Hack/Slash #23 – Review

By Tim Seeley (Writer), Ross Cambell (Art – Mad, Mad, Mailman), Mike Dimayuga (Art – Blood Blower), and Mark Englert (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ll take two short Hack/Slash stories in an issue any day. Especially if they can stand alone in a satisfying way.

The Story: In “Mad, Mad, Mailman,” a young girl obsessed with crime investigation tries to figure out if a mailman really did murder some sorority girls. In “Blood Blower,” Cassie, Lisa, and Pooch look to take down a snow-blower that has been killing puppies.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Hack/Slash #23 is decidedly average in every way. Competent, but far from memorable. Not bad, but not particularly good either.

I almost wish I could just stick the comic with a “C” and be done with it, but that would be a disservice to the readers.

The main problem with the Hack/Slash “double feature” is that neither “feature” is all that interesting. The first, “Mad, Mad, Mailman” has an interesting premise (think a morbid version of Harriet the Spy), but it ultimately feels like a waste of time for two reasons: it lacks Cassie/ Vlad and it has an extremely weak ending. The second “feature” is pretty much the complete opposite of the first. It has a weak premise, but it stars the main Hack/Slash cast and ends satisfyingly enough.

On a technical level, Hack/Slash #23 is actually quite good. Though the stories leave something to be desired, Tim Seeley’s character work is, as expected, great all around. As for the visuals, they do a nice job with all aspects of the stories. Ross Cambell and Mike Dimayuga have similar styles, so the book feels like a solid, cohesive package. If I have any complaint, it’s that occasionally Mark Englert’s color work seems to dominate the art. It leaves the work looking a bit less than tight.

Conclusion: Hack/Slash #23 is, as I said, decidedly average. It reads well and looks nice, but there are better comics to be spending money on this month.

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny

e: C