Review: The Crow Hack / Slash #1
Back in the day The Crow was one of the few indie books that had a huge impact, forging a head in both the movies and TV. Nowadays, the original book is remembered fondly and there is always some news that hints at a remake/sequel which seems destined to remain in development hell. What better way to keep interest alive than to match The Crow, a vengeful spirit, with Cassie Hack, a lone survivor of a slash attack.
Cassie and her best friend Vlad are back in the business of busting slashers, following a couple of murders that feature the scooping out of eyes. Believing this to be the work of one their prey, there are totally unprepared for the Crow Killer herself, Angeles Cero. As luck would have it, the universe provides an avenging angel to balance the scales.
Tim Seeley provides the script and the layouts for the book. Seeley has a tough job on his hands as despite the horror vibe that permeates both sets of characters, the Crow is seen as a more mature book, with Hack/Slash falling into the middle of the pack somewhat. It is a credit to the strength of the Crow that he is still thought this way. Reading this issue, at this stage, the book is very much a Hack/Slash book with a guest star. Is the plan to elevate Cassie and Vlad up to the Crow’s level? I am not sure to be honest, though I do think that in essence, the reverse actually happens, with a somewhat dumb downed Crow in situ. I may be being too harsh, after all this is the first issue, so I guess time will tell.
Artist Jim Terry adds his work over the layouts in a style that feels a little incomplete in places. When large characters feature, the art works well with the type of imagery that conveys action and pace. Other times, the smaller panels lose some coherency and details. Also there are inconsistent facial elements; some work really well, showing the distaste of what is happening, with other faces seemingly unable to show surprise and looking completely wooden. With no colorist credited, I assume that Terry provided the colors; in a lots of ways, it is the colors that pull the Crow out of his “for mature readers” element as no matter how hard he tries, the colors are just too strong. Maybe a more textured application would have served to create the horror vibe that all concerned are aiming for. Finally, letterer Neil Uyetake gets to play around with fonts to help add nuance to proceedings.
From this review, you may feel that I am not a fan of either of these set of characters. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have a lot of time for the original Crow series, with Hack/Slash in their various team-ups bringing an odd sense of fun. Here then is the problem; I am not sure that the two properties actually suit one another. Its not like Vampirella & Hack/Slash, where both have their tongue-in-cheek elements. This then makes this book an odd disjointed type of affair.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Tim Seeley
Art by; Jim Terry & Tim Seeley
Letters by; Neil Uyetake
Published by; IDW Publishing
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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