Looks like slashers are getting a new lease on life in the form of funnybooks; the latest being Adam Green's Hatchet. I recently picked up issue #0. The art is serviceable, I really liked the coloring but would have preferred a less cartoony approach, something grittier and raw. The story itself casts a unsympathetic shade on Victor Crowley, It takes place during the events of the first film, needlessly recounting the events there for people who may not have seen the movie but snagged the comic. Jack Cracker is the main character, he weaves the tale of the history of Victor Crowley and the swamp he haunts while trying to fornicate with a blow up doll and drink his own piss. Just about what you'd expect from a Hatchet comic. Apparently Jack Cracker intervened on Victor's behalf when bullies harassed Victor by pelting him with rocks when his dad had gone on a supply run, and for his troubles Victor turned on him, gouging out one of his eyes. In the movies they make it seem like Victor was more of an innocent bystander, albeit deformed and cursed to live in the swamp away from the ridicule of modern society. The comic makes it clear however that Victor was always a violent sociopath, perhaps even without being bullied, and that his father kept him from society to protect other people as much as it was for Victor's own safety. It seems to rob Victor of some semblance of sympathy someone might have for him as a victim of a terrible accident. It was an okay comic but I would have liked to see it tread into new ground, more Hatchet 4 territory. I did subscribe to future issues, hope it's good.
