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Jan 14, 2011 Web Exclusive By Jeremy Nisen

Tim Seeley doesn’t just utilize the tropes of the horror genre to tell a heck of a tale. He ably repurposes and tweaks horror conventions—and incorporates smatterings of other genres—to weave a compelling, interesting, and damned funny mythology around protagonist Cassie Hack and her supporting cast.

Cassie Hack, a hunter of horror-movie-style slashers, is sexy, smart, and dangerous. Together with her sidekick—the strong, stoic, mostly silent Vlad (who’s definitely got the best one-liners)—she puts the hurt on secret societies, alien intelligences, and demonically powered rock stars, to name a few.

The materials from the Hack/Slash series (issues 18–32) represent a huge, satisfying chunk of story. The bonus materials (non-Seeley-written) are fine, if less interesting—but this is an omnibus, after all, so they are welcome, along with cool pinups and bonus photos in the back.

Some of the art is awesome—such as Dan Parent (of Archie fame) working on a Riverdale-spoofing chapter. Bryan Baugh’s art, which starts with the Sons of Man storyline, is a pretty drastic stylistic change from what comes before and after; it’s very good, but the juxtaposition may be jarring when entering his stuff. In fact, Seeley should be commended on finding so many competent creators to do his characters justice (though more art from Seeley himself, whose pencils frequently appear in Marvel/DC Comics, would always be welcome; there’s precious little of it in here).

This book is perfect for fans of horror and/or action looking for something with a little more heart and intelligence, and a lot more personality and originality than standard action comics. It has variety, readability, re-readability, wit, and is money well spent. (www.imagecomics.com)

Author rating: 8/10