REVIEW: The Crow Hack/Slash, Issue #1

The Crow Hack/Slash #1 is published by IDW Publishing, script and layouts by Tim Seeley, art by Jim Terry, and letters by Neil Uyetake. In this number one, we see The Crow and Hack/Slash cross over as Cassie is on the hunt. In The Crow Hack/Slash #1, a slasher is on the loose in San Francisco, killing their victims and removing their eyes in a grisly series of ritualistic murders, and drawing the attention of slasher hunters Cassie Hack and her partner Vlad. What they don’t know is this is no mere slasher, as a crow has seen fit to bring one back from the world of the dead, to seek vengeance on the living who wronged them.

Having never read Hack/Slash or The Crow before I must admit, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, as the name doesn’t really conjure much in the way of plot or character depth. However, after reading The Crow Hack/Slash #1 I must admit I was thoroughly surprised with the promise I see in both storytelling and character depth.

Seeley’s script very quickly told me a lot about the nuances I could expect from the characters in The Crow Hack/Slash #1. Whether it was Cassie’s drive and harsh realistic view of the world, even or Vlad’s Compassion, I was instantly drawn to what I read. In addition, Seeley does a great job with the villain, as their haunted ravings, and clinical judgments are written perfectly.

Terry’s art is a solid performance that functions well to deliver the story in a clear and easy-to-follow manner. The emotion imparted on characters is also excellently delivered, and I appreciated how the artist never shines away from placing the view right up close to a subject to fully capture the moment. This is especially true when fear, certainly the most prevalent emotion in the story, is on full display.

There is a specific scene of violence in The Crow Hack/Slash #1 that intensely brings fear. With one swing of a bat the art here did more to impact me than many a multi-page fight sequence has. The use of vibrant reds, the emotions in play on the characters faces and in their tensed body langue speaks to the weight of what a violent act actually is. Even if it is done to stop a villainous individual from doing dreadful harm.

The only place where I feel the art in The Crow Hack/Slash #1 fails is in the lighting. The story being told feels like one born in the shadows, and the dark. Rather than fully embrace this feeling of darkness, the art holds a very neutral feel to it in brightness and contrast. Even when a scene takes place in the dead of night there is little to truly capture this time, or the impact on lighting this time of day would carry onto the story adding to the depth, darkness, and foreboding, some of the moments already posses.

With only that one minor complaint, The Crow Hack/Slash #1 is brought to a finish on a great cliffhanger moment as the stakes are raised, and a new participant enters the fray, leaving me eagerly awaiting the next piece in this tale of vengeance, violence and soul searching.