Cassie Hack has been carving up slashers for a surprisingly long time. Since debuting in 2004, “Hack/Slash” has built up a dense mythology of killers, monster hunters, and girl detectives with a complexity that rivals long-running superhero comics. “Resurrection” boasts a talented new creative team, and a back to basics approach that prioritizes friendliness to new readers and horror aficionados above all else.
http://multiversitystatic.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/07/Hack-Slash-Resurrection-1.jpgCover by Tim Seeley
<strong>Written by Tini Howard
Illustrated by Celor
Colored by K. Michael Russell
Lettered by Crank!</strong>The fan-favorite title returns with hot new writer, TINI HOWARD! Cassie Hack has been living off the grid, but when a new monstrous threat arises to torment promiscuous teens, it’s time for Cassie to pick up the baseball bat once again! Gory, sexy, twisted, and funny…HACK IS BACK!
When we first check in with Cassie, her status quo has been reset like the beginning of a contemporary superhero run. Her erstwhile companion Vlad was killed off at the end of the last run, and now Cassie is working as a Twitch streamer in a lonely trailer, eating burgers and wearing nothing but her underwear and very trendy thigh-high socks. By the end of the issue, she’s been pulled into a scheme that involves killers and camp counselors.
Tini Howard is absolutely the right creator for the job. Her deep love of the genre and the series is evident on every page. In this first issue she fits in references to The Babadook, Robert Englund, Re-Animator, Michael Myers, and of course, Friday the 13th. Cassie’s cat is named after Dario Argento. If these are things that make you smile, you’ve found a friend in Howard.
The issue sacrifices some depth in the name of accessibility. Without any supporting cast or ongoing story, Cassie has become a bit of a blank slate, and Howard’s take on the character reads as a bit of wish fulfillment. Would that we could all be so lucky to manage our depression by playing video games for money. Eating a diet of fast food and coffee seems kind of fun, especially if you can continue to pull off being a perpetual hottie. There’s certainly room for this sort of character, but it sort of removes a bit of the tragedy that makes Cassie so compelling. The story tells us she’s mourning, but it’s undermined by how fun the story makes her lowest point look.
“Hack/Slash” has always been a series that revels in how skimpy it can make Cassie’s clothes, and this issue is no exception. It’s always a tricky line to walk, and its sleaziness is often dependent on the artist. Different interpretations of Cassie have managed to objectify and empower her with various degrees of success, and Celor finds himself on both sides of that line.
I wasn’t all too familiar with his work before this issue, but some research found his art featured on titles such as “Zombie Tramp.” His art style is actually a lot of fun, and fits in well with the existing “Hack/Slash” style, but a perusal of his work will find some obvious themes, mainly sexy ass-kicking women.
When Celor draws Cassie in a hoodie, beating up zombies with a baseball bat, she looks simultaneously powerful and harrowed. It’s when he draws her in her underwear (which is most of the issue) that things shift towards the male gaze. Again, there is a vibrant tradition of objectifying Cassie Hack, and fans of that approach, but it conflicts with the tone of the story. This is supposed to be the loneliness Cassie has ever been, she’s playing video games (which she hates) and eating garbage, but she looks like she dressed up (or down as the case may be) just for you. It’s incongruous, and the story suffers as a result. Then again, your mileage may vary depending on your tolerance for such things.
Another obstacle this issue faces is one of pacing. It’s a setup issue, and it does a good job at establishing the conflict and the new potential bad guys, but if I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on the same few things, that’s because not much happens in the issue. The conflict only starts moving in the last few pages, and the issue ends on a cliffhanger that will inevitably be less than what it seems. The occasional action beats feel obligatory, as Cassie is just killing wandering monsters with no connection to the greater story.
Continued belowI get why superhero comics love to hit the reset button every so often, 70 years of history is a lot to contend with. The advantage to independent ongoings is that they are simple to catch up on, and thus have room to grow and change. That’s why it’s perplexing that “Hack/Slash” would jettison all of its baggage. The story feels disconnected, like an incidental miniseries. Dealing with the death of such a major character should open the series up to look backwards as well as forwards. There’s a little bit of that, but not enough.
That’s where the pacing comes in. The next few issues in the arc will determine whether or not Vlad’s death and Cassie’s coping mean anything. The spooky summer camp and the mad scientist get teased here, but it’s too soon to judge if they will be memorable “Hack/Slash” villains or not.
Based on the strength of Howard’s writing, “Hack/Slash: Resurrection” shows a lot of promise. Celor’s art may not be to everyone’s taste, but it certainly fits in the grand scheme of the series, even if there are a few uncomfortable moments in this first issue. If “Resurrection” leads to a resurgence of the adventures of Cassie Hack, it’s a fine starting point, but if this is meant to be the setup to a discrete miniseries, it could do a lot more to distinguish itself.
Final Verdict: 7.2 – This first issue takes a while to get going, but should be fun for fans of the series.
