Posted at 3:25 p.m. - Friday, September 12
Cassie Hack is like any other girl you may know, provided they made it a pastime to hunt down the serial killers & monsters of different horror movie genres. Oh yeah, and let's not forget hanging out with a large, lumbering behemoth named Vlad (who could be one of those horror movie monsters himself if he weren't such an innocent soul.) You'll get to know Cassie and Vlad a-plenty when you read Hack/Slash, the horror/action/comedy comic book from Chicago-based comic-book company Devil's Due Publishing (DDP).
First published in 2004, Hack/Slash quickly developed a loyal fan base that has made the book one of the company's top sellers and has earned the title 'flagship' status. The characters themselves were created by local comic book artist/writer Tim Seeley and will soon be seeing their debut on the silver screen as a film adaptation by Rogue Pictures.
"Because of the loyal readers of Hack/Slash, we've become the little book that could," said Tim Seeley via e-mail. "We're still here, and we're giving more and more
readers their monthly dose of twisted horror and laughs."
DDP has recently released a Hack/Slash Omnibus that collects most of the current run. The trade has been reported as sold out by the publisher, and the Hack/Slash Annual, which contains the Suicide Girls web comic, is also in high demand.
Now comes word that the book has been nominated for a Spike TV Scream Award. Fans of the book are being encouraged to vote for the book. The book faces some stiff competition though, as its up against Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man, Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, Gerard Way's Umbrella Academy and Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier. Whew! That may be Cassie's toughest battle yet!
I've been reading the book myself since it first debuted, and I think its a terrific, highly enjoyable romp through horror movies with a style of writing that has fun with the trappings of the genre. With thrills, chills and a few laughs, HACK/SLASH entertains with earnest. It's wry, self-awareness will charm readers, especially if they're fans of other similar titles like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the like. (Unlike BTVS, H/S ventures into some controversial territories that a more main-stream character would never dare, like say, dealing with pedophile priests.) The heroine, Cassie Hack, is tough, no-nonsense and a welcome addition to the growing pantheon of kick-ass female protagonists.
The book is intended for mature readers (the Annual especially since the Suicide Girls story contains some nudity), but is a good, smart read nonetheless. Ask for it at your local comic shop!