Hack/Slash: Son of Samhain #2

Writer – Michael Moreci, Steve Seeley
Artist – Emilio Laiso
Colours – K. Michael Russell

“Evil has a way of perpetuating.”  So starts the latest issue of Hack/Slash: Son of Samhain, which gives us a history lesson on the fallen Attan-Soolu.  Though he might be gone, his presence lives on and Lord Morinto wants to take over his operation.  What would that be?  To wipe humanity off the face of the Earth with the help of the God-Beast.  Just a small thing.  Cassie and Delroy meanwhile are hot on the trail of the boy from last issue and they end up successfully rescuing him, though he did not need any help from the looks of it.  When all is said and done, Cassie is feeling a little down about her lot in life and Lord Morinto is trying his best to live up to the Attan-Soolu level of evil.  Moreci and Seeley provide another fun issue of everyone’s favourite monster-hunter this side of Sam and Dean (which would make a really cool crossover) with some fantastic art by Emilio Laiso.  Cassie is still as sarcastic as ever and likes busting Delroy’s nether regions as often as she can.  Her history is slightly touched upon, adding some dramatic tension to the issue, but hopefully the writers will bring it out more fully later on for the sake of new readers.  Delroy is a great addition to the cast and if he does not end up getting killed, having him stick around would be a good thing.  For a horror book, it does the job well, being moody and atmospheric, not only in the scenes with the monsters but with our heroes as well, in their tone and their body language.  Not an easy feat to pull off, but the writers and Laiso manage to do it and it works quite well.  A good job done by all.

4 out of 5

Nailbiter #4

Writer – Joshua Williamson
Artist – Mike Henderson
Colours – Adam Guzowski

Buckaroo is not the town you want to live in if given a choice.  The place is the home of a serial killer called the Nailbiter.  Not only that, it has given birth to sixteen of the world’s most evil serial killers.  One is bad enough, but sixteen?  But it is to this town that Nicholas Finch goes to find his friend who has gone missing and to do so he enlists the aid of Sheriff Crane.  The issue finds our heroes digging up the grave of the Book Burner in the serial killer graveyard.  As they are doing so they come under attack while back at the jail, a woman named Alice sneaks in to see the Nailbiter and offers him his freedom in exchange for answers.  This comic is one of the creepiest and most disturbing things to come out of Image Comics, or any publisher in quite some time.  That is a good thing.  It is all of your favourite serial killer movies and shows rolled into one and its slow buildup will have you salivating for more by the end of every issue.  This one by the way, ends on a doozy and will make you want that next book all the more.  The great thing about this title is that you never know where it is going to take you.  Nobody seems to be on the up and up, and it when our protagonists get close to discovering something, there is always something or someone there to derail it or throw a wrench in the works.  Crane and Finch, sounding like a law firm, are a great team and they have that Mulder and Scully feel about them which really endears them to you.  Fantastic work from writer Joshua Williamson and brought to vivid life by artists Henderson and Guzowski.

4.5 out of 5