Comics
Review: ‘Hack/Slash’ #24
Hack/Slash #24 has the right amount of action to keep readers excited. As the slasher slayers make their last stand, no one will be left unscathed from battle. With just one issue left, horror fans should give the “Hack/Slash” series a look.
WRITTEN BY: Tim Seeley
ART BY: Elena Casagrande
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 27th, 2013
A poisonous black liquid has been injected into a recent shipment of refreshments. With the clock ticking, Vlad and Cassie have to stop the soda trucks before they reach their destination. With just one sip, innocent lives will suddenly turn into psychotic killers. With Vlad captured and Cassie being hunted by the local cops, the slasher slayers are far from each other to call out for help. The slasher slayer are the ones who can stop the Black Lamp from making this nightmare come true. As Vlad watches the destruction from his skybox, he realizes the final hour is upon them.
Knowing the ending is near, writer Tim Seeley grounds the issue in suspense and packs in tons of action. With Cassie and Vlad in danger, Seeley lets readers join in on the guessing game. Will one of the slasher slayers not make it to the final issue? If it’s dodging a bullet or being stabbed from behind, Seeley throws his protagonists in deadly situations. What’s interesting here is that Seeley doesn’t hint at a happy ending for the slasher slayers.
Though there is a lot of foreshadowing, Seeley sneaks in a very clever idea into the story. In the prison-like maze, Margaret uses a stylish guitar as a weapon. Like a rock star, Margaret strums the chords and watches as lasers turn her captors into dust. Seeley has fun with this hilarious idea, letting Margaret use the guitar more than once.
With just the opening pages, artist Elena Casagrande will have readers hooked with her illustrations. As Vlad is bruised and bloody, his kidnapper is holding a baby hostage. In just one swift move, Vlad tackles his kidnapper, while the baby is flying in the air. Casagrande keeps the close-ups on Vlad’s tied wrists as he catches the falling baby with his legs. Readers will be rooting for Vlad after seeing this well-constructed action sequence.
Casagrande builds the gore and mayhem as she depicts the poisoned soda addicts running around the rock concert. In wide shots, Acid Angel is calmly walking across the grass, while the poisoned drinkers are screaming, “Stab!” Keeping the fast pace flowing, Casagrande illustrates Cassie sliding over the hood of a car while being shot at. Casagrande keeps Cassie and Vlad occupied in their own situations, making sure readers know they are at their most vulnerable.
Your jaw will drop once you read the last page of “Hack/Slash” #24. Longtime fans will definitely be talking about this. Because I have my own ideas about what’s going to happen in the last issue, I am very anxious to read what actually happens.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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