as such several times throughout the books’ run.
While not every story arc is created equal, there are a few story threads near the end of its run that fall a little flat. Over all the series consistently delivers entertaining pages. Hack/Slash is just begging to be made into a movie or TV show. It’s even written in sort of “seasons” like you would have of a TV show. Several issues deal with an overarching big bad while others are stand alone adventures, normally culminating in a boss battle and a reset for the next “season.”
Hack/Slash is in no way any kind of high art. What it does perfectly however is translate the feeling of your favorite old school slasher movies of the eighties, mix in a little contemporary referential humor and gives you a getaway from the super serious to something silly and fun. With omnibus editions as well as trades and single issues, however you choose to check out Hack/Slash, you’re in for a good time.
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