"Hack/Slash" #7 on sale this month

Slasher hunters Cassie Hack and her partner Vlad, the stars of writer Tim Seeley's Hack/Slash series from Devil's Due Publishing, have survived some pretty horrific situations, but their friendship will face its toughest challenge when they visit a small all-girls college. That's the premise behind Tub Club, a new three-part story beginning in this month's Hack/Slash #7.  CBR News spoke with Seeley about the new storyline.

Tub Club first manifested as a four-page homage to lez-ploitation films in the 2006 anthology, Hack/Slash: Trailers. It's the first trailer from the anthology to be turned into a full-length story. 'Tub Club' fit in so well with my overall series arc, not to mention that it seemed to be the reader fave, Tim Seeley told CBR News.  I haven't started or scheduled any other 'trailer' adaptations yet, but I'm open to it if it fits in to my goals for the book.

The full-length Tub Club story arc sends Cassie and Vlad to a small all-girls college in Brookline, Massachusetts. Cas and Vlad are in the area investigating some weird bodiless skins (as opposed to the skinless bodies they're used to), Seeley explained. Since they're close to a friend of their friend Lisa's, they stop at the college to stay in a dorm room for a day or two. But there's something going on at the college involving college girls, hot tubs, and lots of screaming death.

Pages from "Hack/Slash" #7

The mystery of the slasher behind the bodiless skins is just one many challenges Cassie and Vlad have to tackle in Tub Club. The 'who' is not so much the focus as is the way the case affects Cas and Vlad, Seeley explained. Another focus is also lots of sexy college girls in hot tubs and a fair amount of stabbiness.

In the last Hack/Slash arc, Vlad lost his virginity to save Cassie from a killer hair metal band and their monstrous masters. Given Vlad's sexual awakening, the events of Tub Club will affect him on a primal level. It won't get easier for Vlad as he has to go to an all-girls school and witness all kinds of hinky lesbian goings on, Seeley said. But as we'll see, the sex thing will actually be the least of the problems straining his and Cassie's friendship in the 'Tub Club' arc. We'll see what happens when someone comes between them. Also, we'll see lots of blood and hot girl-on-girl action.

Pages from "Hack/Slash" #7

The style of the previous Hack/Slash arc was primarily humorous with some horrific moments, and while Tub Club will have some laughs it will feature a more serious tone. As always, the stories are all about the characters, Seeley said. And there will be growth and change, just like in real life.

All the horror, humor, human drama and human nudity of Tub Club will be depicted by artist Rebekah Isaacs, who's filling in for regular Hack/Slash penciller Emily Stone. She's another talented woman who brings a lot of the style and storytelling skills we've seen in Emily (who will be back with issue #10; she needed a little break), Seeley explained. Rebekah also draws incredibly hot girls.  She's especially adept at drawing hot, wet girls.

After Tub Club, Seeley releases two stand-alone issues of Hack/Slash, but readers shouldn't expect these issues to be small, quiet stories. They'll focus on some of huge bombshell revelations dropped at the end of Tub Club.

"Hack/Slash" #5, #7

A few months later, Cassie and Vlad will finally match wits with the characters from Fangoria Comics' Bump. The project was originally planned as a one-shot due out in October but the folding of Fangoria lead Seeley to incorporate the story into the regular Hack/Slash series. Readers can expect the story around issue #15.

Hack/Slash may not sell like a big superhero book from Marvel or DC Comics, but each month the book's audience grows, which has made Seeley very happy. The second issue, we gained some new readers, and since then we've had this very small rise with each issue's sales, Seeley explained. Which is great!! I'd love to add a few more each issue, which is one of the reasons why I'll do interviews with that crazy Dave Richards kook!

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