Connect with us

Comics

Review: ‘Army of Darkness vs Hack/Slash’ # 1

Published

11 years ago

on

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

Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Comics

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

Published

16 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Witchblade cover

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.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

Continue Reading