Comics

Review: “Hack/Slash Son of Samhain”

Published

10 years ago

July 2, 2014

In “Hack/Slash: Son of Samhain” issue #1, Cassie has abandoned her slasher huntress life for that a different sort – scumbag bounties. It’s not until she’s met by Delroy, a grizzly, old badass-type, who convinces her, rather easily, to reclaim her title as a staunch enemy of the forces of darkness.

WRITTEN BY: Michael Moreci & Steve Seeley

ART BY: Emilio Lasio

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: July 2, 2014

Reviewed by Nick Brehmer

First, let me say that I’m a newcomer to the “Hack/Slash” universe. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I’ll be staying for very long. For those of you like me, here’s a little backstory: The “Hack/Slash” series began back in 2007 after a string of one-shot comics dating back to 2004. Cassie, the horror-victim anti-heroine of the series, is (or was, according to this new “Son of Samhain” series) a hunter of “slashers”, a collective of undead monsters and those who rally with them.

There’s a prologue that introduces us to a primordial evil known as Attan-Soolu who was vanquished by early humans eons ago. But, as Delroy explains, the slashers intend to bring him back. Much like hack and slash genre videogame play through, I expect that there will be a lot of underlings or “level bosses” before we inevitably see Cassie make some tough choices in order to vanquish Attan-Soolu.

Maybe fans of the “Hack/Slash” story will disagree with me, but even I can say a lot of what seems to be happening in the “Son of Samhain” series is pretty standard, if not recycled. We have a haunted, take-no-prisoners protagonist who is joined by a wise mentor and what may turn out to be a kid sidekick as they battle it out with some baddies to try and save the world. The writing even seems to hint at it’s own cliché’d nature (at one point, Cassie refers to Attan-Soolu sounding like a Star Wars character). Yeah, there are some decent internal monologues from Cassie and some quick banter between her and Delory, but it doesn’t stick.

The artwork is nice enough and it’s well paced but, again, the word that fits here is “standard.” Based solely off my own ignorance of the “Hack/Slash” plot so far, the one aspect of note is Cassie’s past; the idea of a former female lover who, although not a ghost, follows her as she begrudgingly moves through her life. No doubt, this will be explored in the upcoming issues but my opinion of issue #1 has not inspired me to stick around to find out.

Zac Thompson

1 Comment

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.