Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary #1

Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary #1

by Victor LaValle, Ben Meares, Mark Alan Miller

WHY WE LOVE Over the past three years, Clive Barker has re-imagined the HELLRAISER mythos as only he could, building a long-form narrative that became one of the best-received horror comics in recent memory. Now, the Master of Horror takes us into his Bestiary for an anthology series-free of continuity, but full of shocking consequences. WHY YOU'LL LOVE BESTIARY will pick up where classic horror comics anthologies like Tales From The Crypt, Vault of Horror, and the more recent Flinch left off. And not only will some of comics' rising stars, such as Ed Brisson (Sheltered), and Michael Moreci (CURSE), get a chance to open the puzzle box in this series, but the first issue features the comics debut of award-winning novelist Victor LaValle (The Devil in Silver, Big Machine). WHAT IT'S Step into the Bestiary for all-new tales of the LeMarchand Device and its guardians! This first issue contains the start of a six-part serial written by Mark Miller (CLIVE BARKER'S NEXT TESTAMENT) and Ben Meares (HELLRAISER ANNUAL 2013), and drawn by Carlos Magno (DEATHMATCH), where a group of mercenaries are hired to steal Pinhead's pins. Also, superstar author Victor LaValle teams with artist Colin Lorimer (CURSE) to tell a story set on the outskirts of New York City, as a close-knit community is torn apart by the presence of the puzzle box.

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

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2014

About the author

Victor LaValle is the author of the short story collection Slapboxing with Jesus, four novels, The Ecstatic, Big Machine, The Devil in Silver, and The Changeling and two novellas, Lucretia and the Kroons and The Ballad of Black Tom. He is also the creator and writer of a comic book Victor LaValle's DESTROYER.

He has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Whiting Writers' Award, a United States Artists Ford Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Shirley Jackson Award, an American Book Award, and the key to Southeast Queens.

He was raised in Queens, New York. He now lives in Washington Heights with his wife and kids. He teaches at Columbia University.

He can be kind of hard to reach, but he still loves you.

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first instalment in the Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary series.

Despite measuring in at only 30 odd pages, a few short stories were contained here. I enjoyed each entry but assumed them to follow on from the preceding one. When I stopped looking for continuity, as I realised there was little and they were largely unconnected - except by theme, setting, and the monstrosities featured - I enjoyed them for what they were a lot more. This was a dark, brutal, blood, and gory graphic novel, and I am both fearful and eager to find what will be contained in the next instalment.

[11811 (Eleven) · Rating 2 out of 5]

These reminded me of the Hellraiser movies #4 through however many they ended up making. You know, the ones that kinda sucked. Random horror shorts with Cenobites thrown in as an afterthought at an an attempt of continuity.

Not all bad and a couple neat twists so I'll go with a 2.5 rating. Issue #6 had a cool opening that made me smile -

"Welcome to hell. House after house of perfect lawns, spacious living rooms, happy families."

:)

I guess there isn't a graphic novel volume out yet and I'm too lazy to review all six issues so this will have to do.

[Mirnes Alispahić · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anthology of short stories set in Hellraiser universe. More like fan fiction posted on Wattpad than original Clive Barker work, but then again, previous series of Hellraiser comics was no better.

[Roberto Lagos Figueroa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regreso al universo Cenobita.

Primer número del sexteto dedicado a HELLRAISER. Este primer número presenta dos historias cortas completas y una seriada. La primera es una aproximación al universo íntimo cenobita. La segunda, sobre una organización de humanos adeptos al cubo. Y el último, vemos a Pinhead caer victima de mercenarios. Dibujos cumplidores y las tramas son ágiles y sin mayores sorpresas.

[Chris Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete Volume (#1-6): 4.5 / My favourite take on Pinhead universe yet. Highly recommend for fans alike. The continual, 6 part miniseries that threads all the issues should be the basis of the next movie.

[RoseBlight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Counting this as all 6 issues since there was never a TPB. Overall this was missing the feel of the 90's Hellraiser comic series, only a couple stories had the abstract and grimy feel. Would only recommend to hardcore Hellraiser fans, which means I got more enjoyment out of it than most would.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

An anthology of short Hellraiser stories.

A few were great. Some were decent. Most felt a bit like filler.

[Clint the Cool Guy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What?

These hardly even count as stories. Just a bunch of randomness. The art is interesting but the rest is severely lacking. Not recommended.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its good to see the Cenobites again

I was randomly browsing around when I stumbled on these hellrasier comics. It does the movies justice with each page turn.

[Sylvester · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a bunch of random shorts with the final story being in parts, nothing really made any sense given that they had to cover 3 stories in 23 pages.