Ashley J Williams lands into the Hack/Slash universe with a thunderous bang. Cassie and Ash were meant to be together. Tim Seeley's script revels in character and still manages a fantastic pace. As someone who loves Army of Darkness, I was interested in this book despite not knowing much about “Hack/Slash”. Cassie Hack is an incredible and menacing protagonist. One who is worth Ash, and one who won't put up with his bullshit.
WRITTEN BY: Tim Seeley
ART BY: Daniel Leister
PUBLISHER: Dynamite
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: July 24, 2013
The world of “Hack/Slash” could have overpowered the world of “Army of Darkness”. This story feels like a great meld of the two. Tim Seeley knows “Army of Darkness”, that much is clear. He forgoes the typical story structure of introducing characters from separate worlds, and decidedly mashes them together through action. What results is a believable alliance between two heroes who aren't used to being anything other than the leader. The dynamic Seeley creates is funny, tense, and totally working.
Ash isn't the easiest of characters to write. A man who survives on one-liners easily borders on unreadable and too ham-fisted. Seeley manages to find a happy medium, giving Ash the one-liners he needs, and the brains that make him so endearing to horror fans.
The story rockets into conflict almost immediately. Cassie attacks someone who is lurking through her home. Only to be introduced to Ashley J Williams. It is immediately clear that these two characters are far too similar to get along without a certain level of conflict. The introduction of Ash is handled through great action beats, only to be muddled by Ash's stupid explanation of how he ended up in Cassie's home.
The descent into Cassie's basement pushes the story into overdrive. Here we get to see just how Ash and Cassie are a haphazard match made in heaven. Their fighting styles don't perfectly compliment one another, but they get the job done.
Leister's art really allows this story to hit its stride. He handles Bruce Campbell's magnificent chin in all its glory. In the basement the art really takes an intimate approach to tearing a demon to pieces. Leister seems to enjoy the moments of intense gore, and pulls it off with such great detail. The panel of Ash pulling a skin from a face was damn near perfect. Only to be topped a page later with Ash holding his handless attacker as Cassie beheads the demon.
This team up book doesn't feel undercooked. In fact it feels like a natural extension of both franchises. Both protagonists jump off the page. They are wonderfully bullheaded and similar, and the last panel reminds us of this.
Seeley shows from the get go that while this match may be made in heaven, these are people that thrive in hell. Ash and Cassie have agreed to team up, but as two lone wolves. I can't wait to see where next month takes our heroes. This book provides nothing but gore soaked fun.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jimbus_Christ
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