Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Stefano Caselli with Steve Kurth
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: Crank
Cover Artists: Stefano Caselli, Sarah Mitrache & Stefano Nesi
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $12.99
Release Date: June 18, 2025
Cassandra and Vlad are hunting a Slasher named Edgelord. They’ve tracked the reanimated corpse to Terminus. Cassandra and Vlad, or Hack and Slash, aren't wild about hunting the killer corpse in this Old West-style town near the OJ Simpson Valley crater. But they don't want him carving up more teens and petty criminals.
Mack Delgado, aka Clownface, is a Body Bagger. When his daughter found him, the assassin and bounty hunter became a single parent overnight. Now Mack is responsible for a headstrong teen who enjoys killing. When Panda shoots a skip, she deprives his gang of the ransom. Incensed, Mack takes his unrepentant daughter to an overnight course for Baby Baggers. How will Cassandra and Vlad meet Mack and Panda? Is Terminus, Georgia, big enough for Hack, Slash, and the Body Baggers? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1, and find out!
Story
After consulting the town registry, Cassandra questions Black Angus. He and Edgelord worked together. But their boss is dead, and Black Angus doesn’t know Edgelord’s whereabouts. When Black Angus points her toward Mack, Vlad seeks out the Body Bagger while Cassandra visits the night school. But none of them realize that Edgelord returned home to find his lover dead. Rather than live without her, the corpse bridegroom ripped out his heart and dropped it on Cisco Valentine’s grave.
In Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1, Cassandra slips into the night school just before lockdown. But she's not the only unexpected visitor. Cisco Valentine has a new lease on life thanks to Edgelord's heart. And she’s hunting Panda, the spunky Body Bagger who killed her. When Mack and Vlad realize what's at stake, the men must work together to protect Panda and Cassandra.
By forcing the protagonists of these two teams to swap partners, Tim Seeley forces each character to adapt to new situations. While Vlad and Mack could be effective partners, Vlad cares for Cassandra, whereas Mack fears becoming too soft by caring for his daughter. Likewise, Cassandra understands the value of teamwork, while Panda fiercely denies she needs anyone else. Still, Cassandra must convince Panda to work with her. With the school on lockdown, no one can get out. And Cisco Valentine wants to rip the smile off Panda's face before exacting her revenge.
Art
Cassandra is a goth teen with a purple miniskirt. Vlad hides his Frankenstein’s Monster appearance behind a mask in Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1. Mack is densely muscled and carries a machete-sized knife. His teenage daughter is big on bust, hair, and attitude. Of all the other students, the girl dressed like a cheerleader has eyes only for a young man with piercings.
Lying on his bed beneath a Minotaurminator poster, Black Angus clutches a TV remote in his remaining hand. The wounded Body Bagger waits for his grandpa to hobble over with a bag of pills on his walker. But these larger-than-life characters cannot hold a candle to Cisco Valentine. She sports a white face, an immense smile, and a lock of blonde hair near the open wound on her scalp. Cisco's colorful costume rivals the Sixth Doctor's sartorial splendor.
Kurt Michael Russell looks Stefano Caselli and Steve Kurth’s big ‘ole storm of murder and mayhem straight in the eyes. Then, he lavishes a loaded palette of bright colors on these extraordinary characters. Less nuanced colors adorn the stained and torn Polaroids that provide Mack's link to the past. Mack slips on his yellow Clownface mask as he takes on bikini-clad cyborgs with guns built into their silver forearms. Perhaps purple forms the dominant theme in Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1. The color adorns Mack’s car, the cyborgs’ hair, Cassandra’s skirt, the schoolteacher’s dress, and an arms dealer who sets Hack and Slash in his sights.
White letters in red time stamps keep tabs on this fraught Weekend At Body Bags. Uppercase black letters in white and colored dialogue balloons grow bold and shrink. Black Angus speaks into blue double-edged scroll saw blades. Dialogue enlarges when sound effects enhance gunfire, slashing weapons, and explosions. Yet Vlad makes the biggest impression as he speaks words of truth and concern with unsteady handprinted letters. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
While Body Baggers Mack and Panda have Daddy Issues, Vlad worries that Cassandra is distracted. As they enter a town where anything goes, Vlad knows Cassandra must be alert to fend off assassins, bounty hunters, and cyborgs. Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1 is an over-the-top comic farce: part Friday The 13th, part Robocop, and all bloody good fun.
Rating 9/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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