Sunday Comic Digest: Hobo vs. Jason

Excepted from Jason vs. Leatherface #1, 1995. Written by Nancy Collins, Penciled by Jeff Butler, Inked by Steve Montano, Colored by Renee Witterstaetter, Lettered by Brad K. Joyce, Published by Topps Comics.

The Jason vs. Leatherface comic mini-series came out a few years after Jason Goes To Hell, and around the time Freddy vs. Jason really should have been happening to fully exploit the ending of that previous film. This was a nice consolation prize, I must say. It was high-concept in keeping with New Line’s entries in the Friday the 13th franchise, the writing was ass-tight – successfully building communication and conflict between two villains who do not speak, and the art was particularly trashy in a good way, a mood enhanced by the pop-art style coloring which wasn’t really apparent on the 90′s paper it was printed on. This could stand a reproduction on glossy paper to remedy that.

This is one of my favorite scenes in the series: Crystal Lake has been drained and the toxic water, containing one Jason Voorhees, is being transported by train. Once freeing himself, he happens upon one of those awesome train-traveling hobos. I love the dialogue of the kindly vagrant and Jason’s cruelty comes through by chopping the helping hand. Now after these pages, the hobo and the dog are dispatched – that didn’t really play with me, but these three are pitch-perfect.

And check out the shadowing on Jason’s mask on the third page – a tip future sequels can learn: mold the mask and use lights in such a way to make the hockey mask more fearsome, foreboding.

Posted by Dusk