Comics
Review: “Hack/Slash Son of Samhain”
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.
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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