Hack/Slash: Son of Samhain

Hack/Slash #14

by Michael Moreci, Steve Seeley, Emilio Laiso (Illustrator)

Your favorite slasher hunter is back!

When a mysterious cult of monsters arises, Cassie is forced to return to the life she thought she'd left behind.

Coupled with a new partner and faced with enemies unlike any she has battled before, Cassie must confront the darkness in the world — and in her own life — in new ways.

The agents of evil never rest; unfortunately for them, neither does Cassie Hack.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics, Fantasy, Adventure, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 2015

About the author

Michael Moreci is a bestselling comics author and novelist. His original works include the space adventure novels Black Star Renegades and We Are Mayhem, as well as the comic series Wasted Space, The Plot, Hexagon, Curse, Archangel 8, and more. The Plot appeared on numerous best of 2019 lists, and Wasted Space has been hailed as one of the best comics of the past decade. Moreci's comic trilogy Roche Limit was called one of the best sci-fi comics of all-time by Paste Magazine, and Black Star Renegades was an Audie Award finalist for best sci-fi of 2018.

Moreci has also written for Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and the DC universe--including the YA graphic novel The Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Story. He's also adapted Eoin Colfer's bestselling Artemis Fowl series into graphic novels.

He lives outside Chicago with his family.

Reviews

[Paul Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hack/Slash: Son of Samhain Volume 1 It's been a while since I last delved into the world of Hack Slash and a lots changed since my last visit. Vlad's been killed off and that's a pretty major character development and I guess you can't get more major than dead. Missed that one so I'm going to have to do some recapping to catch up but anyway to The Son of Samhain.
 
Cassie Hack our favourite slasher slayer is reduced to bounty hunting to make ends meet, it’s dangerous work and the pays crap but a jobs a job. On one job she finds herself stalked by a reputed monster hunter name Delroy, it’s a shaky start to a relationship and the old man is after help in his quest, Cassie is the help he needs.
 
Now this is a change of tact for Cassie, Delroy has to convince her of the existence of monsters and the unification of monsters and slashers for a higher purpose, led by Morinto their game is to retake the world they once knew.
 
 
Delroy and Cassie’s journey takes them into Mexico and the realization soon hits that this is going to be a monumental monster bashing epic of a problem as these freaks seek the rebirth of their god Attan-Soolu. One of their early altercations sees the rescue of the Son of Samhain, October Bourne who it has to be said is none too shy in the in the art of slaughtering monsters.
 

 
Kiss It is heavily involved you’ll be glad to hear and soaked in a deluge of monster blood, and the Son of Samhain is a bloody tale and hopefully the start of a new chapter in the life of Cassie Hack. Excellent artwork enhances the tale and there’s some extra stuff at the end that adds to the story.
 
Wicked stuff.
 

See the artwork on original post here http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...

 

[Magdalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassie Hack, the former slasher hunter returns in this volume to stop a cult of evil monsters.

This was a quick read with a not too complicated story even though as this is the first volume I have read starring Cassie Hack there was a lot of back story that made me wish that I had more knowledge. But anyway it was mostly non stop action, the monsters need to be stopped and Cassie and her new found partners, Delroy and October are more than happy doing that.

So if you are looking for a graphic novel, with quite good art, ugly monsters, a kick ass heroine and lots of action? Then, my friend this one is for you!

3 stars

Thank you Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

Review also posted on And Now for Something Completely Different and It's a Mad Mad World

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cassie Slash finds herself back in the business of offing demons as she gets roped into helping older demon hunter, Delroy. When they come across the son of samhain, 8 year old Ocky, he joins them in tracking down and killing the new breed of monsters.

The story is pretty straightforward and for me it was just a glorious example of over the top violence and gore as Ocky, Delroy and Cassie destroy demon after demon. The characters are well done with some nice back story included to add some depth to the start of the new series. Delroy was likeable and full of quick wit which makes him the perfect foil for kick ass heroine Cassie.

The artwork was beautiful, the panels pop with energy and vibrant colour that perfectly match the storyline.

Highlly recommended.

[Starlight Kid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hack/Slash was one of my favourite graphic novel series its really original, violent, funny, contains excellent characters and guest stars some of the most iconic characters from modern day horror films. The series follows Cassie Hack who hunts and kills Slasher killers, alot of the villians are brilliant and she has even battled Chuckie. The references to horror pop culture is amazing and really the original Hack/Slash series made me take an interest in independant comics.

Unfortunatley what I liked about the original Hack/Slash series has been abandoned this is more fantasy mixed with horror, where as what Hack/Slash has always been to me is like a mini horror story per each volume. This isnt Hack/Slash this is something else. I found myself getting bored and the humour wasnt there, I really dont recommend this spin off series.

But if you like Graphic Novels and Horror Pop Culture then pick up the Omnibus books of the original series they are classic!

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-Read 2018!

So the story for this is set after the main series ended, Cassie is on her own now as she's doing low level bounty hunter jobs as she tries to forget her past. Then Cassie is found by a monster hunter named Delroy who needs her help; basically there is this underground monster race that have lived deep beneath the earth and now they want to come to the surface and reek havoc.

To talk about the positives, I did like how they tried to continue Cassie's story in the aftermath of the original series finale and they do some interesting things with her character I felt. One thing that is a positive and a bit of a negative is the monster race they use as the bad guys. On one hand they add an interesting fantasy type element into the mix and as I read on I got invested in this world they live in the history there race has clearly gone through; however on the negative side, it is very different to what the original series was known for which was Cassie fighting horror movie type Slashers and although cheesy, it made the series unique compared to anything else. I overall still enjoyed this series, but I can see why this upset some fans of the series. This series however sadly didn't last long, only five issues which I felt was a shame.

Artwork is okay for the most part, it gets the job done, but its not my favourite. Overall re-reading through this I still enjoyed reading this series, but I can see why some fans may be turned off by it. I don't know now how this series will be treated in resurrection whether it will be mentioned or they will pretend like it didn't happen entirely.

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note - I was provided an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

This is my first Hack/Slash graphic novel so I didn't know much well thankfully its the carnage that I expected, with all the stabbing, decapitation, body parts etc. meaning all the fun of a monster comic book. There are monsters and there are monster hunters. There is Cassie our Hack and Delroy an old Monster hunter and the new guy a 8 years old boy who is "Son of Samhain" - October. Together they hunt monsters and foil yet another plan to take over the world but the evil never rests and neither would Hack and Ocky. Very well done graphic novel.

I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[Μιχάλης · Rating 3 out of 5]

To Hack/Slash ξεκίνησε σαν μία καταπληκτική σειρά από one-shots που επανεφεύρισκαν τα κλισέ των σλάσερ ταινιών, η ongoinf σειρά όμως ξέμεινε από ατμό όσο επέκτεινε τη βασική μυθολογία της σειράς. Το Son of Samhain είναι μία προσπάθεια reboot της σειράς, προσθέτοντας στο μύθο και μία νέα κατηγορία τεράτων, κάτι σαν ορκ που μένουν κάτω από τη γη και συνεργάζονται με τους κακούς της βασικής σειράς.

Από τους πρωταγωνιστές, εδώ βρίσκουμε μόνο την Cassie Hack (σκεφτείτε Buffy αν ήταν μέλος των suicide girls) να συνεργάζεται με δύο νέους χαρακτήρες εναντίον τους.
Το αποτέλεσμα διαβάζεται ευχάριστα, αλλά δεν έχει την σπιρτάδα και τη φρεσκάδα που έκαναν το hack/slash να ξεχωρίσει. Σίγουρα όχι το καλύτερο σημείο για πρώτη επαφή με τη σειρά, προτιμήστε καλύτερα τόμο που θα έχει και τον υπέρτατο χαρακτήρα της σειράς, τον Vlad

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hack/Slash series is one I'm fond of for its love of 80s slasher movies, Goth girls, Punk girls, fanservice, and humor. This is an attempt to revive the series fater it definitively ended in a way that was meant to wrap it up and does a semi-decent job. Cassie is the only really likable hero and they have the "Son of Samhain" show up that Cassie adopts (which is really bizarre as she fled from her previous family). They fight Trolls.

Yes, Trolls.

Well, trolls that basically act like LOTR orcs.

It's an okay read but nothing really gets carried over to the next series that does a better job of reviving it.

7/10

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Hack/Slash: Son of Samhain Volume 1' introduced me to a pretty awesome monster fighter. Even though I hadn't read earlier stories, I had no trouble following what was going on.

Cassie Hack is a kind of cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Tank Girl. She kills monsters, and she's quite good at it. When this volume starts, she's in semi-retirement until her fellow monster hunter Delroy comes looking for her. Before long, they also have a young boy names October Bourne who has a questionable past along, but the more the merrier. This time they take on a demon named Morinto and his horrifying horde, and things build to a pretty intense battle. Cassie takes October under her wing, and he turns out to be a pretty good fighter himself.

I like a good monster bashing book, and this filled the bill pretty good. I like Cassie's irreverence behavior towards everything as well as her weapon of choice, a nail-studded baseball bat. The art is grotesque and disturbing at times, but I liked the art by Emilio Laiso, and the story by Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Annice22 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review.

I gave this 4 1/2 stars.

Reading this was like watching one of those scary movies except with smarter characters. Cassie Hack is back to fighting monsters after trying her best to move away from that line of work.

This time, the monsters are planning a huge attack to destroy all humans. She got help from another monster slayer Delroy, a little boy named October who reminds me of Damian Wayne except for being blond and Delroy's friend Luis, who looks exactly like actor Danny Trejo, who had gone undercover to find out the monsters' plan.

This was a fun read. However there were a few parts that showed the monsters discussing their plans that felt as if the story slowed a little but other than that it was interesting to read.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free electronic ARC of this graphic novel from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

After the last issue of the Hack/Slash Omnibus issues, I thought the series was over. But Moreci found a way for the series to continue on. With the slashers all gone, Cassie turns to bounty hunting. That's boring. Then she gets the chance to hunt monsters. The characters are okay. They are what they need to be for this book. I liked the story. It added a layer of background to the Hack/Slash world. I would be interested to see where Cassie goes from here.

[Julio Bonilla]

That all you got, sweetheart?

Cassie Hack is reminiscent of Michelle Rodriguez's character from Resident Evil, a movie I saw in a theater back in 2002(Long before Coronavirus.) The graphic novel is bloody. Now I wonder, Is this more gruesome than Spawn? I wish this had been the first graphic novel, so I could understand Cassie more.

The character, Luis, resembles Danny Trejo. Did the author/artist do that on purpose?

[Damian Herde · Rating 3 out of 5]

An urban fantasy with a monster-hunting woman who had retired being brought back in to battle a bunch of subterranean orcs with a grudge against humanity.

This volume one was my starting point with this character, but apparently it is a sequel, as there are constant references to people, places and events.
The art style is decent enough, but the story and characters made this a chore to finish.

[Johan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have started reading the Hack/Slash series a few years ago, but after 3 volumes I had enough of it. You can consider this story as a one-off. Apparently, Vlad has died or disappeared and Cassie Hack now earns a living as a bounty hunter. A fellow slasher of slashers asks Cassie to join him in fighting evil again. I liked it.

[Roberto Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a continuation of the long story of Cassie Hack, is anothee good addition and progression, with a resolution that leave space for further developement. As a first jumping on point, is a good story of preventing an end-of-the-world scenario witj good art.

[Edd Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Mediocre 2/5 Graphic Novel Volume

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You're Squishy. I Like That."

Back in 2013, Image Comics published the "Hack/Slash Omnibus Volume 5 TP", which wrapped up the Hack/Slash saga with an "epic finale" that was well received by fans, but that many suspected, or hoped, wasn't as finale-ish as it appeared. Well, with this Volume 1 of the "Son of Samhain", we're back in business. Cassie Hack is out of retirement and teamed up with a grizzled old cowboy-style partner, Delroy, who shares her taste for battle and for wisecracks. When Cassie whacks her first monster with her trusty nail bat and declares, "You're squishy. I like that.", it's on.

This volume collects issues 1 through 5 of the Hack/Slash: Son of Samhain series of comic books. So many artists and writers contributed to the first saga that's it's hard to compare it with this new version. Anyway, since this is a whole new arc with a new partner and new evil-doers, let's just start fresh here.

This time out we're monster hunting. The monsters are on the rise, with a new leader and a new god, and as they emerge they are met by Cassie, Delroy, and an eight year old monster-killing enthusiast with a complicated backstory. Mayhem ensues. There are some references to characters from the first saga, but only a few. This arc is a whole new story and intended to be a complete stand-alone. There are a few angsty bits, but none of them weigh the story down and most of them, (primarily heart-to-hearts between Cassie and the kid), actually work pretty well and add a little weight to the story.

The drawing works to illustrate the story and complement the action nicely. There are a few stunning full page drawings and even the transition panels have a lot of energy and detail. I like the characters to look the same from page to page and there is great consistency here from page to page, which really helps keep the reader in the story.

So, the upshot is that this seems a worthy revisit to Cassie Hack, and the character and plot decisions that have been made for this series seem likely to hold up well and to entertain. Whether one is a fan or new to Cassie I would expect this to be well liked.

Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

[Abhinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this volume is not connected in anyway to the initial series, this volume marks a successful initiation into a standalone series of its own genre. The art is bold and simply beautiful. Cassie looks mature and very cool. The building up of the historical storyline of Attan Soolu is very interesting and makes for a great separate series too as the illustrations are somewhat original and enjoyable.

This doesn't necessarily mean that there are no other critiques. The creators seem to go out of the way to portray a strong woman capable of slaying both physical monsters and the mental monsters of her past. The success of the portrayal comes at the cost of staying away from reality. But however monsters aren't close to reality either. So this may be excused. Ocky, the engineered son of Samhain, is also a ruthless killer while he's not even a teenager. With no musculature nor any mention of his M.O., it is unbelievable to imagine a child with high speed murderous tactics. But hey! This is Samhain's son, so we might as well believe this too.

It would have been interesting to see Morinto's rise to power and rising up the ranks of the monsters. Even Zdena's life would be an interesting storyline with Morinto or Zdena as the protagonist. A dark series would not pose a problem as the illustrators have excelled at drawing the monsters.

On the whole, this is a very creative blend of fantasy and good art. I loved it from cover to cover.

I thank NetGalley for a reviewer's ecopy of this book.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess this was a decent read – it offered little in the way of things that are new – an underground race of monsters wanting to kill humans, and up top a grizzled old hunter, a "sexy" female killer and a kid have to unite to be the sole defence for mankind. I didn't fully manage to keep track of which orc-like nasty was which, the plot jumped a few things here and there (likewise the action imagery, in what is all told a pretty good looking comic) and the characters really provided little that was new. But if this was a revival of someone I've never heard of who was merely supposed to be topping off serial killers and human nasties, this went about its shark-jumping with some bravura, and a nod to the classics that have trod this path in superior fashion before now (Mignola mentioned in the bonus plot pitch summary). I can't see the further volumes going way above and beyond, either, but I wouldn't be against sampling a few, for the familiarity of the contents and ease with which the world was formed by these creators.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge Hack/Slash fan and was very disappointed when the series ended. Then I saw this trade and my happiness returned....However, this is not the tongue-in-cheek horror humor mixed in with great characters and developing storylines about Cassie, Vlad, and their interesting group of supporters helping to stop Slashers. Instead we are left with what life is like for Cassie after her partner Vlad died. She is a bounty hunter who is asked for help by a fellow Slasher hunter to stop some monsters. The son of Samhain character reminds me a little of Damian Wayne from Batman, without being annoying. A surprise appearance by Cat and Pooch is fun and refreshing in this rather dark story. The biggest problem is that without Vlad around Cassie is too depressing. She needs him to help her through her troubled life. They are a great team relaying on each other and without him Cassie and the story feels empty.

Recommended for Hack/Slash fans who are looking for more stories to read.

[Doomedtolive · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missing the campy feel of the original series, this short volume is lacking the Hack-slash feel that I grew to love. I don't know how to feel about the whole ancient monsters rising up against humanity thing. It seems done to death, and not in the tongue in cheek way of the Slashers.

Bring back the horror movie tropes and fast paced plotting, this brooding story telling thing isn't working for me.

[Elle Markov · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this new story of one of the most kickass leading monster slayers, Hack teams up with some new partners as she works to stop the resurrection of an evil monster God.

This is very 80's style horror movies, lots of killing, slashing and blood. Oh, and of course, the monsters always live underground and want to slay mankind, because our ancestors drove them underground.

Still the story was pretty awesome and a great way to start a new storyline.

Rating 5 out of 5
Read@Book

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassie Hack has taken to hunting bounties rather than human monsters. Then she encounters Delroy who persuades her to hunt real monsters with him. They acquire Ocky, the eight-year-old son of Samhain from the monsters and manage with much smashing and hacking to put a crimp in the monsters plan. But of course this is just the beginning of the fight with plenty more story to come. Enjoy!

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hack/Slash is probably the best name for this series ever. It never gets too complicated. Cassie's back and she's still a total badass even though her world has shifted since the original series.

It's a wonderful romp filled with violence and an easy to follow plot. This morning, it really hit the spot.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first introduction to Hack/Slash and has intrigued me into wanting to read the previous stories. There's nothing truly unique here, a typical monster hunter story vs creature who wants to raise previous evil god back to life and take over the world. Cassie is a kick-butt female warrior and her companions make up a fun team. Lot of action, fighting, blood and guts. Fun!

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The continuing adventures of Cassie Hack sputter a bit in this installment which features both inconsistent art as well as three replacement sidekicks that all fall short of Vlad. The premise is OK, with the son of Samhain being a cool idea but the bad guys are fairly generic with yet another end of the world scheme. The reappearance of Cat Curio and Pooch was my favorite part.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Netgalley advance. A decent continuation/spin-off/reboot of Hack/Slash, but it doesn't quite have the same spark or edge when it comes to playing with horror tropes the way Hack/Slash has done in the past. Then again, actually reading the earlier volumes would probably help.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun violent graphic novel about Cassie Hack, a monster hunter. Fast paced, though the ending was a bit too quick for me.

[I received an advanced e-galley of this through Netgalley.]

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 4 out of 5]

i just love hack/slash
someday i ll collect them all