Hack/Slash, Vol.9 – “Torture Prone” (Image)

Writer: Tim Seeley | Artist: Daniel Lester | Colors: Mark Englert

In a dark future ruled by the Murder Messiah, street witch Liberty Lochs is on a mission to change the past. Meanwhile, horror heroes Cassie Hack and Vlad must contend with an obsessive serial killer, and a duo of slashers they thought they’d already put down.

Collects: Hack/Slash (Image) #1-4

I heard about this series last year, when I saw the second, massive omnibus edition in The Strand in New York. I had no idea what it was all about, and didn’t have enough cash to buy it. Then, after Seeley was announced as the new writer for Witchblade, I decided to give his back catalog a look (I tend to do this sort of thing). I started with the mini-series published by Image, My First Maniac, which I enjoyed a great deal. Little did I know that none of the original, pre-Image series was available on ComiXology (please fix this soon...!). This is also why I am, quite inexplicably, willing to start with the ninth volume of a series. With the final issue now out, it seemed like a great time to dive in and read the whole lot (there were only 25 issues published by Image). All in all, this is a solid, quirky, original, slightly unsettling comic. Pretty cool, then.

[This is another review that has been languishing for quite some time. A lot more graphic novel reviews to come, as I power through in my catch-up.]

Hack/Slash: “My First Maniac” (Image)

Writer: Tim Seeley | Artist: Daniel Leister | Colors: Mark Englert

Exploring Cassie Hack’s first case: 16-year-old Cassie has just been forced to kill her mother, the undead murderer known as the Lunch Lady! Now faced with overwhelming guilt, she must decide if she can make a life with her foster parents and at her new school, or if she should use her new-found slasher-killing skills to save other screaming teenagers! But does the apple fall far from the tree?

Collects: Hack/Slash – My First Maniac #1-4 (complete)

I don’t think I’ve read much else by Tim Seeley – maybe a taster for his new run on Witchblade. But, the other day I saw that Hack/Slash has finally come to an end, and decided to give it a try. Image Comics only published the final 25 issues of the series, plus a couple of mini-series spin-offs. Unable to hunt down the pre-Image comics on ComiXology, I decided to pick up this spin-off, dealing with Cassie’s first case. And I rather enjoyed it, in all its bloody, slasher-movie bonkers glory.