Hack/Slash: Reanimation Games

The thing about a cheesy 80s-slasher-movie-themed comic, albeit with modern sensibilities regarding every aspect of the actual content, is that there’s only so much praise you can sing. I can tell you about the skillful way that each volume weaves together seeds planted in previous issues into a new tapestry of angst, obsession and gore, all the while planting new seeds for future volumes. I can gesture emphatically at the art, which is always clear and articulate without wandering off into post-modern regions that elevate experimentation above functionality, and which also provides occasional cheesecake. But these descriptions are quite generic, however heartfelt the sentiment that underlies them, and when you peel them away, Hack/Slash is still a cheesy 80s-slasher-movie-themed comic. And for the general mass of graphic novel audience out there, you were already sold or turned off by that line of description, irrespective of the actual contents.

For the vanishingly small group of people who care, Reanimation Games is focused primarily on the culmination of Cassie Hack’s search for her father, who ironically has built his career around the study of the causes behind and uses of the very slashers that Cassie has hunted and destroyed ever since her mother first turned into one. Detours along the way include encounters with the scientist guy from the Re-Animator movie series and with the Suicide Girls[1], and the usual careful examination of the trials and triumphs of Cassie’s small circle of friends. I guess what surprises me with each new volume is not that I’m entertained; it’s nice, easy brain candy in exactly my flavor. No, what surprises me is that it’s good enough that I want people to see it as the small step above brain candy into genuine quality that it consistently achieves.

[1] If you don’t know, these are not a mysterious cult nor movie shout-out, but instead a generally tastefully gothy porn collective that you will not I think have very much trouble finding on the internet, if you were to put your mind to it. For some reason, Cassie has been considered sufficiently gothy-attractive for the comparison to be made, and for some reason, the creator decided that, hey, sounds like a good crossover to me! And here we are.

One thought on “Hack/Slash: Reanimation Games

  1. Pingback: Shards of Delirium » Hack/Slash: In Revenge and in Love

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