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Clive Barker's Hellraiser (2011) #1
Clive Barker's Hellraiser Vol. 1
Hell has come home as Clive Barker returns to writing his signature creation!
Clive Barker has “touched” Hellraiser only twice once to write The Hellbound Heart, and once more to write and direct the original Hellraiser film. With the HELLRAISER ongoing series, witness Barker’s long-awaited return to tell a new chapter in the official continuity — a trajectory that will forever change the Cenobites…and Pinhead! So prepare your soul for an epic journey into horror from one of the medium’s greatest voices, and starring one of the medium’s greatest characters, in an unforgettable new chapter of Hellraiser.
Clive Barker has “touched” Hellraiser only twice once to write The Hellbound Heart, and once more to write and direct the original Hellraiser film. With the HELLRAISER ongoing series, witness Barker’s long-awaited return to tell a new chapter in the official continuity — a trajectory that will forever change the Cenobites…and Pinhead! So prepare your soul for an epic journey into horror from one of the medium’s greatest voices, and starring one of the medium’s greatest characters, in an unforgettable new chapter of Hellraiser.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
248 people are currently reading
2640 people want to read
About the author
Clive Barker
704 books15.1k followersClive Barker was born in Liverpool, England, the son of Joan Rubie (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm. Educated at Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School, he studied English and Philosophy at Liverpool University and his picture now hangs in the entrance hallway to the Philosophy Department. It was in Liverpool in 1975 that he met his first partner, John Gregson, with whom he lived until 1986. Barker's second long-term relationship, with photographer David Armstrong, ended in 2009.
In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. This award is presented "to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for any of those communities". While Barker is critical of organized religion, he has stated that he is a believer in both God and the afterlife, and that the Bible influences his work.
Fans have noticed of late that Barker's voice has become gravelly and coarse. He says in a December 2008 online interview that this is due to polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars. On August 27, 2010, Barker underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012 Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning. Barker remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.
Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6), and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991) and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.
Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.
Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.
A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid,
In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. This award is presented "to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for any of those communities". While Barker is critical of organized religion, he has stated that he is a believer in both God and the afterlife, and that the Bible influences his work.
Fans have noticed of late that Barker's voice has become gravelly and coarse. He says in a December 2008 online interview that this is due to polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars. On August 27, 2010, Barker underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012 Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning. Barker remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.
Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6), and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991) and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.
Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.
Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.
A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid,
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
June 26, 2018
3.5 Stars
Hell is Back in fashion, Kids!
I loved Barker's original novella and the movie adaptation, and the rest of the media featuring Cenobites varied from average to horrendous to unwatchable for me. So when I came across this comic book, I was excited because of Barker's involvement, and a bit wary at the same time because of the franchise's nose-diving track record.
But when the unholy Priest start delivering the sermon, you listen.
The story has two fronts, one focusing on Priest AKA Pinhead and his plans to evolve into something... more human? We have seen you in your Human form, Pinhead. It's not worth it. And weirdly, Women really dig you in your Cenobite form. (I've been to some dark corners of the Internet during my ill-advised search for cenobite fan art. Don't ask for details!) The second front focuses on Kirsty Cotton from the original movie and sequel. Apparently, she is now a hunter of Lemarchand's devices (there are many!), and with the help of Harrowers (the other survivors of Hell), she is getting closer to destroying every portal that opens to hell.
I read the book two times back-to-back, the first time it was meh, and it was better second time around as I caught some threads of Barker's webs. I enjoyed Pinhead's Chorus scene, the chapter featuring the backstory of Harrowers, and the final confrontation. Yet the story is missing a certain freshness, probably because I'm used to the dynamics of Hellraiser world. Nevertheless, the opening act shows promise, and the art is beautiful and sinfully gory, making it an interesting new chapter for the Hellraiser franchise.
Hell is Back in fashion, Kids!
Oh, hush, child. How they all yearn for home... But hell is a house of many rooms, too.
I loved Barker's original novella and the movie adaptation, and the rest of the media featuring Cenobites varied from average to horrendous to unwatchable for me. So when I came across this comic book, I was excited because of Barker's involvement, and a bit wary at the same time because of the franchise's nose-diving track record.
But when the unholy Priest start delivering the sermon, you listen.
The story has two fronts, one focusing on Priest AKA Pinhead and his plans to evolve into something... more human? We have seen you in your Human form, Pinhead. It's not worth it. And weirdly, Women really dig you in your Cenobite form. (I've been to some dark corners of the Internet during my ill-advised search for cenobite fan art. Don't ask for details!) The second front focuses on Kirsty Cotton from the original movie and sequel. Apparently, she is now a hunter of Lemarchand's devices (there are many!), and with the help of Harrowers (the other survivors of Hell), she is getting closer to destroying every portal that opens to hell.
I read the book two times back-to-back, the first time it was meh, and it was better second time around as I caught some threads of Barker's webs. I enjoyed Pinhead's Chorus scene, the chapter featuring the backstory of Harrowers, and the final confrontation. Yet the story is missing a certain freshness, probably because I'm used to the dynamics of Hellraiser world. Nevertheless, the opening act shows promise, and the art is beautiful and sinfully gory, making it an interesting new chapter for the Hellraiser franchise.
November 20, 2024
Not for the causal reader.
I've never watched a Hellraiser movie, so I had only a very slight inkling of what this might be about. But a friend of mine gifted me some of these comics, so I decided to jump in.
I did a bit of a Wikipedia search on the characters to try to make sense of what I was reading, but the bottom line is that I think the only way to really get the full enjoyment out of this is if you're a fan.
So it seems as if Pinhead wants to be human. And he sends these little demon boxes out to people.
And on the flip side, there is a group of characters that have had run-ins with him before and have teamed up to fight him.
Apparently, there is this one character who used to be a "box delivery man" and now he's fighting with this group.
Basically, I got the gist but not any of the references or callbacks.
I have 2 more volumes that I'll read to see if it becomes clearer, but as it stands I really do think you probably need a good working knowledge of a few of the movies to appreciate this fully.
I will personally treasure this as a gift. And who knows? It may spur me into watching the movies!
I've never watched a Hellraiser movie, so I had only a very slight inkling of what this might be about. But a friend of mine gifted me some of these comics, so I decided to jump in.
I did a bit of a Wikipedia search on the characters to try to make sense of what I was reading, but the bottom line is that I think the only way to really get the full enjoyment out of this is if you're a fan.
So it seems as if Pinhead wants to be human. And he sends these little demon boxes out to people.
And on the flip side, there is a group of characters that have had run-ins with him before and have teamed up to fight him.
Apparently, there is this one character who used to be a "box delivery man" and now he's fighting with this group.
Basically, I got the gist but not any of the references or callbacks.
I have 2 more volumes that I'll read to see if it becomes clearer, but as it stands I really do think you probably need a good working knowledge of a few of the movies to appreciate this fully.
I will personally treasure this as a gift. And who knows? It may spur me into watching the movies!
May 21, 2017
As usual with this kind of stuff, I was confused some of the time, but ignored that like usual and kept reading.
It's definitely a different type of Hellraiser story where Pinhead has grown weary. I was more interested in the Kirsty angle because I enjoyed Hellseeker so much when I saw it last year. Yeah, the Hellraiser sequels are pretty terrible, and it wasn't a well-made movie, but there was something about it that had me glued and seeking out this comic series.
Fortunately Pinhead is accompanied by the cenobites from the original two movies (the rest kind of sucked anyway), and there are a few dialogue exchanges with the female cenobite, who expresses confusion at the leader's pause. There's an abundance of other hellraiser types and apparently Kirsty has gotten involved with a group that seeks to destroy the different portals and creatures which are summoned. Pinhead knows of this but ultimately craves Kirsty as a potential ally of something unsaid at times, and another challenge/conquest the other times. Obviously we recognize the box, but the comic shows there are other portals used such as a snowglobe and a creepy doll.
The graphics are dark and heavily penned, well-illustrated and keeping in the darker toned colors you'd expect with this genre. Obviously no humor is present - some of the films tried to make a little humor work, but it's absent here for good and logical reason.
It's weird to read about a Pinhead who is bored with it all and seems to be experiencing a type of spiritual crisis of his own, wondering even about death and the end - don't expect the villain so many horror-lovers know and enjoy to be present in the same way we're used to him. Still, he's there and has convincing lines that fit the former novella and movie offsprings. I'm glad Clive kept with the continuity from the second film which shows they've found their real human faces and existence (after the reveal from Kirsty at the end of the movie), and it seems to spur on a little from Hellseeker. I think. Again, I get confused.
There's still more of the series to read to see what's really up, which I'll do soon.
It's definitely a different type of Hellraiser story where Pinhead has grown weary. I was more interested in the Kirsty angle because I enjoyed Hellseeker so much when I saw it last year. Yeah, the Hellraiser sequels are pretty terrible, and it wasn't a well-made movie, but there was something about it that had me glued and seeking out this comic series.
Fortunately Pinhead is accompanied by the cenobites from the original two movies (the rest kind of sucked anyway), and there are a few dialogue exchanges with the female cenobite, who expresses confusion at the leader's pause. There's an abundance of other hellraiser types and apparently Kirsty has gotten involved with a group that seeks to destroy the different portals and creatures which are summoned. Pinhead knows of this but ultimately craves Kirsty as a potential ally of something unsaid at times, and another challenge/conquest the other times. Obviously we recognize the box, but the comic shows there are other portals used such as a snowglobe and a creepy doll.
The graphics are dark and heavily penned, well-illustrated and keeping in the darker toned colors you'd expect with this genre. Obviously no humor is present - some of the films tried to make a little humor work, but it's absent here for good and logical reason.
It's weird to read about a Pinhead who is bored with it all and seems to be experiencing a type of spiritual crisis of his own, wondering even about death and the end - don't expect the villain so many horror-lovers know and enjoy to be present in the same way we're used to him. Still, he's there and has convincing lines that fit the former novella and movie offsprings. I'm glad Clive kept with the continuity from the second film which shows they've found their real human faces and existence (after the reveal from Kirsty at the end of the movie), and it seems to spur on a little from Hellseeker. I think. Again, I get confused.
There's still more of the series to read to see what's really up, which I'll do soon.
September 21, 2017
This was so good!
I think you have to watch the movies first otherwise you are going to be left in the dark about who the players are in this graphic novel.
We have Pinhead, the rest of his crew, Kristy Cotton, and of course, the box.
In this volume 1, we have a Pinhead that is bored with the sights and torture he has seen. He wants something more..he wants to be human.
We get a gruesome opening scene of a woman torn apart by Pinhead and the Cenobites, and than Pinhead being all, well I have seen all that Hell has to show me. I am ready for something more. It appears he needs someone to take his place, and than we move to Kristy Cotton who it appears is still haunted by Pinhead and what she experienced while institutionalized.
I liked the writing and the panels a lot. The panels be warned are kind of explicit. So if you have a weak stomach, I suggest skipping over this.
I don't want to get too spoilery, but Kristy seems to be on the hunt for Pinead and his friends and it looks like she has some sidekicks to help her out.
Aside: Who the heck tries to go up against some demons? Are you all crazy? FYI none of the characters doing this are black. I just want to restate that, none of the characters who are all, let's throw down on some demons are black.
I would have been out like a shot.
I will eventually go and get volume 2. Maybe in the month of October to finish off my second card! I really did like this. Gruesome as anything, but I have to say, I really do enjoy Clive Barker.
I think you have to watch the movies first otherwise you are going to be left in the dark about who the players are in this graphic novel.
We have Pinhead, the rest of his crew, Kristy Cotton, and of course, the box.
In this volume 1, we have a Pinhead that is bored with the sights and torture he has seen. He wants something more..he wants to be human.
We get a gruesome opening scene of a woman torn apart by Pinhead and the Cenobites, and than Pinhead being all, well I have seen all that Hell has to show me. I am ready for something more. It appears he needs someone to take his place, and than we move to Kristy Cotton who it appears is still haunted by Pinhead and what she experienced while institutionalized.
I liked the writing and the panels a lot. The panels be warned are kind of explicit. So if you have a weak stomach, I suggest skipping over this.
I don't want to get too spoilery, but Kristy seems to be on the hunt for Pinead and his friends and it looks like she has some sidekicks to help her out.
Aside: Who the heck tries to go up against some demons? Are you all crazy? FYI none of the characters doing this are black. I just want to restate that, none of the characters who are all, let's throw down on some demons are black.
I would have been out like a shot.
I will eventually go and get volume 2. Maybe in the month of October to finish off my second card! I really did like this. Gruesome as anything, but I have to say, I really do enjoy Clive Barker.
December 3, 2022
For the first time after The Hellbound Heart and the its movie adaptation Hellraiser, the Grandmaster himself, Clive Barker, returned to the world of Cenobites to bring new life into the Hellraiser series. And he pulls it off once more. It's a sort of sequel to the story of Kristy Cotton, known from The Hellbound Heart and movies Hellraiser I and II. She's now leading Harrowers, a group of people who survived encounters with Cenobites. Together they're after other Lemarchand's creations, which like Lament Configuration hides demons and bring death to its owners.
A second thread of story follows Pinhead, who is weary of his existence and is having sort of a existential crisis, with desire to transform into something else. Something more human.
Writing is as expected from Barker who works with Christopher Monfette this time, gore is a plenty and gloomy art of Leonardo Manco is complimenting it all.
A second thread of story follows Pinhead, who is weary of his existence and is having sort of a existential crisis, with desire to transform into something else. Something more human.
Writing is as expected from Barker who works with Christopher Monfette this time, gore is a plenty and gloomy art of Leonardo Manco is complimenting it all.
May 27, 2018
I’ve not read a graphic novel since I was a young girl, but I was looking up the fabulous Clive Barker on Amazon yesterday and discovered some of his graphic novels are available on Kindle Unlimited. I was so excited, I clicked on this one straight away and read it last night. I read lots of books and I listen to audiobooks reasonably often, so reading a graphic novel with pictures was an interesting new experience for me as an adult.
Hellraiser Vol. 1 tells the next chapter in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser story. I definitely recommend this to those of you who loved the book The Hellbound Heart and the first Hellraiser film, which terrified me when I watched it at just ten years old, eek!
I do love Pinhead. He’s my favourite all time fictional horror character:
“I speak of men with their dirty, narrow hearts, who will do anything to see one of their own suffer.”
This story taught me to watch out for scary carousel toys!
Another quote I liked:
“Such odd contraptions you are. Powered by gears of war. Driven by the mechanisms of time. And yet, oblivious to the enlightening devices of story.”
I really enjoyed this, and can’t wait to read the next one. I'm off to Amazon to clickety click now.
Hellraiser Vol. 1 tells the next chapter in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser story. I definitely recommend this to those of you who loved the book The Hellbound Heart and the first Hellraiser film, which terrified me when I watched it at just ten years old, eek!
I do love Pinhead. He’s my favourite all time fictional horror character:
“I speak of men with their dirty, narrow hearts, who will do anything to see one of their own suffer.”
This story taught me to watch out for scary carousel toys!
Another quote I liked:
“Such odd contraptions you are. Powered by gears of war. Driven by the mechanisms of time. And yet, oblivious to the enlightening devices of story.”
I really enjoyed this, and can’t wait to read the next one. I'm off to Amazon to clickety click now.
January 17, 2018
Spooky! Gut-splattering! True-to-form.
February 18, 2012
During most of my life Clive Barker has been my favorite author, as far as professional heroes go he is one of them for sure. He has had a rough go of it lately. Lots of projects and books have been promised and only half of those (mostly films) have seen the light of day. Publishing wise Barker was dropped by his long time publisher after failing to deliver a collection of horror shorts called the Scarlet Gospels.
This collection has been rumored for almost a decade, and was said to feature Barker's return to the hellraiser-verse with a story about the death of it's villain Pinhead. Delay, after delay followed. In part because what was supposed to be a short story about Pinhead, became a novella, then as Barker kept writing it became a very, very long novel. The Scarlet Gospels became a separate project and different short story collection was said to be on the way.
Neither happened, I suppose Barker and the publishing powers that be had different ideas on how to market the work. The publisher claimed Barker couldn't stop revising it, or that he got distracted by other books(Mister B.Gone, Abarat 3) and film projects. Who knows for real.
Hellraiser is one of my favorite films ever, I am sure for Barker it has special place as it was his first film as director. So like many Hellraiser fans he helplessly watched as shitty sequel after shitty sequel was made with Pinhead that seemed to have little to do with his story. Personally I have found even Hellraiser 2 which Barker was somewhat involved with doesn't hold up well.
Barker clearly fell back in love with the story while workin on the Scarlet Gospels. Good thing because he decided to get involved in writing this graphic novel series. Not only does it return to the mythlogy of the story but follows the first stories heroine Kristy Cotton. After 25 years of haunting memories a trip to hell and back she has devoted herself to destroying the box and any gateway to hell.
Pinhead on the other hand is bored. The painand pleasure is all getting to be tiresome. Barker seems to be building up the character for a rebellion against hell. This is classic Barker, weird tools and gadgets. Deep non-tradtional mythos, and erotic horrors abound. This is the first Hellraiser story, since the first film that I could really get into. The art is perfect and disturbing.
Is it perfect? Besides a Pinhead that is a little to talkative and a throw-away lover for Kirsty it's pretty close to a perfect Hellraiser story.
July 11, 2020
Clive Barker was an eye-opening, soul-crushing, exciting discovery for a teenager born in a very quiet, provincial white-bread town. I remember being obsessed with his “Books of Blood: Volume 1” in high school, re-reading the dog-eared copy so many times that the front and back covers fell apart, like a snake shedding its skin.
I was fifteen when the movie “Hellraiser” arrived in theaters in 1987. I dragged my dad to see it, twice. He didn’t get it. I loved it.
The movie spawned a slew of sequels, most of them shitty, but I still watched them all.
So, when I discovered that Barker decided to carry on the story of Pinhead in a graphic novel series, I flipped out. Barker, apparently, only ever contributed to the first film, writing and directing it. He had absolutely nothing to do with the subsequent sequels.
Keep this in mind when reading the graphic novels. One must essentially forget the sequels, which honestly isn’t that difficult.
In this series, written by Barker and co-writer Christopher Monfette and illustrated by Leonardo Manco and Stephen Thompson, the heroine of the original film, Kristy Cotton, is trying to live a relatively normal life after the horrific trauma of encountering Pinhead, a cenobite from Hell, and surviving.
Kristy is part of a small group of fellow survivors who have taken it upon themselves to retrieve the scattered diabolical objets d’art created by the 18th-century toymaker LeMarchand, the puzzle box being but one of many.
Pinhead has sinister plans for Kristy, but what those plans are remains a mystery.
Volume 1 of the graphic novel compilation, “Pursuit of the Flesh”, is an excellent offering of Barker’s terrific writing and his talent for creating a sense of dread. There is also the requisite excessive amount of gore. Definitely not for the squeamish or for children.
I was fifteen when the movie “Hellraiser” arrived in theaters in 1987. I dragged my dad to see it, twice. He didn’t get it. I loved it.
The movie spawned a slew of sequels, most of them shitty, but I still watched them all.
So, when I discovered that Barker decided to carry on the story of Pinhead in a graphic novel series, I flipped out. Barker, apparently, only ever contributed to the first film, writing and directing it. He had absolutely nothing to do with the subsequent sequels.
Keep this in mind when reading the graphic novels. One must essentially forget the sequels, which honestly isn’t that difficult.
In this series, written by Barker and co-writer Christopher Monfette and illustrated by Leonardo Manco and Stephen Thompson, the heroine of the original film, Kristy Cotton, is trying to live a relatively normal life after the horrific trauma of encountering Pinhead, a cenobite from Hell, and surviving.
Kristy is part of a small group of fellow survivors who have taken it upon themselves to retrieve the scattered diabolical objets d’art created by the 18th-century toymaker LeMarchand, the puzzle box being but one of many.
Pinhead has sinister plans for Kristy, but what those plans are remains a mystery.
Volume 1 of the graphic novel compilation, “Pursuit of the Flesh”, is an excellent offering of Barker’s terrific writing and his talent for creating a sense of dread. There is also the requisite excessive amount of gore. Definitely not for the squeamish or for children.
September 18, 2020
As a continuation of his Hellraiser movie's Clive Barker doesn't disappoint with this, it is a well plotted story playing by the same rules of the previous installments and effectively being more an adventure mystery than horror book. I doubt that non-fans will seek this out because if they do that without knowing anything about the hellraiser mythos they will get lost.
I like it a lot but this isn't a 5 star work simply because it isn't taking any risks, also I found it to lack depth and horror which we still had in the older collected short stories (Hellraiser Collected Best) those freaked me out plenty. The ominous dreadful feeling is somewhat gone, now it turned into familiar faces /cenobites we are kind of getting used to and pinhead even gets humanized.
A step away from the niche but one closer to mainstream, me being a fan I still like it but if you are new to clive barkers work its not a good place to start.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
* It prooves one thing tho, Barker should've written those sequels to the movies, because this is 15 times better than those.
I like it a lot but this isn't a 5 star work simply because it isn't taking any risks, also I found it to lack depth and horror which we still had in the older collected short stories (Hellraiser Collected Best) those freaked me out plenty. The ominous dreadful feeling is somewhat gone, now it turned into familiar faces /cenobites we are kind of getting used to and pinhead even gets humanized.
A step away from the niche but one closer to mainstream, me being a fan I still like it but if you are new to clive barkers work its not a good place to start.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
* It prooves one thing tho, Barker should've written those sequels to the movies, because this is 15 times better than those.
November 18, 2012
Clive Barker is a name that's synonymous with horror, to most it's associated with an impressive entry into horror film history which not only gave birth to one of the most iconic figures in horror cinema but also introduced a chilling and disturbing world, that film was Hellraiser. Written and directed by Barker based on his short story titled The Hellbound Heart.
Barker somewhat naively signed away the rights to the world he had created not realising just how popular it would become. It quickly fell into the hands of those more than willing to take what had been left behind and render what was once so powerful and disturbing into self parody.
Now Clive Barker returns to this world and with the help of co-writer Christopher Monfette the story of Pinhead, the Cenobites, Leviathan and Kirsty Cotton continues.
And so we see that Kirsty Cotton has grown up and is in a loving relationship but is still plagued by the horrors of her youth.
Meanwhile in the M.C. Escher inspired Hell where the Cenobites dwell Pinhead has grown weary of the underworld and sets in motion a plan to seek respite from the tedium of Leviathan's domain via an agent working in the mortal world.
Kirsty Cotton is revealed to be not the only person to survive an encounter with the Cenobites and is part of a group of survivors that have following Kirsty's leadership set about gathering the Lemarchand devices. These are the artifacts created by the 18th century architect and toymaker which act as a conduit for portals between Leviathan's realm and the Mortal realm.
The puzzlebox is the most recognisable (as it was featured in the first film) but there are several others including a snowglobe, a music box, a doll and more besides and each of these devices brings forth it's own specific cenobite(s).
The story of each of these characters known to the cenobites as Harrowers is revealed with one being a former priest and another being a former agent of the Cenobites now seeking redemption.
What's interesting is seeing how far Kirsty is willing to go in her pursuit of Pinhead and how bad someone is prepared to be in order to achieve a goal which they see as being good and the other Harrowers even debate this with her with one saying
“There was a day, Kirsty, we had a line. And this, right here, was on the other side of it.”
“Pursuit of the flesh” is both familiar and new, building on what has gone before. The cenobites featured in Barker's film feature here with Butterball, Chatterer and The Female making appearances with the latter featuring heavily as Pinhead talks about his desires outside the realm of Leviathan. It also incorporates new Cenobites such as one whose bodily is partly clockwork with the gears bound into the flesh and bone of his body. The characteristics of these new cenobites are related to the devices used to summon them. Another rather than wielding chains as utilised by Pinhead conjures up bone chilling cold and ice.
As anyone familiar with Barker's film will be aware this is not for the squeamish and this story is no exception with the prologue being a particularly bloody affair. Artists Leonardo Manco and Stephen Thompson handle the numerous elements well, whether it be Kirsty Cotton and her fellow Harrowers, the architecture of Hell or the cenobites and their brutal and bloody work.
With several stand out images including one involving a New York cab and another featuring Pinhead sat at an ornate grand organ in Hell only instead of the regular pipes there's a host of flayed bodies towering over Pinhead with each one's face frozen in a moment of agony.
The key to what makes this work so well is the tone.
There's no humour here and Pinhead and the other cenobites do not trade in one liners or wise cracks and it's this lack of humour which will put off readers or make them want to immerse themselves in the unfolding narrative.
Best of all is Pinhead's dialogue is so well written you can hear it in the precise tones of Doug Bradley (who is well known for his portrayal of Pinhead in Barker's Hellraiser and one of the only redeeming features of the several films Barker had no hand in) with one example being his exchange with a terrified girl who having been kidnapped by Pinhead's agent in the mortal realm has inevitably given in to the lure of the puzzlebox left in the desolate room in which she has been a prisoner,
Girl: “What is this!? Please I wanna go home!”
Pinhead: “Oh, hush, child. How they all yearn for home....”
In an age where horror in itself is maligned and generally seen as the dumb cousin of other genres regardless of the medium it's profoundly refreshing to see Barker and Monfette treat their readers with intelligence.
Barker somewhat naively signed away the rights to the world he had created not realising just how popular it would become. It quickly fell into the hands of those more than willing to take what had been left behind and render what was once so powerful and disturbing into self parody.
Now Clive Barker returns to this world and with the help of co-writer Christopher Monfette the story of Pinhead, the Cenobites, Leviathan and Kirsty Cotton continues.
And so we see that Kirsty Cotton has grown up and is in a loving relationship but is still plagued by the horrors of her youth.
Meanwhile in the M.C. Escher inspired Hell where the Cenobites dwell Pinhead has grown weary of the underworld and sets in motion a plan to seek respite from the tedium of Leviathan's domain via an agent working in the mortal world.
Kirsty Cotton is revealed to be not the only person to survive an encounter with the Cenobites and is part of a group of survivors that have following Kirsty's leadership set about gathering the Lemarchand devices. These are the artifacts created by the 18th century architect and toymaker which act as a conduit for portals between Leviathan's realm and the Mortal realm.
The puzzlebox is the most recognisable (as it was featured in the first film) but there are several others including a snowglobe, a music box, a doll and more besides and each of these devices brings forth it's own specific cenobite(s).
The story of each of these characters known to the cenobites as Harrowers is revealed with one being a former priest and another being a former agent of the Cenobites now seeking redemption.
What's interesting is seeing how far Kirsty is willing to go in her pursuit of Pinhead and how bad someone is prepared to be in order to achieve a goal which they see as being good and the other Harrowers even debate this with her with one saying
“There was a day, Kirsty, we had a line. And this, right here, was on the other side of it.”
“Pursuit of the flesh” is both familiar and new, building on what has gone before. The cenobites featured in Barker's film feature here with Butterball, Chatterer and The Female making appearances with the latter featuring heavily as Pinhead talks about his desires outside the realm of Leviathan. It also incorporates new Cenobites such as one whose bodily is partly clockwork with the gears bound into the flesh and bone of his body. The characteristics of these new cenobites are related to the devices used to summon them. Another rather than wielding chains as utilised by Pinhead conjures up bone chilling cold and ice.
As anyone familiar with Barker's film will be aware this is not for the squeamish and this story is no exception with the prologue being a particularly bloody affair. Artists Leonardo Manco and Stephen Thompson handle the numerous elements well, whether it be Kirsty Cotton and her fellow Harrowers, the architecture of Hell or the cenobites and their brutal and bloody work.
With several stand out images including one involving a New York cab and another featuring Pinhead sat at an ornate grand organ in Hell only instead of the regular pipes there's a host of flayed bodies towering over Pinhead with each one's face frozen in a moment of agony.
The key to what makes this work so well is the tone.
There's no humour here and Pinhead and the other cenobites do not trade in one liners or wise cracks and it's this lack of humour which will put off readers or make them want to immerse themselves in the unfolding narrative.
Best of all is Pinhead's dialogue is so well written you can hear it in the precise tones of Doug Bradley (who is well known for his portrayal of Pinhead in Barker's Hellraiser and one of the only redeeming features of the several films Barker had no hand in) with one example being his exchange with a terrified girl who having been kidnapped by Pinhead's agent in the mortal realm has inevitably given in to the lure of the puzzlebox left in the desolate room in which she has been a prisoner,
Girl: “What is this!? Please I wanna go home!”
Pinhead: “Oh, hush, child. How they all yearn for home....”
In an age where horror in itself is maligned and generally seen as the dumb cousin of other genres regardless of the medium it's profoundly refreshing to see Barker and Monfette treat their readers with intelligence.
August 17, 2016
I enjoyed this quite a bit, this is what The Scarlet Gospels should have been.
The art is pretty good, the story is interesting and adds a bit of depth to the hellraiser mythos.
Most of all it stays true to the original hellraiser concept and provides gore aplenty!
The art is pretty good, the story is interesting and adds a bit of depth to the hellraiser mythos.
Most of all it stays true to the original hellraiser concept and provides gore aplenty!
March 4, 2017
Compelling dialog and some fiendishly inventive visuals sadly can't overcome a lack of focus and a rather predictable plot, combined with the perhaps unwise decision to make this a sequel, and not a reboot, of the original two Hellraiser movies. Clive Barker has a great imagination, but unlike the very first Hellraiser - a movie I appreciate as much for its simplicity as its depth - there's no core to this story, no central motif or theme.
It's not much help that both the protagonist and antagonist seem equally morally justified, with Pinhead acting as less of a villain and more of a tragic figure. Which isn't a terrible approach, but I was never shocked or scared by the Cenobites' appearances - in some of the latter Hellraiser material (as awful as they could be), Pinhead's rediscovery of his humanity usually meant another, worse Cenobite would take his place as their leader - there was always, I felt, a monstrous presence lurking over the proceedings. I don't get that here, and that damages the sense that there's much of anything at stake. If Pinhead isn't the villain, and Kirsty isn't the villain, then who is? Does Hellraiser not have its roots, somewhat, in creature features, in monster movies? Are the Cenobites not beyond humanity - a force to reckon with? I suppose not.
Hellraiser might just have reached, like many horror franchises with lead figures, a tipping point in which the character is so recognizable, so emblematic, that he/it becomes inherently likeable. Be it Godzilla, or Freddy Krueger, or Jason, these characters endear themselves to us because they are akin to mascots. A good series, though, will ignore this, if it has to - Godzilla has shifted between being a hero and being a proper monster, Freddy dipped in and out of just being a zany goofball, and even Jason has become somewhat sympathetic between installments. Sometimes it has worked, sometimes it's come off as outright ridiculous. The question is - does it work for Pinhead?
...it could. I think the fiction could embrace Pinhead as audiences have, definitely. But, sadly, I don't think it works here - and I'm left yearning for a character I can actually hate and fear.
It's not much help that both the protagonist and antagonist seem equally morally justified, with Pinhead acting as less of a villain and more of a tragic figure. Which isn't a terrible approach, but I was never shocked or scared by the Cenobites' appearances - in some of the latter Hellraiser material (as awful as they could be), Pinhead's rediscovery of his humanity usually meant another, worse Cenobite would take his place as their leader - there was always, I felt, a monstrous presence lurking over the proceedings. I don't get that here, and that damages the sense that there's much of anything at stake. If Pinhead isn't the villain, and Kirsty isn't the villain, then who is? Does Hellraiser not have its roots, somewhat, in creature features, in monster movies? Are the Cenobites not beyond humanity - a force to reckon with? I suppose not.
Hellraiser might just have reached, like many horror franchises with lead figures, a tipping point in which the character is so recognizable, so emblematic, that he/it becomes inherently likeable. Be it Godzilla, or Freddy Krueger, or Jason, these characters endear themselves to us because they are akin to mascots. A good series, though, will ignore this, if it has to - Godzilla has shifted between being a hero and being a proper monster, Freddy dipped in and out of just being a zany goofball, and even Jason has become somewhat sympathetic between installments. Sometimes it has worked, sometimes it's come off as outright ridiculous. The question is - does it work for Pinhead?
...it could. I think the fiction could embrace Pinhead as audiences have, definitely. But, sadly, I don't think it works here - and I'm left yearning for a character I can actually hate and fear.
October 8, 2022
This was bloody and terrible and I loved it. The gore was real and it was lowkey kind of terrifying. Will be picking up the rest of the series
August 7, 2021
Hellraiser #1.
Una historia fantástica, donde esta vez, Pinhead, se debate consigo mismo, finalmente decidiendo delegar su poder a un humano. Historia dividida en 2 partes. Esta es la primera de ellas.
Una historia fantástica, donde esta vez, Pinhead, se debate consigo mismo, finalmente decidiendo delegar su poder a un humano. Historia dividida en 2 partes. Esta es la primera de ellas.
November 30, 2011
(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)
I am endlessly impressed by the scope of Clive Barker's vision and I'm so happy to report that this graphic novel was really, really excellent. In fact, this is probably the best Hellraiser-related anything I've ever read or seen. Of course I realize that might not read as high praise considering some of the more recent films or anthologies regarding the Cenobites and their leader, but Barker's lack of involvement goes a long to explain why most of them are so absolutely horrendous. In terms of Barker's third contribution, the graphic novel format captured the absolute horror behind what these monsters do to people and really added some emotional heft to the experience.
What surprised me in a really good way is that there's a real story here just as there was in the original novella and movie adaptation. There was also a lot of forward momentum and curious introspective moments since Pinhead has begun to seek out ways to break free of his current infernal position. It was great to have Pinhead play a pivotal role and be the focus rather than merely offering up an eerie cameo or two. There seemed to even be a side to Pinhead that reminds me a bit of Christopher Carrion from the Abarat series. Both, of course, are twisted and evil in many respects, but their desire to mean more is really compelling. Kristy Cotton also plays a pretty cool role as did other Cenobites and other humans as well. I really liked the sections of back story that showed how other people have joined up to try to stop the Cenobites by gathering up and ultimately destroying the objects they use to cross over. Over all it'll be interesting to see what comes of it. I'm holding out hope that it won't be anything too predictable.
Reader beware, however. This is not for the weak of heart and I have to admit that after I was done I sort of wanted to go hug kittens for a few hours. That said... Was there some disturbing violence? For sure. Did it seem to be ridiculously gratuitous? No and I'd even be willing to say that behind most of the disgusting deaths there was some sort of purpose. Nothing is ever going to sell me on there being anything all that sexy or enjoyable about having creepy pale leather-wearing abominations rip a person apart with magic hooks and chains, but that's sort of the nature of the beast when it comes to anything Hellraiser.
Besides, I've always felt that there was a a world of difference what Barker is doing with his concept and what others have done to his concept. I get the impression that Barker is using Cenobites to trying and go deeper to explore what darkness/pain/Hell is and the way such things manifest in the physical world. Others who have come after him seem to just use Cenobites as overly creepy closet monsters with a leather fetish who are way too into solving puzzle boxes. There are still elements of that in the graphic novel, but there's significantly more substance to Barker's vision to go along with it.
In conclusion, really dark and really enjoyable. It probably would help to understand what the Hellraiser saga entails, but readers might actually enjoy this more the less familar they are with the more recent sequels or other graphic novel collections. Personally, I can't wait for volume 2!
I am endlessly impressed by the scope of Clive Barker's vision and I'm so happy to report that this graphic novel was really, really excellent. In fact, this is probably the best Hellraiser-related anything I've ever read or seen. Of course I realize that might not read as high praise considering some of the more recent films or anthologies regarding the Cenobites and their leader, but Barker's lack of involvement goes a long to explain why most of them are so absolutely horrendous. In terms of Barker's third contribution, the graphic novel format captured the absolute horror behind what these monsters do to people and really added some emotional heft to the experience.
What surprised me in a really good way is that there's a real story here just as there was in the original novella and movie adaptation. There was also a lot of forward momentum and curious introspective moments since Pinhead has begun to seek out ways to break free of his current infernal position. It was great to have Pinhead play a pivotal role and be the focus rather than merely offering up an eerie cameo or two. There seemed to even be a side to Pinhead that reminds me a bit of Christopher Carrion from the Abarat series. Both, of course, are twisted and evil in many respects, but their desire to mean more is really compelling. Kristy Cotton also plays a pretty cool role as did other Cenobites and other humans as well. I really liked the sections of back story that showed how other people have joined up to try to stop the Cenobites by gathering up and ultimately destroying the objects they use to cross over. Over all it'll be interesting to see what comes of it. I'm holding out hope that it won't be anything too predictable.
Reader beware, however. This is not for the weak of heart and I have to admit that after I was done I sort of wanted to go hug kittens for a few hours. That said... Was there some disturbing violence? For sure. Did it seem to be ridiculously gratuitous? No and I'd even be willing to say that behind most of the disgusting deaths there was some sort of purpose. Nothing is ever going to sell me on there being anything all that sexy or enjoyable about having creepy pale leather-wearing abominations rip a person apart with magic hooks and chains, but that's sort of the nature of the beast when it comes to anything Hellraiser.
Besides, I've always felt that there was a a world of difference what Barker is doing with his concept and what others have done to his concept. I get the impression that Barker is using Cenobites to trying and go deeper to explore what darkness/pain/Hell is and the way such things manifest in the physical world. Others who have come after him seem to just use Cenobites as overly creepy closet monsters with a leather fetish who are way too into solving puzzle boxes. There are still elements of that in the graphic novel, but there's significantly more substance to Barker's vision to go along with it.
In conclusion, really dark and really enjoyable. It probably would help to understand what the Hellraiser saga entails, but readers might actually enjoy this more the less familar they are with the more recent sequels or other graphic novel collections. Personally, I can't wait for volume 2!
November 26, 2017
***Review may contain very minor spoilers,but nothing past what is listed on the back of the volume.***
Generally speaking, I'm not a huge graphic novel fan. I have nothing against the medium, but I tend to prefer to create the images in my own imagination. That being said, I've come across some graphic novels that's have really been a treat, such as Neil Gaiman's Sandman series and Alan Moore's Watchmen.
With all that out if the way, I love Clive Barker's work, and his novella 'The Hellbound Heart' remains a magnificent work of horror that can still make my skin crawl with its gory sensuality. The Cenobites, amoral sense freaks are some of the most unique and fascinating creatures in all of the dark fantasy/horror genre. The first two Hellraiser films, the first of which Barker adapted from his original novella, remain among the most original and ferociously powerful horror movies of all time.
The graphic novel series, of which I've finished the first volume, serves as a sequel to the first two or three films. Kirsty Cotton returns, leading a band of those who have encountered, and survived, the sadistic denizens of hell, and seek to destroy every device that summons forth the Cenobites. Meanwhile Pinhead, the hell priest himself, tires of his existence and wishes to become human again, but must find a replacement.
While so many of the Hellraiser sequels failed to deliver on the promise of the first two films, this series seems to have successfully picked up the mantle and expanded the mythos. Looking forward to reading the rest.
Generally speaking, I'm not a huge graphic novel fan. I have nothing against the medium, but I tend to prefer to create the images in my own imagination. That being said, I've come across some graphic novels that's have really been a treat, such as Neil Gaiman's Sandman series and Alan Moore's Watchmen.
With all that out if the way, I love Clive Barker's work, and his novella 'The Hellbound Heart' remains a magnificent work of horror that can still make my skin crawl with its gory sensuality. The Cenobites, amoral sense freaks are some of the most unique and fascinating creatures in all of the dark fantasy/horror genre. The first two Hellraiser films, the first of which Barker adapted from his original novella, remain among the most original and ferociously powerful horror movies of all time.
The graphic novel series, of which I've finished the first volume, serves as a sequel to the first two or three films. Kirsty Cotton returns, leading a band of those who have encountered, and survived, the sadistic denizens of hell, and seek to destroy every device that summons forth the Cenobites. Meanwhile Pinhead, the hell priest himself, tires of his existence and wishes to become human again, but must find a replacement.
While so many of the Hellraiser sequels failed to deliver on the promise of the first two films, this series seems to have successfully picked up the mantle and expanded the mythos. Looking forward to reading the rest.
July 10, 2018
I also quite liked the first movie on those eerie characters. The idea with the dice is great!
July 14, 2020
I remember Hellraiser being the first movie that ever terrified me. Granted, I was young when I watched it, but still, the violent imagery and The Cenobites really left a mark on me. To this day I remember cowering at the end of the first movie when the female Cenobite is approaching Kirsty, dragging a hook along the wall in her wake. For some reason that scene always scares the "hell" out of me even to this day.
Anyway Hellraiser has always fascinated me and I've always thought that the story has so much more to offer. Apart from one decent movie, and Barkers The Hellbound heart novella, both which were superb, the series totally lost its way, and the movies after the okish second one were total garbage. This comic scratched the itch that I've craved.
There is so much world building within this first issue. The numerous different puzzle boxes, the new Cenobites and of course the always violent imagery. The scene in the subway with the train being a particular highlight. I can't wait to see where the story goes next. Superb.
Anyway Hellraiser has always fascinated me and I've always thought that the story has so much more to offer. Apart from one decent movie, and Barkers The Hellbound heart novella, both which were superb, the series totally lost its way, and the movies after the okish second one were total garbage. This comic scratched the itch that I've craved.
There is so much world building within this first issue. The numerous different puzzle boxes, the new Cenobites and of course the always violent imagery. The scene in the subway with the train being a particular highlight. I can't wait to see where the story goes next. Superb.
April 14, 2013
One of the things that Clive Barker has touched in regards to the Hellraiser world, this shows that he still has a finger on the heartbeat on what makes horror.
I found the idea that Kristy and others touched by the Toymaker's creations hunting down said creations was an interesting idea. I'm not a huge one with using Kristy in any storylines, but overall it worked for this graphic novel. The very fact that they included the Toymaker as part of Hellraiser cannon (as far as Barker is concerned) is wonderful.
The storylines themselves throughout the book were interesting and captivating. There is plenty of gore for those that love that from the movie, though I personally found them to get boring after awhile. There is only so much gore you can place in a storyline visually before you become like Pinhead and be bored with it all. Still, there are some stunning graphics in a few of the gore drenched moments that worked very well visually.
The other cenobites seemed a bit off until I saw that Barker himself had designed them. (his sketches are included in the back) So often are we exposed to Pinhead and the others of his flock, that we tend to forget that there are others out there and that their very forms are varied and unique. My personal favorite was the frost cenobite, as a side note.
All in all, the story writing is fairly well done in this book. Some parts, like the underground king and his son, fell flat as far as subject matter. It really serves no purpose in the story unless they come into play later in the collection. Until then, it's just something stuck into the storyline so they could do the subway scene. (which was wonderful I might add, and masterfully horrific all around)
If you are a Hellraiser fan like myself, this book is worth having. If you aren't really into the whole Cenobite mythology or Barker's creation, then you may find some stuff in here you like, but you might not be all that interested in the other aspects that they bring about in it.
I found the idea that Kristy and others touched by the Toymaker's creations hunting down said creations was an interesting idea. I'm not a huge one with using Kristy in any storylines, but overall it worked for this graphic novel. The very fact that they included the Toymaker as part of Hellraiser cannon (as far as Barker is concerned) is wonderful.
The storylines themselves throughout the book were interesting and captivating. There is plenty of gore for those that love that from the movie, though I personally found them to get boring after awhile. There is only so much gore you can place in a storyline visually before you become like Pinhead and be bored with it all. Still, there are some stunning graphics in a few of the gore drenched moments that worked very well visually.
The other cenobites seemed a bit off until I saw that Barker himself had designed them. (his sketches are included in the back) So often are we exposed to Pinhead and the others of his flock, that we tend to forget that there are others out there and that their very forms are varied and unique. My personal favorite was the frost cenobite, as a side note.
All in all, the story writing is fairly well done in this book. Some parts, like the underground king and his son, fell flat as far as subject matter. It really serves no purpose in the story unless they come into play later in the collection. Until then, it's just something stuck into the storyline so they could do the subway scene. (which was wonderful I might add, and masterfully horrific all around)
If you are a Hellraiser fan like myself, this book is worth having. If you aren't really into the whole Cenobite mythology or Barker's creation, then you may find some stuff in here you like, but you might not be all that interested in the other aspects that they bring about in it.
January 19, 2014
It is generally accepted that only the first two Hellraiser movies are 'canon', and the second one is a bit iffy. All the subsequent movies throw away the original premise, that the cenobites are horrific but morally neutral hedonists, and treat them as evil antagonists. Remember the antagonist of Hellraiser was Frank, and the cenobites helped the protagonist by killing him. Not that they are a force for good - they were just following the rules. But later films actually identify them as demons and their weird extra-dimensional plane of existence as hell.
This is a strange comic series. It is set after the second film and ignores the rest, and it is by the original author, so I had hoped for the original version of the cenobites. Instead we get a third version! Now they *are* demons, in the Judeo-Christian hell, but they aren't all bad because demons perform the good function of punishing sinners!
I honestly think that the similarity of the names Hellraiser and Hellblazer must have somehow confused Cliver Barker over the years, because this series reads exactly like a typical run of Hellblazer! It's not bad, if you like Hellblazer, but it ain't the original Hellraiser either.
This is a strange comic series. It is set after the second film and ignores the rest, and it is by the original author, so I had hoped for the original version of the cenobites. Instead we get a third version! Now they *are* demons, in the Judeo-Christian hell, but they aren't all bad because demons perform the good function of punishing sinners!
I honestly think that the similarity of the names Hellraiser and Hellblazer must have somehow confused Cliver Barker over the years, because this series reads exactly like a typical run of Hellblazer! It's not bad, if you like Hellblazer, but it ain't the original Hellraiser either.
January 31, 2015
I'm giving this trade 2 stars not because it was bad, but because I didn't really connect with it. Even though there really are only two Hellraiser movies worth a damn (out of the 8 or 9 that exist), I really do love the mythology of this franchise. So I should have loved this book, but I realize now that along with the mythology, the franchise is really reliant on the sadomasochistic mood that the movies deliver. There is a sexy horrifying beauty in the first 2 movies that is hard to translate to the comic book page. Comics can do a lot of things amazingly, but horror isn't really one of them I tend to find. The horrific stuff that was presented in this book just didn't resonate with me the way they would have in a movie or in a prose book where I'm allowed to use my imagination to totally flesh out the scene without the guidance of comic art.
I do think this is worth a look for Hellraiser fans. Hellraiser vol 1 just wasn't really for me.
I do think this is worth a look for Hellraiser fans. Hellraiser vol 1 just wasn't really for me.
June 24, 2012
Holy s***! Now that's a real real horror!
Or to be more exact its unholy s***....yes, definitely unholy:)
Full of disgusting and despicable things....Its got buckets full of blood dripping down its pages and desecrated bodies, done in many interesting ways:) However interesting, this one is not something you'll want to see your kids reading.
But if your a big girl/guy and are looking for a nice dose of something to give you nightmares, this one is for you. The story is disturbing and has a effect that can make you a bit uneasy. The artwork in done beautifully and in great detail.
This volume has hellraiser #1-#5. I read it this evening and i can tell i'll be dreaming about chains and hooks. Read the comics, you'll see why.
All in all a superb comics!
Or to be more exact its unholy s***....yes, definitely unholy:)
Full of disgusting and despicable things....Its got buckets full of blood dripping down its pages and desecrated bodies, done in many interesting ways:) However interesting, this one is not something you'll want to see your kids reading.
But if your a big girl/guy and are looking for a nice dose of something to give you nightmares, this one is for you. The story is disturbing and has a effect that can make you a bit uneasy. The artwork in done beautifully and in great detail.
This volume has hellraiser #1-#5. I read it this evening and i can tell i'll be dreaming about chains and hooks. Read the comics, you'll see why.
All in all a superb comics!
October 19, 2015
So, this was a surprise. I've never seen the Hellraiser movies, so I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but the story was still really cool (only sometimes confusing). I wish the story went further, actually. It cuts off for the next volume right as it starts getting interesting. But the characters are great, and the art is wickedly imaginative.
October 15, 2015
Clive Barker is a freaking genius. From his writing style to the horror, its just absolutely perfect.
Pinhead wants to become a full human again and his puzzle box is traveling pretty fast from hand to hand. But what does Ms. Cotton have to do with all of this?
Fanfuckingtastic. The art style and the writing really feed off each other making awesomely perfect.
Pinhead wants to become a full human again and his puzzle box is traveling pretty fast from hand to hand. But what does Ms. Cotton have to do with all of this?
Fanfuckingtastic. The art style and the writing really feed off each other making awesomely perfect.
August 1, 2012
This story is awesome! It is a direct sequel to Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, skipping the maddeningly mediocre parts 3-8.
This is how the movie series should have continued. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.
This is how the movie series should have continued. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.
March 2, 2014
Really good, especially if you are a fan of the Hellraiser franchise or just the macabre works of one Clive Barker.
NOT I repeat not for young readers, it has got cenobites and their famous masochistic torturing of the flesh.
NOT I repeat not for young readers, it has got cenobites and their famous masochistic torturing of the flesh.
December 17, 2014
Exactly what I was looking for... More Cenobites! This seems to continue from Hellraiser II. Kristy has formed a team and spent years trying to destroy the Lermauchand puzzles. Yet Pinhead has bigger plans. A good read to prep for Scarlett Gospels!
December 6, 2017
Clive Barker returns to the world of Hellraiser in this volume in which Kirsty Cotton gathers a group of individuals who have survived encounters with Pinhead and the other Cenobytes as Pinhead himself, bored and tired, seeks to become human. A promising start to the series.
February 23, 2012
super cool tie-ins to the books of the art..... and I'm always glad to see harry d'amour...
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