Hack/Slash: Resurrection #12
Image Comics
Writer: Tini Howard
Art: Celor
Colors: K. Michael Russell
Letters: Crank!
So this is the last issue of the Resurrection series as the creative team now prepares to jump over to Dynamite Comics for the Hack/Slash vs. Chaos crossover event.
The last twelve issues have been a long and strange trip, but now Cassie and Vlad have to say goodbye… for now. So what better way to end this run than to take a jab at the censors? So that’s what the creative team does as our leading duo break down in the small town of Wertham. (A little nod to Fredic Wertham, the author of Seduction of the Innocent, a book that started a public backlash against the comics industry in the 1950’s. Claiming that comics lead to juvenile delinquency and crime)
Wetham is protected by a masked vigilante that stomps out uncivil behavior by beating citizens to death with a censor stamp. Yes, it is ridiculous, and yes, it is also hilarious. It’s the small moments in this issue that really sell it; like Cassie being unable to swear and having only &^%$% sounds come out in dialogue. It’s also the idea that the villain of this issue cleans up his city by beating people to death. Oh, sweet irony!
While I can understand the cry against censorship coming from a comic that has caught flak for its gore and violence, I have a hard time taking the argument seriously when it’s laid out in such a comical way. Maybe that’s the point. These are comics. They’re pure entertainment and anything that happens within the covers of a comic shouldn’t be taken so seriously. How refreshing!
The writing and art are top notch, the entire team does their respective jobs well and the comic looks and reads great. With the added layer of subtext to the storytelling about the ridiculous nature of censorship in art, this comic comes off as a hit for this series as it bows out.
It was a very interesting way to send home the fans, but Hack/Slash has never been called conventional and that’s why fans love it. I’m sad to see this series end, but I know that eventually Cassie and Vlad will make their way back to Image, but for the foreseeable future, their next adventure lies ahead at Dynamite. Evil Ernie better watch out!