Publisher: Image
Writer: Tini Howard
Artist: Celor
Colourist: K. Michael Russell
Release Date: OUT NOW
Price: $3.99

In the pantheon of monsters, there is a special place in my heart for that sub-genre labelled The Slasher! They may not have the glamour of Vampires, the cute, fuzzy rend and tear persona of Werewolves or the icky gruesomeness of spare part mad scientist hobby builds of a Frankenstein’s Monster because they are basically just psychotic humans doomed forever to be just supporting players in the roll-call of horror alumni. Hack Slash Resurrection #1 looks set to change all that by giving the humble Slasher their very own nemesis in the shape of Cassie Hack. To quote from the inside cover blurb:

Cassie Hack is the lone survivor of an attack by a Slasher called the Lunch Lady… A slasher that happened to be her mother! She travelled the world with her monstrous partner and friend, Vlad, hunting down and destroying Slashers wherever they found them! But then Vlad died. And Cassie disappeared.

I couldn’t have said it better myself and as a jumping on point for Hack Slash Resurrection #1, which comes three years after the last Hack Slash series, you have all you need to get right into the story. Why Cassie disappeared, who the heck was Vlad and did she ever catch up with her dear old Mom are all questions that will have to wait if you haven’t read the previous series, because Cassie now spends her time living in a trailer with a cat called Dario, killing monsters of the video game variety in her underwear, her real monster killing activities seemingly far behind her. But you and I both know that’s a state of affairs that can’t last for long because there wouldn’t be much of a story to tell, so let’s see how Hack Slash Resurrection #1 sets about that very same resurrection.

When two zombie twin inmates come calling one cold, snowy winter night, Cassie is forced to put on a pair of pants and take up her faithful baseball bat once more to deal out her own brand of rough justice. Seems it’s not just humble Slashers that are going to be her victims, the term Slasher being used to denote any type of monster who happens to be passing by, but then I guess that was a tad too restricting and, as this is one classy piece of monster action, I will forgive Tini Howard and Celor just this once for raising my hopes and then cruelly dashing them but in a most audacious and violent way.

Bad dreams about Vlad plague Cassie that night as she tries to resist the monster bounty hunter calling that seems to be her fate and strange things are happening at the Englund Correctional Facility (tip of the hat, in case you didn’t notice to that most supernatural of Slashers, Freddie Kruger).

Since zombies seem to be multiplying at an alarming rate, Cassie and Dario decide to take up an offer to be a counsellor at a camp for traumatised kids. Hands up who thinks that is going to end badly. Me too.

Hack Slash Resurrection #1is monstrously good fun and Cassie Hack is one of the best monster hunter’s you are ever likely to meet in a dark alley. If Hack Slash Resurrection #1 isn’t a good enough reason to buy the omnibus edition of the previous series to catch up on all the previous Cassie Hack action before continuing with the current series I don’t know what is.

 

 

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker