Hack/Slash #24 – Review

By Tim Seeley (Writer), Bryan Baugh (Artist), and Mark Englert (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: How fucking cool is the Matt Merhoff cover for the Hack/Slash #24?!

The Story: The pumpkin-headed Samhain approaches Cassie and Vlad about a possible alliance. They both want to take down the Black Lamp Society, which is finally explained in detail, so, as the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

What’s Good: I wasn’t a big fan of the Netherworld plot, since it tended to get in the way of the Casssie vs. Slasher storylines that make Hack/Slash the fun series that it usually is. The Black Lamp Society stuff that’s been brewing for the last few issues is something that I can get behind. The Black Lamp Society origin story that’s told in Hack/Slash #24 delivers a nice mix of mythology (True Blood fans take notice) religion, and the supernatural (an explanation for the slashers!?) that, while not super original, fits surprisingly well into the larger Hack/Slash storyline.

Another good thing about Hack/Slash #24 is the artwork by new series artist Bryan Baugh. It’s very stylized (like a cross between tattoo art and sexy pin-up art), but loaded with an impressive amount of detail. Baugh’s work fits the series well and definitely makes the Hack/Slash interiors look quite unique.

As you probably expected, the dialogue in the latest Hack/Slash also scores a spot in the “What’s Good” section. Tim Seeley clearly has a strong handle on the story he is telling and uses smart dialogue and character interaction to drive it forward. While, again, the plot isn’t completely original, it is still fun and compelling. I look forward to reading more of it.

What’s Not So Good: I’m not entirely sure if it’s an issue with the artwork or the colors, but a few panels in Hack/Slash #24 look a bit sloppy. Either lines look extra rough or the colors lack definition. While it’s far from a crippling problem (an extra layer of polish would have helped immensely), it’s noticeable enough to warrant a mention.

Conclusion: Hack/Slash #24 is one of the best issue of the series in a while. The dialogue is sharp, the artwork is well worth checking out, and the storyline shows lots of promise. I can’t wait for the double-sized Hack/Slash #25!

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Mercy Sparx #3 – Review

By Josh Blaylock (Writer), Matt Merhoff (Pencils), and Bill Crabtree (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The first two issues of Mercy Sparx hinted that there may be quite a bit of depth to the new series beyond the slick concept of a devil-girl hunting rogue angels. However, writer Josh Blaylock has so far seemed more interested in letting Matt Merhoff go crazy with drawn out fight scenes as opposed to actually getting to the real meat of what Mercy Sparx is going to be all about. While I have enjoyed the brutal, fairly creative devil-girl vs. rogue angel action, the story needs to move beyond that in order to keep me hooked for the long term. I know the debut mini-series ends next month in order to pave the way for the ongoing. Whether I make the jump to the ongoing will largely depend on how things develop as the mini wraps up.

The Story: A meeting with Pastor Collins leaves Mercy quite upbeat as it seems her task on earth is finally complete. The elation is short lived however as the she-devil learns that her task wasn’t exactly heaven sent. It turns out more is at stake than Mercy could have realized.

What’s Good: I hoped for more story and that’s exactly what Mercy Sparx #3 delivers. The character, world, and series instantly became a lot more interesting upon learning the true nature of Mercy’s job. And while the plot twist isn’t exactly original, the stylish artwork and interesting character design leaves me looking forward to the future of the series. In addition, the twist puts Mercy in quite an interesting position heading into the conclusion of the mini-series/ launch of the ongoing. In other words, it looks as though Mercy Sparx could have a very bright future.

What’s Not So Good: There is quite a bit still up in the air regarding the plot developing through the mini-series. A fairly large amount of questions have yet to be answered and while I’m sure they will be addressed in the future, it makes it difficult to judge how satisfying the mini-series will ultimately end up being. Another negative worth mentioning is how the plot twist is both predictable and quite generic. Sure, the whole idea works and lends itself well to an ongoing, but I hope that there ends up being more to the series in the long run.

Conclusion: Mercy Sparx continues to be a fun series that gets by largely on its cool concept and attractive, stylish visuals. If you’ve liked it so far, I’m sure you will end up liking where the series goes next. In my humble opinion, Mercy Sparx is a keeper.

Grade:  B

-Kyle Posluszny

Mercy Sparx #1 – Review

By Josh Blaylock (Writer), Matt Merhoff (Artist), and Eduardo Medeiros (Colors)

The Story: Mercy Sparx is a sexy demon from Sheol, a place located between Heaven and Hell. Her once dead-end life now has purpose as she serves as a bounty hunter for Heaven by bringing in rogue angels living among humanity. In this debut, Mercy Sparx is tasked with bringing in the muse Serendipity, currently living on earth as D.J. Dip. It doesn’t exactly go smoothly.

What’s Good: This comic instantly makes a good impression, thanks to the memorable visuals by Matt Merhoff and colorist Eduardo Medeiros. The look seems to inspired by tattoo artwork and it perfectly fits the tone that writer Josh Blaylock seems to be going for. Along with the amazing art, the idea of Mercy Sparx alone, is interesting, having us look forward to the character’s development. While she comes across as fairly one-dimensional in this first issue, it is not difficult to see how her attitude and lot in life could lead to some compelling scenarios. Especially considering the divine powers she is dealing with. With angels, demons, God, and the underworld in play, the story could easily become much more than the sum of its parts. The concept that this book introduces so far could easily become much deeper than your average bounty hunter story.

What’s Not So Good: As stylish and fun as this book is, it does have some flaws that could be damaging in the future if not addressed early on. The most glaring problem is that the bounty hunting action does not flow quite as well as it should, something that could prove distracting if the series winds up being full of action. The other thing I noticed is that Mercy’s bad attitude could easily come off as annoying to some readers. While I have no problem with her tone this early in the series, she will need some added depth in order to become truly endearing. Neither issue I pointed out crippling at this stage of the game, but they are things that should be taken into consideration for the future.

Conclusion: Mercy Sparx #1 is a promising, fun debut for a character loaded with potential. If a sexy, bounty hunting, metal-head of a demon sounds interesting, be sure to pick this one up.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Mercy Sparx #0 – Capsule Review

By Josh Blaylock (Writer), Matt Merhoff (Pencils), Eduardo Medeiros (Colors), and Sean Dove (Design)

I’m quite a few weeks late on this one on account of the difficulty I had locating a copy, but it definitely deserves a mention. This zero issue introduces the world to Mercy Sparx, a sexy punk-rock she-demon living in Sheol, a city located somewhere between purgatory, heaven, and hell. She’s living a dead end life, has a bad attitude, and is not entirely sure she even cares anymore at this point. Some, not all, of that changes when a burly demon in a pin-stripe suit interrupts her at a bar to deliver a message from heaven.

While Mercy Sparx as a character feels fairly familiar, the book feels surprisingly fresh thanks to some clever writing and extremely attractive artwork. Josh Blaylock hits just the right tone for a story about a character like Mercy and some lines give me a feeling that the series will end up aiming higher than one might initially expect given the premise. As for the art, the absolutely fantastic character designs are made even better by some vibrant color work. The look calls to mind some classic pin-up and tattoo designs, definitely a good thing that makes this one stand out from the pack.

At only 99 cents, you really can’t go wrong in checking out the premiere of Mercy Sparx. I enjoyed the hell out of it and I’m fairly certain you will to. The October debut can’t come soon enough. (Grade: B+)

-Kyle Posluszny