‘Hack/Slash Back To School’ #1 Review

Hack/Slash returns with an all new mini-series from rising star Zoe Thorogood (It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth). 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.

Thorogood’s art and design are a wonderful shock to the system. The additional team members and Lollypop Chainsaw-inspired tone breathe new life into the world of Hack/Slash. There’s solid characterization with every character given a believable degree of empathy and pathos. The breakout character of Boo is consistently funny and charming — I can’t get enough of her.

The only aspects of the first two comic issues that I found jarring were that the series follows teenagers that I assumed were American using British slang. Each issue is a generous 26 pages but I wished the hacking and slashing portion of each adventure lasted longer. The series may not be perfect but it’s totally worth checking out.

Hack/Slash Back to School does what every good reboot should do and takes big creative swings while maintaining the spirit of what worked about the original comic. The series may be a definitive take on Cassie Hack for a new readership and a gateway series to the world of bizarre horror.

Hack/Slash Back to School #1 is available now from Image Comics.