My favorite aspect of this book though is the art. Ariel Zucker-Brull knocked this one out of the park. The drawings fit well into what we’re used to with Hack/Slash but also highlight the grotesqueness of the Hatchet universe. In particular, the way that Crowley is drawn is great, the sheer exaggerations used with him make him out to be way more of a monster than he really seems in the movies. Not to diminish Kane Hodder’s performance, but in this comic you believe that Crowley is a mean S.O.B. Not only is Crowley drawn great, but Zucker-Brull does a lot with Cassie and Vlad. He makes sure that they retain their look, but is able to add his own flair to the characters with the tiny details he etches in their expressions. The one weakness to the art is the sort of blandness given to the gore, there’s nothing really about it that makes it stand out from other horror comics.
Hatchet/Slash was a great read. The story, while lacking in sheer monstrous combat, delivers an interesting slasher set up and uses the lore of both franchises in a very convincing fashion. With the art pulling more than it’s own weight for the book, we get a great balance of visual story telling and respect for the characters that we’re familiar with.
