CBR Hack/Slash Friday the 31st

Continuing my reviews of Horror-related stuff.
Here's more Hack/Slash!

This time featuring a crossover with Chucky, which was in fact already collected in the Omnibus I reviewed here, but wasn't part of the earlier TPB volumes (1 & 2) it collected.
Pheeew...understood?
A'right!...'nuff introduction, moving on~

Comic title: Hack/Slash Volume 3: Friday the 31st
Art by Tim Seeley, Emily Stone and Courtney Via
Story by Tim Seeley

Published by DDP
From 2007
Lineup Hack/Slash
Format: Trade paperback collecting Hack/Slash Vs. Chucky and Hack/Slash #1–4.

After the various one-shots and minis, which were collected in the first 2 trade paperbacks, it was time for Hack/Slash to get its own on-going regular series.
The series was finally getting quite popular and people started talking about it everywhere.
And it started the best way such comic about slasher/horror movies could. With a crossover and the first time the characters would find in their path and face off against a licensed monster classic.

Kiss it!! Hey, it says so on the bat itself!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
First, a lil' recap for newcomers.

Cassie escaped from an undead killer, a slasher, which was really her own mother.
On the run since then, she has set for goal to track down these monsters who come back to life to haunt and kill both innocent and guilty people.
In her journey, she found the enormous Vlad, first mistaken him for a slasher himself. Vlad grew up in a freezer and was tracking himself the Meatman Killer, a real slasher.

After facing several various slashers across the country, they faced Laura Lochs who was using and reanimating Father Wrath an undead priest avenger.

HERE'S CHUCKYYYY!!

Friday the 31st (great parodical title btw!) picks up where the last story left.
Cassie and Vlad are still driving across the states.
Meanwhile Laura Lochs is back. Now almost a slasher herself. She decides to have a new body, body she will take by force from Cassie or Vlad.
Laura finds the killing doll occupied by the spirit of the serial killer Charles Lee Ray, Chucky himself.
She learns and uses voodoo spells, gets Vlad body, and then...

Well, you better check it out by yourself if you already haven't.

This great crossover opens the on-going Hack/Slash series where Cassie and Vlad hunt a murderous sadistic with a nice new look on and recap of Cassie's origins.

Later on a rockstar who made a deal with devils to become successful and famous almost brings back hell on earth. And we're introduced for the first to Georgia, a stripper who sympathizes with our group of happy chaps.

Go figure.

The book is as fun as ever.
The references and allusions to the genre are many and it's quite tongue-in-cheek in dialogues and uses of horror tropes.

Our characters aren't as 2dimensional as what you'd think of the genre. Despite the clichés, Tim Seeley actually uses that to build his little universe and develop the characters through their relations.

For exemple we meet again Chris Krank and Lisa Elsten, victims of earlier slashers who now are starting to become full fledged Hack/Slash regulars.
Vlad and Cassie are both excellent. All the series rest on their respective shoulders.

The art, specially from new regular artist Emily Stone, is spectacular!
Not quite stereotypical "comic-ysh", nor very cartoony.
It's a good mix for horror and comedy.

Overall, another solid run from Tim Seeley's Hack Slash!
The story is only getting started with these first issues.

This is as good of a starting point as any.
The use of both Chucky (mainstream appeal) and well rehashed flashback sequences is a great way to introduce someone to the series.
Plus the on-going plots lifted from the earlier mini-series and one-shots is sure to please the fans too.

The crossover with Child's Play's horror icon marked the first official slasher crossover (previous slashers were based on classic monsters but with original make-overs).
It also spin-offed a Chucky mini-series!
(for the fans, Chucky's appearance here is supposed to take place after the last movie, Seed of Chucky)

Anyway, recommended book for horror fans and non-fans alike!

I give it:

  2,5 / 3 ManThings!