Hack/Slash: Trailers Part Two by Image

Unlike other people who choose to review comic books in a grouped or lumped style, I'm going to try and bring them to you as I find them, and let you know what's going on with every single issue. Call it expanding, call it obsessive, call it...whatever. I have a love for comics, and I want to bring that to y'all all the same as novels and anthologies. They are a very important part of horror literature, after all.

That being said - first up is Hack/Slash: Trailers Part Two by Image Comics.

Now, I haven't gone into a comic book shop in...shit...probably about 15 years. Well, unless I was buying Mcfarlane Movie Maniacs figurines, that is. (I know...shame). Recently I decided to take a walk out to a shop I haven't been to before, to see if I could track down Brian Keene's Doom Patrol #16. I did (and will review it later), but I also came across this grisly little gem.

To be fair, I'd heard through the grapevine that Mike Oliveri wrote a story for this issue of Hack/Slash, and that's primarily what sparked my interest. Now, before I go on acting like I know what I'm talking about, I want to say that this is the first time I've ever even encountered this particular title, let alone any of the previous issues in the series. I can say, however, that I'm going to be on the hunt for this entire (and epic) series. It's incredible!

Hack/Slash: Trailers Part 2 is basically to comic books what anthologies are to novels. This specific issue has what they call "13 tales of Naked Fear!", in the style of slasher movie trailers. That's right. 13 mini-bursts of brutal, sexy, bloody, relentless horror stories and imagery from 13 different writers and artists - all done in 62 pages.

Of all of them, I'd have to say that Home, Home On Derange by Steve Seeley (story), Jenny Frison (art), and Josh Emmons (letters); Wallow In Death by Mike Oliveri (story) and Sean K. Dove (art & letters); and Psyche by J. Torres (story), Joe Song (art) and Rus Wooton (letters) were among my favorites. Not just because they were great little stories, but because the art complimented the stories so well. They also felt like the most original pieces in the book (okay...Psyche wasn't original, but points have to be given for the twist on Bloch's/Hitchcock's Psycho)

Rape Van by Mike Norton (story), Brent Schoonover (art), Nate Lovette (colors), and CRANK! (letters) holds top position though, for being strangely unique and brutally hilarious. Imagine a van...nevermind. You have to read it.

Whether you're looking for a bevy of beautiful blondes being butchered around a campfire (Campfire Stories), the senseless slaughter of cute-but-evil little fuzzballs (Too Cute), a midget...thing...that attacks from within the womb (Womb With A View), or a sensuous look at just letting yourself go with the music (Blood On The Dancefloor), this issue is for you.

You can check it out at Image Comics' website, Tim Seeley's official website, and at the official Hack/Slash Inc. website. Amazon has several Omnibus' available for this series, but from what I can see they don't have single issues available. Here's the search.

PBH.