Zoe Thorogood takes on Tim Seeley‘s Hack/Slash in Hack/Slash: Back to School #1. But does the YA series from Image Comics get no respect, or is it a Triple Lindy?
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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Hack/Slash: Back To School #1 Review:
Previously, we did an advance review of the first 12 pages of the first issue of this series, which flashes back to Cassie Hack’s early career as a slasher-killer. She’s just had to kill her mom. She’s met Vlad, the sweet, enormous green guy who helps her out. And Cassie is getting ready to join a school for slasher-killers. So how did we feel about the second half of the issue?
Well, versus the first half, which is full of children getting decapitated and brains smashed in, the second half gave host Alex Zalben more of the YA vibes readers were promised.
“I absolutely am over the moon for Zoe Thorogood’s art,” Zalben gushed. “She has this exaggerated style where she stretches out the [characters’] limbs… it works perfectly for everything that’s going on here, particularly the hyper-violent stylization.”
In particular, Zalben loved the designs of Cassie and Vlad, adding that Vlad’s “Body is lumps. Like it’s a series of lumps. I love the way she draws it. Versus Cassie is sort of lanky and her legs are too long and she’s awkward in her body.”
Pete LePage loved the art too, and was happy to have his favorite duo back together. “This is a very exciting prequel to the Hack/Slash universe… It’s a fun team, and I’m so excited for more material to read.”
Going back to the art, Justin Tyler noted, “There’s something about Zoe’s art that is so unsettling, while still being really clean… And It fits the tone of the book perfectly.”
LePage also called out the “uneasiness” of the book, that the action gives off a feeling “like the other shoe’s going to drop.”
But ultimately, finished Zalben, “I love the characters we’re setting up, [the concept] is so clean… It’s so nice to have school for slasher-killers.”
Hack/Slash: Back To School #1 Official Synopsis:
HACK/SLASH returns with an untold tale and critically acclaimed cartoonist ZOE THOROGOOD at the bloody helm! Slasher hunter Cassie Hack is only just getting used to her man-monster partner, Vlad, when she’s drawn into a new case involving a murderous bunny mascot, dead kids, and an entire squad of maladjusted teenage serial-killer hunters! A completely new chapter in the beloved, long-running series that’s perfect for new readers and old fans alike, just in time for Halloween.
