Well up until the third issue, “My First Maniac” was a decent prequel to the Hack/Slash run on the Image tag. While I miss Vlad, and every other supporting character, I’ve been giving Cassie Hack and her first adventure in to the slasher realm a fair chance and this third issue really hasn’t been doing it for me. Mostly where the issue should be mostly about being a slasher throwback it instead takes itself very seriously and doesn’t seem to be having any fun with the concept at all.
I’m still not sure if this is the same Cassie Hack from Devil’s Due, and I’m still trying to figure out the elements of this villain. Not only are the supporting characters so utterly boring and tedious to endure, but Cassie is also having the life sucked out of her by these vapid characters all of whom lack any form of empathy.
At this point I’m really hoping we just jump in to the middle of Cassie’s life again instead of even more prequels where Vlad is nowhere to be found. The whole energy and fun of this series is that Cassie is able to bounce dialogue off of Vlad and engage in back and forths with this heroic twisted monster. Without him, the prequel mini-series is really just lacking in any real entertainment value. I want to give this a chance, but the mini-series just isn’t compelling nor is it interesting. Now with Cassie on the hunt for this slasher hiding in the cornfields behind the Fig Farm, the tension has been elevated especially now that she’s bonding with the town teenagers, all of whom integrate her in to their social circle and are quickly convincing her she has potential to be normal and one of the guys.
The third issue finally reveals the origin of this mysterious smiling slasher and suffice it to say… it’s goofy as all hell. Even for a comic book about a girl who hunts undead killers. Instead of an undead farmer and an evil sexy daughter we’re fed this convoluted and idiotic back story about one of the characters who fell for a guy who was obsessed with Farmer Fig’s daughter. Attempting to see her, they’re kidnapped and kept in his farm where he keeps his arcade games. Why? Never explained. So, they’re kept there hostage and the character’s boyfriend becomes obsessed with an evil arcade game entitled Bludbus that is known for inspiring people to commit suicide and become insane.
Why? It’s never explained. It’s not even hinted. So she smashes her boyfriend’s face in to the arcade, Farmer Fig buries him in the cornfields, she keeps the secret, he comes back from the grave as a slasher and is convinced he’s still playing a game. Truth be told all I kept thinking was “Seriously? That’s the villain? A demonic gamer?” Do we really need this elaborate a villain for a prequel? I understand Tim Seely and co. have to introduce Hack to this new wider audience now that the title is on Image, a bigger company than Devil’s Due, but as a fan from the beginning, I feel pretty alienated with this prequel that abandons all the favorite characters in exchange for a solo adventure, and I’m not pleased. I really hope we get back to business once this mini-series is over, because I’m bored. I’m rarely ever bored with reading about Cassandra Hack.