Hack/Slash | |
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Cover art for Hack/Slash #1. Art by Tim Seeley. |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Devil's Due Publishing Image Comics |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Ongoing series |
Genre | Horror |
Publication date | 2004 β present |
Number of issues | Vol. 1 32 Vol. 2 10 (ongoing) |
Creative team | |
Writer(s) | Tim Seeley |
Penciller(s) | Emily Stone |
Inker(s) | Courtney Via |
Colorist(s) | Courtney Via |
Hack/Slash is an ongoing comic books series, launched from several one shots of the same name, published by Image Comics (previously by Devil's Due Publishing).
The series, starting as a series of one-shots, was created by writer and sometime penciller Tim Seeley.
The focus of the series is on a horror victim, Cassie, who strikes back at the monsters, known as "slashers", with Vlad, a disfigured "gentle giant" who frequently wears a gas mask.
The property started in 2004 as a series of one-shots, starting with the Stefano Caselli-penciled Hack/Slash (later referred to by its story title Euthanized), followed by the Federica Manfredi-penciled Girls Gone Dead.
2005 saw the one-shots Comic Book Carnage and the series stars, Vlad and Cassie, appeared in the Aadi Salman penciled The Final Revenge of Evil Ernie. The "Hack/Slash" one shots were collected as the First Cut trade paperback in the same year. The first "Hack/Slash" miniseries debuted, Land of Lost Toys, penciled by Dave Crosland, followed by a collection of new short stories in a 2006 special issue called Trailers (featuring art by writer Tim Seeley, original penciler Caselli, Mike Norton, Skottie Young and Josh Medors).
A 25-cent preview issue giving newcomers a recap of "Euthanized" hit the markets in 2006, along with "Slice Hard", the first one-shot of 2006. Seeley penciled the new part of the preview and was one of the pencilers and inkers of the one-shot along with Mark Englert, Nate Bellgarde, Andy Kuhn and Joe Largent. The one-shot Hack/Slash Vs. Chucky, had the lead duo taking on the evil doll and was penciled by Matt Merhoff.
2007 had a Free Comic Day tie-in with Devil's Due's "Family Guy", where both books had half the issue to itself. The "Hack/Slash" section had a recap portion of the 25 cent preview issue. "Hack/Slash" graduated to an ongoing series in May 2007.
The ongoing series has included a crossover with Re-Animator, where Herbert West is tied in to her father,[1][2] as well a Hack/Slash Annual collecting the web comic featuring the SuicideGirls photo shoot.[3]
On March 2010 it was announced at the Emerald City Comincon and then widely across most of the comic world net that creator Tim Seeley was taking his creation Hack/Slash from long time publishers Devil's Due Publications to a new home at Image Comics. The move comes after much reported news that Devil's Due was going through a lot of financial difficulties with staff on all level not being paid for months on end and likewise Tim Seeley also not receiving his paycheck and thus not being able to pay his staff of artists and colorists. Hack/Slash's tenure at Devil's Due closed with issue #32 of the then-ongoing series. Hack/Slash's first release on Image was the 4-part miniseries My First Maniac, which was followed by a new Hack/Slash series.
Starting September, 2011 Hack/Slash became available digitally through Devil's Due Digital.
Cassandra "Cassie" Hack β An attractive, yet tough-as-nails, fearless loudmouth who hunts slashers with her partner, Vlad.
Vlad β The enigmatic partner of Cassie, Vlad is a big, muscular, disfigured man, who wears a gas mask and brandishes two big meat cleavers. Met by Cassie when they were both stalking the "Meatman Killer", Cassie soon befriended him. There's not much known about Vlad, not even his full name, but he seems very aware of his unconventional looks, which prompts him to wear the gas mask (which, he says, protects him from the thin outside air he has been deprived of for 20 years β though he can be seen breathing without his mask too). According to Vlad, he was raised by a butcher who rescued him from a garbage can. The butcher served as his only human contact. He used comic books to teach Vlad to read; he also taught Vlad how to use knives to help him adjust to his deformities. When the butcher died, Vlad was forced to go outside where rumors of the Meat Man started and he eventually met Cassie. Vlad's relationship with Cassie is quite paternal, as Vlad seems utterly concerned with his "little one's" well being. Quite naive, but well-versed in strategy and battle skills, Vlad doubles as the "muscle" of the team, and as a sort of guardian for Cassie, counseling and comforting her when it's needed.
Chris Krank and Doctor Lisa Elsten β Lisa was introduced in Hack/Slash: Euthanized as the girlfriend of Kyle Bell. Chris appeared later in Hack/Slash: Land of Lost Toys #1 as the geeky roommate of Jason Michaels. Both survived the Slasher attacks in their respective stories and because of this reappeared in Hack/Slash vs. Chucky as two of the potential victims of Laura Lochs. They are now in a relationship and living together. Together they have formed Hack/Slash Inc, a website for Slasher survivors.
Margaret Crump aka Georgia Peaches β Georgia is a recurring character in Hack/Slash, who is currently a potential love interest for Cassie. Introduced in Hack/Slash #2 as a stripper who was a fan of the band, Acid Washed. Was sent to the hell dimension of Nef by the band along with Cassie as virgin sacrifices. During their time caged up together, Cassie and Georgia discussed Cassie's lack of a sex life and her orientation, which she is still unsure of. This led to Georgia suggesting that were they not chained up, they could have sex with each other in order to become "impure" and therefore escape. Since escaping from Nef, Cassie and Georgia have been keeping in touch by phoning each other every day. In Hack/Slash #8, Cassie fantasizes about kissing Georgia, suggesting that Georgia's previous suggestion about Cassie being gay may actually be correct. However, after several bad experiences with slashers Cassie breaks away from her to keep her safe. Later they reconnect and even become lovers.
Pooch β Pooch first appears in the "Shout at the Devil" arc as a spawn and servant of the Neflords, H. P. Lovecraft-esque entities which reproduce by impregnating virgins from Earth, whom they have abducted to their dimension of Nef. Resembling a demonic hairless dog, Pooch works under the Neflords' lieutenant Elvis Presley and, after his master is killed and Cassie and Georgia escape Nef, is sent to Earth to kill Cassie, but instead meets and befriends Chris and Lisa, who (reluctantly at first) let Pooch live with them. Pooch decides to abandon the Neflords and have Chris and Lisa as his new masters due to their kindness to him. In the arc "Closer", Pooch is severely injured while defending Chris and Lisa from another agent of the Neflords sent to kill him and Cassie, an agent which is later killed by Chris; Pooch's display of loyalty and bravery ultimately cause Chris and Lisa to realize how much he means to them, and the two have begun helping him to recuperate.
Samhain - Samhain saved Cassie Hack from the Black Lamp Society murder attempt. He has no memory of his past life, except for his exceptional fighting skills and his hatred to the Society. Perhaps it's because the Society killed the one person important to him. He's trying to rescue Ava Park from the Black Lamp Society with the aid of Cassie and Vlad.
Making his debut in issue #20, Samhain is a jack-o-lantern masked ex-slasher. His conscience restored as well as his lack of desire to commit meaningless murder like other slashers. In later issues, Samhain's face is revealed from behind the mask, and following his capture and re-programming by the Black Lamp Society in issues 24-25, he then once again becomes, all but briefly, the deadliest slasher of all; he is then ordered and obeys in the killing of his love, Dr. Ava Park. This spell is only broken by a passionate kiss from Cassie which restores his mind back to his former pre-slasher default setting. But for Cassie, this also awakens something inside of her she didn't think possible, and in later issues is found to be deeply fantasizing about and desiring the masked man.
Slashers (known to the government as "Revenants") are the beings that Cassie and Vlad hunt down. Slashers as a whole can be divided into two broad categories. The first and most common are the undead variety: These are people who died while filled with rage toward life, and somehow return from the dead filled with only that rage driving them to kill. While their exact abilities vary individually, all possess resistance to damage, and must suffer severe bodily harm to be killed. This kind can be controlled by the proper magics, and once their body has been sufficiently destroyed, usually stay dead.
The other kind are people who are still alive, but are often insane and engage in Slasher behavior. They can be killed by normal means.
The serial killer possessed doll from the "Child's Play" films.
The Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin-Man are featured.
The tattooed vixens from the site www.suicidegirls.com
Vlad and Cassie must battle Bobby, a vengeful, undead slasher with the ability to control dead animals. Bobby was revealed to have been a mentally handicapped veterinary assistant accidentally murdered by the vet's fiance. This issue has a 4 page origin for Cassie, whose mother's backstory as a killer and slasher are yet to be expanded upon.
Vlad and Cassie battle Father Wrath, a slasher being controlled by a devoutly crazy Catholic schoolgirl, Laura Lochs. Father Wrath was a traveling Baptist preacher, who was murdered by his nephew when he tried to sexually assault him. The revived Wrath emerged as an evil killer.
Vlad and Cassie must deal with a human murderer, Lloyd Sundermann with a parasitic twin, Jimmy at a comic book convention. Breaking the fourth wall of sorts, the murderer and his brother go after Steve Niles, Scottie Young, and Robert Kirkman, real-life comic book creators, and murder them for turning an "innocent" golden age hero into a brooding "modern" hero.
Cassie and Vlad battle Evil Ernie, who awakens in a new reality (the Hack/Slash world) with Ernie falling in love with Cassie. After Cassie is fatally wounded, Ernie sacrifices his life to revive her, and is reborn in a new reality elsewhere.
Cassie and Vlad battle an undead child, Ashley Guthrie, with the ability to kill people in their dreams. They find out his mother killed him (because he was a horrible child), but he was reborn in the dream plane (ala Freddy Krueger). Using toys to murder his victims, Cassie kills Ashley, but his spirit possesses the teddy bear his mother smothered him with. Vlad's origin has a four-page spread similar to Cassie's.
Short 2β3 page "trailers" of books. So far, only "Tub Club" has been fully expanded, but one of the stories evolves out of "Girls Gone Dead" and "Comic Book Carnage", leading to "Vs Chucky". One of the trailers has Cassie and Vlad take down slasher Hibachi Devil, who reappears in "Slice Hard".
"Euthanized"'s 4 page spread (Cassie's origin) is reprinted, along with a lead-in to "Slice Hard" where Vlad and Cassie are captured by a corporation.
Several slashers (Hibachi Devil, Acid Angel, Mortimer Strick, X-O, and Waking Man), most featured in Cassie's origin, and never actually encountered in the comic series to date, are held prisoner by a company run by Emily Christy, a former Ms. America, that wants to use the slashers to develop anti-aging remedies. If a captured Cassie agrees to help capture the slashers, the company promises to use plastic surgery on Vlad. Ashley, now in a stuffed bear body, has other ideas when it breaks in and frees the slashers, who go after the director, Cassie, and Vlad. In the process, all the slashers are defeated, but Christy uses the "slasher formula" on herself, becoming a new slasher, named Ms. America.
Cassie and Vlad take on Chucky in a story taking place after the film Seed of Chucky. Serves as a sequel to "Girls Gone Dead".When Laura Lochs uses an ancient relic to body swap out of her currently burnt to a crisp remains and into the body of none other than Vlad, It then falls upon Cassie, Vlad (Now in Laura Loch's body) and Chucky to end the now near unstoppable Loch's evil plans before she can kill several of Cassie's close friends whom have been captured and used in Laura's sick game of revenge. If all that wasn't enough Cassie must also deal with the unlikely and deadly partnership with Chucky whom she knows all too well can turn and try to kill her at any given moment.
It was announced that a crossover with webcomic Halloween Man. Chapter 1 was released online on October 15.[4]
A cosmic disturbance (caused by Mary Shelley Lovecraft battling a number of superheroes in another dimension) results in all holiday themed slashers to awaken early, prompting Cassie and Vlad to begin frantically hunting them all down. The main villain of the story is Peter Lapage (the Candlemas Murderer) a Pennsylvania centered slasher based on Groundhog Day.
In the middle of the woods a pair of campers are frightened away by the Jersey Devil, who in turn is sent home by the Living Corpse. After encountering the fleeing campers Cassie and Vlad go looking for the Jersey Devil, finding it in an abandoned house and dispatching of it with surprising ease, enraging the creature's witch parent Mother Leeds. On the way back to the van Vlad runs into and briefly fights Corpse, but the two are broken up by Cassie (who is acquainted with Corpse). As Cassie and Corpse exchange pleasantries Mother Leeds attacks, wanting revenge for the death of her son (who Corpse states was actually harmless and the only thing keeping the unstable Mother Leeds in check). Producing a never ending stream of ferocious demon "children" Mother Leeds is killed when Vlad stops her spawn from exiting her body by forcibly cramming Corpse up inside her, causing the witch to explode from the pressure.
A four issue miniseries, and the first Hack/Slash books to be published by Image, the series explores Cassie's teenage years, showing her life directly after the second death of her mother, and before she met Vlad. After doing some research regarding the possible existence of slashers (through urban legends), Cassie decides to leave her foster home and travels to Manchester, Iowa, where there's a legend of an undead farmer that kills those who trespass on his land. Cassie, though becoming comfortable with the local teens, soon discovers that the slasher is actually the angry spirit of a rebellious young man named "Matthew," who is now known as a slasher called "Grinface" and has help committing his murders by his killer/girlfriend Sarah (a teen Cassie befriended). In the end, Grinface turns on Sarah and is killed by Cassie, who fulfills Sarah's dying wish of destroying her body (so she wouldn't become a slasher).
The miniseries ends with Cassie sneaking up and attacking Vlad in Chicago, whom she believes to be a slasher.
Crossover with Devil's Due Publishing character Mercy Sparx. Limited to one-thousand copies, the one-shot (released in November) was only available for purchase through Devil's Due's online store, though copies with an alternative cover were sold at Detroit Fanfare on October 30β31.
Cassie was used as bait to lure in a slasher, who captures her and tortures her by removing two of her toes in between flashbacks to Hack/Slash: Euthanized (the original one-shot). Vlad frees her and Cassie breaks down to tears at where their life has gotten her.
Cassie is sent to the hell dimension of Nef by a rock singer who bargained success for the ritual periodic sacrifice of virgins, and once again it is up to Vlad to save the situation, losing his virginity to be able to take Cassie back.
Emily Cristy aka Ms. America is brought back by a group of scientists who are attempting to understand how "Revenants" (i.e., Slashers) are made. Ms. America escapes, killing one of the scientists and stealing his skin.
Cassie and Vlad take a backseat in this issue and their story involves Vlad being ill and Cassie selling her mother's wedding ring so they have enough money to stay in a motel, which will be better for his health.
Also Chris and Lisa have a side-story involving a confrontation with Lisa's ex-boyfriend Kyle (last seen in Hack/Slash: Euthanized). Afterwards, Chris and Lisa begin a (mostly physical) relationship.
A slightly tongue-in-cheek issue done in the style of Archie Comics surrounding the return of Father Wrath, who turns out not to be the original Slasher seen in Hack/Slash: Girls Gone Dead but a teenager named Samuel Lawrence. Samuel is revealed to be Father Wrath's nephew before he is killed by Vlad.
Cassie and Vlad investigate a college in Massachusetts where a series of corpses have been discovered, which have been reduced to a pile of flesh. Cassie and Vlad's relationship is somewhat rocky due to the amount of time Cassie has been spending on the phone with Georgia. After Vlad is attacked, Cassie begins questioning the local students and discovers that a number of them are lesbians who are involved in a cult surrounding the mythology of Elizabeth Bathory.
After accidentally kissing one of the students, Cassie interrogates her to find out more information about the cult. Before the student, Amber, can lead her to the cult's base of operations, Cassie encounters a government team who are also investigating the situation. One of the team admits that they worked for Cassie's father, Dr. Jack Hack and tells Cassie that he knows how to find him.
Cassie, Vlad and the government team are led by Amber into the cult's underground base. They are attacked by Ms. America, who has become stronger by stealing the blood and skin of students in an attempt to regain her original beauty. After a long battle, Vlad, now more comfortable with his own deformities, impales Ms. America. Afterwards, Cassie and Vlad reconcile, though Cassie is uncertain of her feelings towards Georgia.
Following the clue given to them by the government agent at the college, Cassie and Vlad investigate a cabin in Montana in the hopes of finding information about Cassie's father: Dr. Jack Hack. They find a series of journals describing government-sponsored research performed on a group of feral children. The children were injected with a drug called "Rev-D", which theoretically will turn them into "Revenants" i.e., Slashers.
Just as Cassie and Vlad are preparing to leave with the journals, the cabin is fire-bombed by the children. Cassie and Vlad manage to escape from the burning cabin but Vlad refuses to hurt the children as it is against his moral code. Upon escaping, Cassie shoots the children, something that Vlad is not comfortable with. At the end, Cassie, in need of comfort, phones Georgia.
Cassie and Vlad hunt down Nathan, a one-eyed vigilante, who Cassie believes is a Slasher. However, he is actually hunting down the men he holds responsible for killing his wife and mutilating him. Nathan gets his revenge but dies from a gunshot wound. Between Slasher activity, Cassie attempts to track down her father using a list of government-created false identities she found in the Montana cabin, while at the same time still pondering her feelings for Georgia.
Meanwhile, "Pooch" (the demonic dog from Shout at The Devil) has come to Earth looking for Cassie. As Cassie is busy, she asks Chris to track him down. Using items of Cassie's as bait, Chris locates Pooch and the pair of them return to Chris and Lisa's.
Chris alerts Cassie and Vlad to the mysterious simultaneous suicides of a number of SuicideGirls. It turns out that the deaths are the work of D1ab0liq, a megalomaniacal and misanthropic blogger and thrill-killer who was electrocuted in a fight with police after being turned in by his Suicide Girl girlfriend. Now an undead entity existing as pure information on the internet, D1ab0liq is capable of possessing people via their computers and forcing them to kill themselves and others. Cassie joins the Suicide Girls website and posts an erotic photoset as an attempt to lure D1ab0liq into attacking her. Cassie and Vlad manage to at least temporarily destroy D1ab0liq, but at the cost of the life of a Suicide Girl whose body he was possessing at the time.
The story begins with Cassie having another in a series of recurring nightmares about Milk & Cheese. Afterwards, Cassie and Vlad decide to investigate the "Hitchfield Massacre" that has been headlining the newspapers. They investigate the scene where several college girls disappeared and find torn clothing, claw marks and encounter a reporter named Phil O'Grady who is also investigating the murders. While Phil shows Cassie a recording of one of the killings a local policewoman is violently killed by a treehugger β presumably the same creature responsible for the killings. The creature moves on to attack the Phil's trailer and eventually Vlad kills the treehugger.
Following the trail of treehuggers, the group eventually discover a clearing in the forest containing a dilapidated house. Inside they discover a display of human flesh, a horde of treehuggers and eventually encounter Eddie, the creator and puppetmaster of the treehuggers. After a prolonged battle between Vlad and Eddie, Phil pushes Eddie down into the basement. Cassie and Vlad follow, only to discover that Eddie has murdered and mutilated Phil. They also find a store of "empty" treehuggers awaiting trapped souls, including one labelled "Kassy". Determined to put an end to the treehuggers, they decide to burn the house down and leave, but are aware that Eddie is still alive.
Meanwhile, we discover that an elderly woman named Muffy Joworski (who we were briefly introduced to in Hack/Slash #10) has been tracking Cassie's movements and believes that she is not only responsible for the killings but is in fact "the most prolific serial killer in the world".
At the same time, we see a pair of hired workmen digging up the coffin of Delilah Hack aka The Lunch Lady.
Georgia joins a film crew making a remake of The Wizard of Oz after hearing of a murder on set that appears to be the work of a slasher. However, she is on the point of being killed by the slasher when Cassie and Vlad arrive, and is only rescued in the nick of time. Cassie is initially outraged that Georgia has put herself in danger trying to help her, but finally admits how much Georgia means to her, and kisses her non-sexually.
Meanwhile, Muffy Jaworski has a vision of the murders committed by Father Wrath in Girls Gone Dead, but sees Cassie as the killer.
Finally, Cassie's father Jack Hack at last appears in the comic, meeting Dr. Herbert West in the basement of a head shop.
Following the list of false identities from Montana, Cassie and Vlad finally find Jack, who is collaborating with Herbert West in an attempt to resurrect Cassie's mother, Delilah, and bring her back to sanity. It turns out that Jack was involved with the sinister government agency that has been researching slashers, and was studying Delilah because her psychological profile suggested that she might become one. However, he fell in love with her and married her, but finally abandoned Cassie and Delilah when the agency tried to force him to accelerate Delilah's potential transformation. Unfortunately, before the family can be reconciled, an only half-restored and still unstable Delilah breaks free. In the resulting mayhem, Delilah eventually kills Jack, and Cassie is forced to help West to kill her mother yet again. Cassie reluctantly allows West to go free.
Meanwhile, the Lords of Nef, angered by Pooch's failure to fulfil his mission, select a female demonic warrior and send her to Earth with orders to kill Cassie.
After losing both her parents again, Cassie becomes an emotional wreck and so Vlad phones Georgia in the hope that Cassie will open up to someone. Upon her arrival, Cassie breaks down in her arms leaving Vlad feeling worthless and he retreats to a bar. Cassie and Georgia continue to talk and Cassie confesses that she wants to simply be a normal girl. After a soft kiss, the two of them begin to makeout. Vlad returns from the bar to overhear muffled kissing, causing him to become even more jealous.
Muffy Joworski continues to investigate slasher incidents, however all leads indicate Cassie is the killer. Therefore, when Cassie goes to the police station to offer information, she is arrested on suspicion of a series of murders.
Elsewhere, a demon assassin arrives from Nef with the goal of eliminating both the traitorous Pooch and Cassie. This results in an attack on Lisa and Chris' house by the assassin, who uses Lisa's ex boyfriend Kyle as a hostage. However, Pooch leads away the assassin in order to save his new masters and is almost killed in the process. Vlad confronts Georgia about his feelings on the two of them, but is interrupted by a call from Cassie asking for help. Vlad visits Cassie in jail and they deduce that the false visions are coming from Ashley Guthrie, the only slasher they've encountered who can influence dreams. This does not convince the police and Cassie is taken to another facility. However, in transit the van is attacked and Cassie is kidnapped by a group called the "Black Lamp Society", who try to sacrifice her for her "crimes" against slashers. The arc ends with her being rescued by a mysterious masked man called Samhain.
Cassie awakens after sleeping for two days, once again safe in her van with Vlad and Georgia. They are soon reunited with Gertrude Hall (last seen in Shout at the Devil). The group end up getting in a brawl and are thrown in jail.
Ashley's hold over Muffy Joworski becomes more powerful and he possesses her body in order to go after Cassie, enlisting the aid of banished rocker Six Sixx in order to do it. However, he accidentally unleashes more creatures from a hell dimension who capture and torture the group. Six Sixx manages to break free and, after having his powers recharged in Nef, returns to free his fellow hostages. He then returns to Nef with Muffy/Ashley as a payment to his masters for his newly restored abilities.
Upon returning to the hotel room a naked Georgia surprises Cassie and suggests they have sex but Cassie turns her down. She then tells Georgia that she is going to continue hunting slashers and that her time with Georgia was a "mistake" because she was wrong about her sexuality.
14 years ago, a young "Nancy Drew type" girl named Cat thinks she has found a clue in a crime that has been overlooked by police investigators. However, the police accuse her of being a pest and she decides to investigate it alone. She discovers an item in a house that contains a black oil, which when burned gives off a unique black flame. Then, using her spy equipment, she overhears the residents of the house talking about the Black Lamp Society. However, she is discovered and stabbed by a pumpkin-masked Samhain.
Back in the present, Cassie and Lisa are shopping for gear to aid in the hunting of the "Snow Blower" who has been killing local dogs. They decide to use Pooch as bait and soon enough Cassie and Lisa confront the slasher. Meanwhile at Lisa and Chris's house, the rest of the gang are enjoying Christmas festivities and Gertrude comforts Georgia about her break-up with Cassie.
Samhain enlists the help of Cassie and Vlad in an attempt to bring down the Black Lamp Society. Samhain reveals to them the origin of Slashers as well as the fact that he is one, albeit a reformed one. Together, the trio attempt to infiltrate the Society's base and encounter some of the society's mutated creations.
During the fighting Samhain is captured and reprogrammed to be a Slasher once more, starting his killing spree with his ex-lover Ava Park. However, a passionate kiss from Cassie breaks his brainwashing. Together they eliminate one of the Society's leaders and escape.
Elsewhere, Julian the Mosaic Man (an early Hack/Slash villain) tries to attack a woman but is stopped by her best friend who is mysteriously able to control the undead. In another subplot it is also revealed that Lisa Elsten is pregnant.
Sightings of Santa Muerte (the Mexican Saint of Good Luck and Love) in Chicago coincide with the return of Julian the Mosaic Man. It is revealed that Libby Lochs (the sister of Laura Lochs) is controlling Julian and is seeking revenge on Cassie and Vlad. The return to Chicago is difficult for Vlad as it was there that he was suspected of being the killer in the "Meat Man" killings.
Cassie and Vlad return to the idyllic town of Haverhill, which is beset by Mary Shelley Lovecraft and her Franken-Deep Ones. Mary's goal is take a groom whilst attempting to remake the world in fiction. Her first target is Taber, however when confronted by Cassie, she offers herself to her both in the form of Georgia and Samhain. However, to her surprise Taber breaks from his pacifist persona and provides a distraction for Cassie and Vlad to defeat Mary. In the fallout from the event, Haverhill loses its innocence and its people are left scarred by the events.
In a flashback we are shown the history of Nightmare and Sleepy, a duo of Slasher slayers who have a connect to Samhain. We follow their history over two decades and two incarnations of the crimefighting duo. In the present day, radio DJ Alan Knight features news of Cassie and Vlad's recent activities.
The second annual, the story has Cassie and Vlad deal with a deranged serial killer, and Cassie's self-proclaimed biggest fan, who is "cleaning up her loose ends", while, fourteen years in the future, Liberty Lochs (who is in search of Six Sixx's demonically-powered guitar) battles the Black Lamp Society, which has taken over America.
Hack/Slash has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:
Title | Material collected | ISBN | Date Released |
---|---|---|---|
Volume 1: First Cut | Hack/Slash: Euthanized Hack/Slash: Girls Gone Dead Hack/Slash: Comic Book Carnage |
ISBN 1-932796-42-8 ISBN 1-932796-87-8 |
October 12, 2005 January 31, 2007 |
Volume 2: Death By Sequel | Hack/Slash: The Land of Lost Toys #1β3 Hack/Slash: Trailers Hack/Slash: Slice Hard Prequel Hack/Slash: Slice Hard |
ISBN 1-932796-75-4 | April 11, 2007 |
Volume 3: Friday the 31st | Hack/Slash Vs. Chucky Hack/Slash #1β4 |
ISBN 1-934692-00-X | October 15, 2007 |
Volume 4: Revenge of the Return | Hack/Slash #5β10 | ISBN 1-934692-18-2 | June 29, 2008 |
Volume 5: Reanimation Games | Hack/Slash #11 non-crossover parts of Hack/Slash #12β13 Hack/Slash #14β17 Hack/Slash Annual |
ISBN 1-934692-44-1 | March 18, 2009 |
Volume 6: In Revenge and In Love | Hack/Slash #18-23 Hack/Slash: Entry Wound |
ISBN 1-934692-68-9 | July 29, 2009 |
Volume 7: New Blood Old Wounds | Hack/Slash #24-28 Vlad and Cassie vs. Bloody Mary |
ISBN 1934692832 | January 27, 2010 |
Volume 8: Super Sidekick Sleepover Slaughter | Hack/Slash #29-32 Hackoween |
ISBN 1607062917 | September, 2010 |
My First Maniac | Hack/Slash:My First Maniac #1-4 |
ISBN 1-607063-38-7 | January 5, 2011 |
Volume 9: Torture Prone | Hack/Slash Annual #2 Hack/Slash Vol. 2 #1-4 |
ISBN 1-607064-09-1 | September 14, 2011 |
Omnibus | Hack/Slash: Euthanized Hack/Slash: Girls Gone Dead Hack/Slash: Comic Book Carnage Hack/Slash Vs. Evil Ernie Hack/Slash: The Land of Lost Toys #1β3 Hack/Slash: Trailers Hack/Slash: Slashing Through the Snow (previously unpublished) Hack/Slash: Slice Hard Prequel Hack/Slash: Slice Hard Hack/Slash Vs. Chucky |
ISBN 1-934692-08-5 | January 1, 2008 |
Omnibus Vol. 2 | Hack/Slash #1β11 non-crossover parts of Hack/Slash #12β13 Hack/Slash #14β17 Hack/Slash Annual |
ISBN 1-934692-57-3 | April 22, 2009 |
Omnibus Vol. 3 | Hack/Slash #18-32 Hack/Slash: Entry Wound HACKoween Living Corpse Annual |
ISBN 1-607062-75-5 | December 28, 2010 |
The series has been turned into a stage play "Hack/Slash: Stage Fright", adapting "Euthanized" and "Girls Gone Dead". The play utilizes comic book panel simulation.[5]
Director Todd Lincoln, writer Martin Schenk, series creator Tim Seeley, and others were present at the 2006 San Diego Comic Convention discussing the Hack/Slash film, originally expected to be released by Rogue Pictures in 2008. As reported on ShockTillYouDrop.com, American actress Megan Fox is said to be "really interested" in the part of Cassie.[6] Kat Dennings has also expressed interest in playing Cassie Hack as well.[7] Series creator Tim Seeley has shown extreme interest in having Allison Scagliotti play the role. Sax Carr has mobilized a street team in order to show support and gather momentum for a movement he has named #AllisonScag4Cassie.[8] In July 2009 Variety announced Fredrik Bond will be directing, replacing Todd Lincoln,[9] and Stephen Susco will be penning the adaptation.[10]
In September, 2010, HALO 8 Entertainment announced they would be releasing an "illustrated film" based on the My First Maniac miniseries in 2011, alongside an adaptation of Loaded Bible, another Tim Seeley project. Matt Pizzolo will be directing.[11]
Sax Carr, with the blessing of series creator Tim Seeley, has mobilized a street team with one goal: to get Allison Scagliotti cast as Cassie Hack.
Patrons of the movement have shown their support in many ways, but the most notable was their tweet out on Friday, August 20, 2010. On that day alone, Allison Scagliotti supporters tweeted over seven thousand times with close to nine hundred unique contributors. But they didn't stop there, Allison Scagliotti supporters have continued to tweet, make fan art, make videos, and get the word out. Throughout the rest of the weekend, Allison Scagliotti supporters managed to tweet #AllisonScag4Cassie over four thousand more times, giving the hashtag a total of eleven thousand total tweets and almost one thousand unique contributors by Monday.
A second tweet-out is planned for Tuesday, September 21, 2010. It is expected to generate support in the form of over six thousand tweets from nearly one thousand unique contributors in the first few hours.
Other hashtags include:
Cassie is now a SuicideGirl.[13]