Posted by Horror Grinder on
January 31, 2008
HACK/SLASH – Issue #8
Written by Tim Seeley Art by Rebekah Isaacs
Devil’s Due Publishing
Read our interview with writer Tim Seeley here.
I really dislike using clichés, but I find myself laughing out loud when I read Hack/Slash. That’s a good thing because without the humor, the book would lose its charm, and writer Tim Seeley has “Wonka’s Golden Ticket of Humor” stashed in his back pocket when writing these funny books. Most of it comes from his Jason Voorhees inspired, Vlad, and his childish retorts to Cassie’s sarcasm. “She hit you with a bird bath,” Cassie explains to which Vlad replies, “Yes. I hear them singing.” I feel like I’m reading Mad Magazine again, I tell ya. Tim Seeley continues his Tub Club storyline chronicling an all female sorority filled with wannabe lesbians trying to bring about the reign of Elizabeth Bathory along with that Spice Girl, female empowerment good stuff. So back to Cassie, who steps further into her sexuality by finding a hot blonde on campus to interrogate, only to find herself testing ground for a little “college phase lovin”, oh yeah, and then ruins it by thinking of Georgia Peaches. Dangit Tim! It was just about to get NC-17 too! As for Vlad, he’s got a concussion and just trying to stay awake by drinking red bull and playing some more slapjack. This is still my favorite read every month, and it’s great to see Tim keep the art realistic with new series penciller, Rebekah Isaacs. Those two really set up the shot nicely, and I’m amazed at times with how I can see the movement from the characters within the frame. Hack/Slash continues to bring the funny while delivering solid characters and a savory storyline. If only they made chocolate bars of this stuff.
>GRADE: A CONTINUE READING? Third part coming up which probably means more hot lesbian in action near or in a hot tub! Scorchin!
MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 – Issue #4 of 5
Marvel Comics
Written by Robert Kirkman Art by Sean Phillips
The afterburners are on full blast as we get one book closer to the end. Can the Marvel Zombie menace be stopped? Will Black Panther save the day? Can Hawkeye learn to live with metal boobs? All these questions are answered, and poor Hawkeye shows just how weak he can be in a world of menacing superhero zombies. I was extremely pleased to see the Phoenix snap out of it, and step up to show she’s one of the most powerful beings around because throughout this whole series, I wasn’t buying it. I still don’t buy the zombie virus was able to infect Luke Cage either, but I guess I’m not gonna win them all. Robert Kirkman is writing fresh again, keeping this series alive and interesting, but also forcing Marvel Comics to think about more Marvel Zombies in the future. As long as Sean Philips continues to dazzle us with his grotesque but yummy good pencils, I’m all for it. Heck, here’s an idea, and feel free to steal it, Cup o Joe: Continue on with what you hinted in that Army of Darkness crossover and make them backup stories or something to more Marvel Zombie craziness! I’ll bark at the moon to that! Either way, for folks that love their horror and their superheroes, this series is a must read. It’s like peanut butter and jelly with Danny O’ Bannon spreading trashy fun on your piece of Wonder Bread.
>GRADE: A CONTINUE READING? Is the hunger really gone? Would Giant Man beat Vlad in a game of Slapjack? Stay tuned!
STRANGEWAYS: MURDER MOON – Part 1: Crow Bait
Highway 62 Press
Written by Matt Maxwell Art by Luis Guaragna
For every writer, there comes a question: “When is the best time to ask the question?” A general answer would be when the script calls for pause and needs explanation of the plot in order to move the story forward. In other words, “What have we done now to be here, and what do we need to accomplish to get there?” For Matt Maxwell, the question is asked more than it needs to be, often trapping the reader into a place parallel to Abott and Costello routines where no exit sign is in sight. I had to claw my way to the end, I was so annoyed, and it isn’t even the whole book? This preview of the trade paperback, Strangeways: Murder Moon is a great concept combining Cowboys and Indians of the Old West and integrating them into werewolf legend. The art from Luis Guaragna is also appealing for this dark and gritty display, combining horror elements of old EC style comics along with the classic serials your grandparents loved to read. The problem is the story is stretched way beyond its limits. In other words, this 22 page act could have been told in 8-10 pages, but Maxwell feels he can push the limits of plotting and characterization by asking a load of questions that would make MySpace questionnaires appear reasonable. “Did you see that? See What? Did you hear that? Say What? What? What the hell is that? What the hell is what? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?? It’s quite frustrating to see such a great concept be immensely plagued by blank, hollow questions along with a voice that becomes a little too introverted at times. However, I do see potential in this book and even in Maxwell’s writing, but some heavy editing needs to be done pretty quick, and that’s just the first act alone. “20 Questions” structuring is not always the ticket in building suspense, nor should reactive questions be relied upon so heavily to turn the page. I’m sure the right answer is on its way for Matt Maxwell and Strangeways: Murder Moon. Only time will tell to see if the right questions were asked in order to move to the next stage…
>GRADE: C CONTINUE READING? I’d like to read Matt’s next project really after he’s learned from this one. A lot of potential in his writing.
Read all Mike Fish’s Articles in his Archives
Stabbed first by horroryearbook.com
Posted by Horror Grinder on
January 31, 2008
A Horror Yearbook Quickie Interview With: Tim Seeley
Comic Book: HACK/SLASH – Available Now at Your Local Comic Shop
Interviewer – Mike Fish
- START CLOCK NOW -
>HORROR YEARBOOK: What’s up my man?
TIM SEELEY: Just doin’ an interview with Mike Fish while my girlfriend practices her burlesque routine in the living room. When you date an actress, you could be distracted from doing interviews at anytime by anything from a Shakespeare monologue to a booty dance to a Ramones song.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: You’re the writer and series creator of a very popular comic book amongst horror fans entitled HACK/SLASH. What brought about such an interesting name for the book?
TIM SEELEY: Actually, I totally cheated. I had come up with the premise of the book, and I was trying to think of a name for it. I grabbed a beer, turned on the tube, and this new show (at the time) called NIP/TUCK came on. I decided to steal their /, and HACK/SLASH was born.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: Do people ever get confused with the popular TokyoPop .hack anime and video games?
TIM SEELEY: Yes. They do. And it sucks. Gail Simone told me a friend had recommended she check out Hack/Slash and she was kinda like ‘Oh…sure thanksm but no thanks” ’because she’s not much of an anime fan. Thankfully someone later cleared her up. But, yeah, it happens. I still have no idea what .hack is, so no one ever tell me. I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with slashers, or hot girls in fishnets.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: HACK/SLASH features an unlikely duo of innocently sexy Cassie Hack and the big man-child brute, Vlad hunting down killers and tearing up the scene with their addictive charm. What was your inspiration for them?
TIM SEELEY: Cassie is sort of an amalgam of all the “dangerous” girls I‘d met at the time. Beautiful, sexy, but kind of intense and possibly a little crazy. My attempt was to make a female character that both men and women would like…she had to be someone you wanted to know, or wanted to be, or maybe, that you actually WERE. VLAD is meant to be Cassie’s opposite and also someone she fully relates to. He’s also sort of meant to be a “good slasher”…what Jason Voorhees might have been if he wasn’t so damn angry all the time.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: You’ve had quite a few one shots before the regular series. What made you finally decide to say the number “2” and just keep counting in an ongoing monthly series?
TIM SEELEY: It’s probably mostly because I’m a crazy idiot with “number 2” for brains. Heh…why did I take on this workload?!! But, I guess I felt like the only way to really show people I was committed to the characters was to dive in, give them ongoing storylines, supporting characters, and a monthly dose of something you can’t really get in other comics.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: What are some of your favorite horror films? There’s a definite 80’s influence in your bad guys, especially with those wacky demon worshippers in the hairband, Acid Washed.
TIM SEELEY: Yeah, after the Acid Washed story, I think it’s probably obvious that I loved the movie Trick ‘R Treat, the best damn heavy metal slasher flick ever. In general I love Halloween, Terror Firmer (from Troma), Dawn of the Dead (the original), My Bloody Valentine, Reanimator, Hellraiser… I got a LONG list o’ faves. I haven’t seen a lot of recent horror movies that I loved…Nightmare Man was pretty fun, and hey, Cloverfield was pretty cool.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: What makes you decide when it’s time to draw and when it’s time to write? Because you tend to dabble in both areas pretty evenly.
TIM SEELEY: Devil’s Due hired me as staff illustrator six years ago, so basically, I’ll draw whatever Josh tells me to draw…except pictures of him naked because that’s just not cool. But in general, drawing pays the bills, and writing keeps me sane. So, I draw or G.I.JOE or Dark Elf during the day, and I come home, take off the pants, and write H/S, Loaded Bibleand whatever else I get inspired to do at night.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: Now that Fangoria Comics is dead, are we still going to see the killer crossover with Mark Kidwell’s BUMP characters?
TIM SEELEY: Yeah, we’re gonna run the story in the ongoing series, with a few tweaks so it fits, in issues 12-13.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: HACK/SLASH is scheduled to be on the big screen soon, courtesy of Rogue Pictures. Can you shed a little light on that, maybe a tentative release date?
TIM SEELEY: Well, at least for now, there’s that writer’s strike, so any production will start AFTER that’s over. Everyone still bandies about SPRING 2009. So, keep up the anticipation! It’ll happen!!
HORROR YEARBOOK: Is it true that scream queen, Tiffany Shepis, wants to play the role of Cassie Hack? I’d want her to. She’s sexy.
TIM SEELEY: She may have mentioned it once or twice. In the intro to the volume 2 trade. But, yeah, Tiff is sexy. She’s even SEXIER in person. She’ll make you forget to swallow. Hell, she’s hot enough to make you forget to CHEW. Tiff is welcome to play Cassie in my dreams all night long,
>HORROR YEARBOOK: How do you feel about the comparisons to Cassie Hack and the snarky Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)?
TIM SEELEY: I figure it can only be a good thing. People seem to like that Buffy. I can assure everyone I didn’t intend to rip off Buffy. To this date, the only Buffy I’ve seen is the original movie and a musical episode. But, yeah, I think Mr. Whedon and I got the idea from the same sources…too many horror movies. He just managed to do it before me and a lot more successfully.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: You do know that Horror Yearbook nominated HACK/SLASH as the best book on Free Comic Book Day last year, right? It was my first HACK/SLASH story too and very refreshing from the zombie-plagued market.
TIM SEELEY: Why thank you! I nominated you for Best Last Name Derived from Aquatic Life.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: It barely beat out The Umbrella Academy, which was a fun and quite surprising treat from My Chemical Romance rocker, Gerard Way.
TIM SEELEY: I hear that’s good. All I know is that My Chemical Romance and its fans annoy me. But, apparently the man can write a mean comic book.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: Before we go, are there any dream projects you’d want to work on? I can see you blasting the doors off Marvel’s X-Factor or hell, D.C. Comics Batman… or dare I say, Wonder Woman, cuz of the whole maturation theme you got so elegantly structured with Cassie Hack. You know… just throwing it out there…
TIM SEELEY: Yeah, but would DC appreciate my all lesbian, hot tub Wonder Woman story? Or my all gay, hot tub Batman story? I mean, I’m a one-trick pony. It’s hot tub stories or nothing at all.
>HORROR YEARBOOK: We look forward to reading your book every month, Tim, so keep kicking ass on those fun stories with Cassie and Vlad!
TIM SEELEY: Thanks Mike. Will do. And you keep reviewing the shit out of movies and comics. And good luck against Joe Manatee in the contest I nominated you for.
STOP CLOCK
Read all Mike Fish’s Articles in his Archives
Stabbed first by horroryearbook.com
