Hack/Slash Meets Zombies Vs. Cheerleaders #1

June 14, 2011

Writer: Steven L. Frank
Art: Benjamin Glendenning
Colorist: Joseph Baker
Letterer: Bill Maus
Cover: Mike DeBalfo
Editor: Steven L. Frank    
Publisher: Moonstone Publishing

Cassie Hack and and her pal Vlad get word of a high school suffering from a monster attack in Seattle. They go undercover as new students, with Cassie falling in with the cheerleaders (quite unwillingly) and Vlad joining the ranks of the football team. Together, though, they find themselves pitted against a family of zombies. This is a little different from your typical Hack/Slash story, even a crossover. It’s played lighter, even having a few fourth wall-breaking jokes pop up once or twice. The versatility of the concept, fortunately, makes it easy for Cassie and Vlad to join in the battle against virtually any kind of horror movie killer. Dropping them into a high school makes for a lot of humor in its own right, as Cassie finds herself rebelling against her own high school memories, while Vlad is plopped into a world he’s never been part of before. Benjamin Glendenning is a really good choice for this book, making Cassie and Vlad a little more cartoony so as to fit in the Zombies Vs. Cheerleaders world, but still keeping them very recognizable as the characters they are. All in all, the book works well enough for fans of Hack/Slash.

Rating: 7/10

Amazing Spider-Girl #6

March 13, 2007

Quick Rating: Good
Title: The Hobgoblin and the Hostage
Rating: A

The Hobgoblin crashes Spider-Girl’s comic book premiere!

Writer: Tom DeFalco
Pencils: Ron Frenz
Inks: Sal Buscema
Colors: Gotham
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Molly Lazer
Cover Art: Ron Frenz
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Now that she’s pulled her candidacy for class president, May Parker can concentrate on the other two great challenges in her life: cracking the coded disc that holds the former Kingpin’s files, and trying to figure out how to tell her parents she’s Spider-Girl full-time again. It’s not all bad, though – her friends Jimmy Yama and Wes have made their own Spider-Girl comic book, and they’re going to have a grand premiere with Jimmy’s girlfriend in the costume. Unfortunately, not everybody knows that she’s not the real Spider-Girl.

This was a quite enjoyable issue – May’s situation is very old-school Spider-Man, struggling with her family, struggling with school, a villain out to get her and a case of mistaken identity. The Gene Thompson subplot only gets a cursory glance this issue, but it’s enough to have me questioning his involvement with May even more than before, and her confrontation with Davida is really strong. This book really feels much more like a true extension of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko than anything else on the comic book shelves these days. That goes not only for the character stuff (especially the great scene at the end), but also for the action. May’s battle with the Hobgoblin, trying to take him down even though she’s out of webbing and he’s got a little bundle of hostage – this is the stuff Spider-Man does best, and it’s great to see that he’s passed it along to his daughter.

Again, this is a fun book, and that’s not something the Spider-family really has much of these days. Thank goodness Marvel saw fit to give it a new lease on life.

Rating: 7/10

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #184

October 10, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Road to Hell (War Games Act III Part 2)

Every mobster in Gotham City is rioting, and Batman’s team may not be enough to hold them back.

Writer: Dylan Horrocks
Pencils: Brad Walker
Inks: Troy Nixey
Colors: Javier Rodriguez
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Brian Haberlin
Publisher: DC Comics

This is yet another wonderful chapter in one of the best Batman storylines in recent memory. The gang war has been funneled into one place where it was supposed to end – but Batman’s inside man has been replaced by an imposter, and he turns the tables on the dark knight.

This issue is almost one big fight scene, but it’s a good one. As Batman’s crew dives into the stadium to try to save him, outside Commissioner Akins has had his fill of costumed vigilantes in this city – he wants Batman’s head just as much as the criminals. The heroes this issue are beaten, battered and worn down nearly to the breaking point, and it’s fantastic.

Brad Walker does a fantastic job on the artwork. The grit, determination and outright anger on Batman’s face for most of this issue is conveyed especially well. It takes talent to draw a good fight scene. It takes even more talent to draw a fight scene in the midst of a crazed mob. The artwork easily picks up the crazy, frantic pace of the story. I’ve also got to give credit to Brian Haberlin for a great cover. He gives us a Batman that looks like he’s just gone through one level of Hell and is staring down the next eight. It’s great.

This has been a great storyline, and as we head into the home stretch, we’re seeing how drastically Gotham City is going to change as a result. This is a crossover that means something. That’s a rare thing, and a welcome one.

Rating: 8/10