Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Rapha Lobosco
Colours: Dee Cunniffe
Release Date: 5th December 2018

---

Cassie and Vlad are back. After ridding the world of the SLASHER bloodline, an unexpected reunion brings news of a return of the Slashers and help from unexpected quarters.

For those of you not familiar with Hack/Slash, Cassie (scantily clad Goth chick and general bad-ass) and her deformed giant of a partner Vlad, are Slasher Hunters. Their targets aren’t your average run of the mill murderers or serial killers, but rather the kind of supernatural monsters you might find in a 1980’s horror movie. Over the years Cassie has fought Chucky, The Evil Dead and Herbert West to name but a few.

Cassie’s introduction into the world of Slashers took place when her own mother, a serial killer who committed suicide, came back from the grave as the Lunch Lady, a supernatural killer who chopped up kids for her cookpot.  This revelation sent Cassie on a quest across the world to wipe out Slashers wherever she finds them.

Originally created in 2004 by Tim Seeley, I’ve had something of a love/hate relationship with Hack/Slash over the years. There have been some very high points and some very low points, mainly due to the numerous crossovers and specials that haven’t always been great and have resulted in some confusing licensing issues, but overall I’d say I’ve had a lot of fun along the way.

I was a bit nervous when I picked this title up. Dynamite have been a bit hit and miss recently (for example, their Vampirella series’ have been very inconsistent of late), but I have to say they’ve done a fantastic job with this issue. Tim Seeley is still very much at the helm and whilst the basic premise of “vs. Chaos” isn’t exactly a new one within the world of Hack/Slash, it still features a few surprises and some interesting ideas that left me excited to read more.

Rapha Lobosco is not new to the world of Hack/ Slash having provided the art for the “vs. Vampirella” series, and it’s great to see him continue to be involved. Hack/Slash has always had an air of the risqué about it, bordering on the out-and-out erotic at times, and that continues to be the case with this series. Cassie has always been scantily clad and has donned some extremely provocative outfits in the course of her adventures, for… reasons. If there’s one thing that Dynamite can be relied on for it is their ability to cram as much naked flesh into a panel as is humanly possible without completely overstepping the bounds of decency, and Lobosco is more than up for the challenge here it seems.

I was also very pleased to see that Dee Cunniffe is colouring this issue. He has been one of my favourite colourists of the last couple of years, especially his work on Redneck & The Wicked & The Divine. Cunniffe always brings something special to whatever he’s working on and his bold colours and vivid contrasts work really well in this issue.

As I said previously, there have been highs and lows to Hack/Slash over the last 14 years, but Tim Seeley has always delivered an entertaining ride, and with Lobosco and Cunniffe on board, I think we have the makings of another great story.

RATING: 3/5.

---

[PREVIEW ARTWORK]

---

The writer of this piece was: Mark Scott
Mark Tweets from @macoy_comicgeek ‏

---