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Hellraiser Masterpieces #1
Hellraiser Masterpieces Vol. 1
Straight from the far reaches of Hell, comes a collection of classic HELLRAISER tales that will light your soul on fire! This must-have collection features stories originally published by Marvel Comics--classic spine-tinglers for die-hard fans and new readers alike, collecting a host of work from comic luminaries that you will not want to miss! Featuring the work of Clive Barker (HELLRAISER), Neil Gaiman (SANDMAN), Mike Mignola (HELLBOY) Larry Wachowski (THE MATRIX), Alex Ross, (KINGDOM COME), Kevin O'Neill (LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN) and many more! Don't miss this first volume in a series that will assemble the best HELLRAISER comics that have ever been!
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
158 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Clive Barker
706 books15.2k 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 35 reviews
December 15, 2018
Nobody goes to Hellraiser comics looking for someone to reinvent the wheel--or, at least, I hope they don't. I picked this collection, a sort of best-of the Hellraiser comics that were originally published between '89 and '93, from the library mostly because I wanted to re-read the Mignola story contained herein, as well as read for the first time "To Prepare a Face," a story by Jan Strnad with art by Mark Chairello that deals in silent film imagery to really grand effect. Those were, of course, the highlights. There's also a story by Neil Gaiman (with art by Dave McKean), one of the Wachowski siblings, and even a Clive Barker tale with art by Alex Ross, which I had read before. The stories are mostly and obviously set in the wake of Hellraiser 2, and tend to draw more from that film's mythology than the first one's.
Frustratingly enough, the Wachowksi and Barker stories are both continued in future volumes, and the Wachowski one isn't even in volume 2. That's enough to knock a single star off the review, even if the Mignola and Strnad stories are probably worth the price of admission on their own.
Frustratingly enough, the Wachowksi and Barker stories are both continued in future volumes, and the Wachowski one isn't even in volume 2. That's enough to knock a single star off the review, even if the Mignola and Strnad stories are probably worth the price of admission on their own.
October 22, 2021
3.5 Stars
This volume collected what is thought of as the best of the Marvel/Epic Hellraiser series from the late 80s/early 90s. It's a hit and miss collection. Hellraiser tends to bring out the weirdest stories in creators, and while sometimes that's interesting, other times it's just, well, weird. It was interesting to see the Harrowers introduced, which was a group of humans dedicated to battling the Cenobites. There are a few other cool stories as well, and the art is experimental in many cases but at times it works.
Overall this is a mixed bag, but if you're a Clive Barker fan still worth a read.
This volume collected what is thought of as the best of the Marvel/Epic Hellraiser series from the late 80s/early 90s. It's a hit and miss collection. Hellraiser tends to bring out the weirdest stories in creators, and while sometimes that's interesting, other times it's just, well, weird. It was interesting to see the Harrowers introduced, which was a group of humans dedicated to battling the Cenobites. There are a few other cool stories as well, and the art is experimental in many cases but at times it works.
Overall this is a mixed bag, but if you're a Clive Barker fan still worth a read.
December 7, 2018
As with any short story collection, this was a mixture of hits and misses. I enjoyed the majority of the stories, though I'm not a big fan of the art style used in a few of them. And even though I've never read Clive Barker's Hellraiser nor have I seen the movie, that didn't take away from my understanding and enjoyment of any of the stories in this graphic novel.
March 2, 2025
Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it ....
April 1, 2025
Some really good comics here, although I don't care for the choice to split up multipart stories between different volumes.
June 8, 2016
Una porquería absoluta. La mayoría de relatos no acaban (son primeras partes) y los guiones son muy malos. El único que se salva es el de Mignola. Una verdadera lástima con la de talentos que hay reunidos en esta recopilación. Veremos si mejora en el segundo volumen.
August 8, 2020
In general, these pieces haven't aged well. This is a collection of short and medium-length stories from Hellraiser's series from 1989 to 1993, and a lot of pieces are definitely of that age.
The shorter stories are often better than the longer ones, and this includes my favorite Hellraiser story of all time, Neil Gaiman's Wordsworth (I turned this into a one-act in college, but it's really Dave McKean's art that makes it work), as well as Dwayne McDuffie's 'Writer's Lament' that uses Hellraiser to comment on the film industry. And there are two stories that originated Barker's Harrowers spinoff, which feature Cenobites but are much more action-oriented than horror. And also very 80's in their presentation.
The stories vary in presentation and style, and also in how much they really embrace the Hellraiser mythos - the best ones here barely touch on the characters.
This is a useful collection in that it collects stories not readily accessible outside of single issues somewhere, and also separates the wheat from the chaff. But considering how weak some of these stories are, it left me wondering if there really was enough wheat in the chaff to collect.
The shorter stories are often better than the longer ones, and this includes my favorite Hellraiser story of all time, Neil Gaiman's Wordsworth (I turned this into a one-act in college, but it's really Dave McKean's art that makes it work), as well as Dwayne McDuffie's 'Writer's Lament' that uses Hellraiser to comment on the film industry. And there are two stories that originated Barker's Harrowers spinoff, which feature Cenobites but are much more action-oriented than horror. And also very 80's in their presentation.
The stories vary in presentation and style, and also in how much they really embrace the Hellraiser mythos - the best ones here barely touch on the characters.
This is a useful collection in that it collects stories not readily accessible outside of single issues somewhere, and also separates the wheat from the chaff. But considering how weak some of these stories are, it left me wondering if there really was enough wheat in the chaff to collect.
September 3, 2023
I have never reviewed a book I did not finish, from my memory anyway. First time for everything.
I am a big fan of Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart novella. I think the coenobites are one of the creepiest and coolest things put to page and screen. But they honestly do not need an extended universe, and this comic proved that for me.
This comic is a collection of extended short stories based in the Hellraiser universe. I think all are approved by Barker himself, and some written by him. I quit around 3/4 into the comic and they were all either boring or unnecessary. It doesn't really add any fresh or interesting ideas into the universe, and the coenobites, like a lot of creatures, are better left in small doses as a more mysterious figure.
I do not recommend this, though I tend to enjoy Clive Barkers work overall, so this is no dig at Clive himself. Read the Hellbound Heart novella and watch the movies, they are good enough.
I am a big fan of Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart novella. I think the coenobites are one of the creepiest and coolest things put to page and screen. But they honestly do not need an extended universe, and this comic proved that for me.
This comic is a collection of extended short stories based in the Hellraiser universe. I think all are approved by Barker himself, and some written by him. I quit around 3/4 into the comic and they were all either boring or unnecessary. It doesn't really add any fresh or interesting ideas into the universe, and the coenobites, like a lot of creatures, are better left in small doses as a more mysterious figure.
I do not recommend this, though I tend to enjoy Clive Barkers work overall, so this is no dig at Clive himself. Read the Hellbound Heart novella and watch the movies, they are good enough.
November 29, 2022
An impressive collection of Hellraiser short stories from the 1989-93 run originally published by Marvel, there are some big names involved - Clive Barker's first 'Harrowers' story (or at least the first part of it) is in here and there are standalone stories by Neil Gaiman, Mike Mignola and Lana Wachowski. While the artwork is variable, and sometimes outright messy, the stories are of a consistently high, usually inventively nasty quality. Having never read any of the comics from this run before, this collection only adds to my conviction that Hellraiser as a concept and franchise, has largely been best served and explored via comics.
My favourite three stories in this one:
Gaiman's 'Wordsworth' with some exceptional art by Dave McKean
Mignola's 'Dead Things Rot'
Jan Strnad's 'To Prepare A Face'
My favourite three stories in this one:
Gaiman's 'Wordsworth' with some exceptional art by Dave McKean
Mignola's 'Dead Things Rot'
Jan Strnad's 'To Prepare A Face'
February 9, 2024
Well, this was certainly a disappointment. The majority of the stories don’t really have anything to do with Hellraiser, and only the Mike Mignola, Jan Strnad, and R. J. M. Lofficier ones were worth reading. The rest were either boring, incomprehensible, or stupid- Clive Barker's effort was more like an episode of Power Rangers than anything I’ve ever come across on the horror scene. The artwork is extremely patchy, with only a small percentage being any good. And finally, as other reviewers have noted, two of the episodes are the first chapters of longer stories which, given that these comics first appeared in the late eighties through to mid nineties, feels like a very cynical marketing decision. I really don’t feel like I could recommend this book to anyone, not even horror aficionados.
February 6, 2024
I saw a bunch of people say that the collection is 50/50, some stories are great and some not so much. I went for two stars because it was more on the not so much side for me and the ones I liked ended too quickly. You fight through a bunch of boring ones and then when you get to the fun part it is over in a few pages. Just frustrating.
"To prepare a face" is one of the more iconic ones, it was a story I already knew. The plot, the drawings and the character portrayal is the best and of course, some famous Hellraiser quotes appear, like: "I have a face for every occasion,".
It was great to dip back into Clive Barker's story, but I think I will probably try to get my hands on a copy of the book instead.
"To prepare a face" is one of the more iconic ones, it was a story I already knew. The plot, the drawings and the character portrayal is the best and of course, some famous Hellraiser quotes appear, like: "I have a face for every occasion,".
It was great to dip back into Clive Barker's story, but I think I will probably try to get my hands on a copy of the book instead.
February 8, 2024
Other than Wordsworth and To Prepare A Face, which are by far the best stories of the collection, this book really misuses the best part of the Hellraiser mythos. When the Cenobites are just torturers from hell, they're leagues less interesting than when they're explorers of the further regions who cannot differentiate between pleasure and pain. They're not about torture, they're about experience, and making them generic demons that just happen to have cool BDSM designs really nullifies anything that makes them special.
Pretty solid art all throughout, but when only two of the stories in a 190 page collection seem to understand the story they're based on, you have a problem.
Pretty solid art all throughout, but when only two of the stories in a 190 page collection seem to understand the story they're based on, you have a problem.
May 1, 2024
Definitely some hits and misses in this one. None that I didn't like but most of the stories were just ok for me and the art varied from just ok to fantastic. Favorite stories were the ones by Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker...not surprising...but the artwork that went with those particular stories also happened to be my favorite. Weird...but beautiful.
Would only recommend this for fans of Hellraiser...I don't think any of these have enough oomph on their own to draw someone in...even my two favorites.
Would only recommend this for fans of Hellraiser...I don't think any of these have enough oomph on their own to draw someone in...even my two favorites.
April 2, 2021
Better than the sequels
The movies are awesome, but they lack a certain sophistication that Barker created in the original novella. These stories are a return for the franchise, and this collection is honestly a really good place to start if you like the films and stories but don’t know how to get into the comics. The issues are short and powerful, save two notable exceptions. The art is also varied and often disgusting in a good way. It’s really good stuff.
The movies are awesome, but they lack a certain sophistication that Barker created in the original novella. These stories are a return for the franchise, and this collection is honestly a really good place to start if you like the films and stories but don’t know how to get into the comics. The issues are short and powerful, save two notable exceptions. The art is also varied and often disgusting in a good way. It’s really good stuff.
October 16, 2017
Suuuuuuper uneven collection. There's a story or two in there that could be called good (Gaiman and Mignola turn in solid stories) and then there's an erratic bunch of terrible to not-bad stories, but the whole thing is so completely hodgepodge that "Masterpieces" is majorly a stretch of the language to the point of nonsense. Perhaps this book is my own torment of the damned for that reason.
October 16, 2017
interesting fact that this was a collection originally published by Marvel Comics but now under the name of boom studios. this is a old classic with some well know names like Neil Gaiman and Alex Ross and many others. I found some of its stories to be somewhat abstract. This one made its points here and there within my mind.
September 20, 2019
A classic Hellraiser anthology
If you like Hellraiser and always wanted more tales of the depraved of humanity finding their home in hell with the cenobites, you've come to the right place. This is a great collection of short (comics) stories set in that universe with all manner of grizzly morality tales to show you. A really satisfying read for the horror fan.
If you like Hellraiser and always wanted more tales of the depraved of humanity finding their home in hell with the cenobites, you've come to the right place. This is a great collection of short (comics) stories set in that universe with all manner of grizzly morality tales to show you. A really satisfying read for the horror fan.
April 13, 2023
Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's "Wordsworth" stands out as the strongest story. "The Devil's Absolution" is a close second. "The Harrowing Part 1" despite being possibly the most visually stunning section of the collections feel a bit too action adventure and far removed from what makes Hellraiser work. All in all this a wonderful collection. Every page is full of dark beauty.
May 8, 2020
A decent collection of stories set in the Hellraiser mythos. While some of the tales are good, the larger draw is the sheer number of early works in this volume by Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman/Dave McKean, Alex Ross, Lana Wachowski, and others.
July 1, 2021
An anthology book, but some of the best graphic horror fiction I’ve had the privilege of reading. If you’ve seen the first 2 movies, you already know what you’re in for. Skip Vol 2., the stories pale in comparison.
May 9, 2024
No puede ser tanto talento junto haciendo todo tan bien. El extremo opuesto a los mitos de Barker llevados al cine están acá: puro entendimiento del mito, arte increíble, gore bellísimo, Mignola, Gaiman, McKean, Zaffino, Ross, el mismo Clive Barker. Increíble.
March 16, 2018
Pretty uneven unfortunately. There were some excellent stories in here, but also some that were pretty lame.
January 8, 2019
Such stories to show you!
Classic Hellraiser stories by some of today's top comic writers and artists. Personal favorite Alex Ross and Mike Minola, plus others.
Classic Hellraiser stories by some of today's top comic writers and artists. Personal favorite Alex Ross and Mike Minola, plus others.
July 16, 2021
Loved the varying art styles from the different artists!
Read
November 27, 2022Couldn't get into this one much. The art style and quality varies highly throughout. The stories are relatively short. I won't rate this one since I mostly skimmed it
January 10, 2023
A Decent Collection
It has one of my favorite Hellraiser comics, the delightful Wordsworth by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Absolutely wonderful. It also has Dead Things Rot with a delightful recognizable art style.
It has one of my favorite Hellraiser comics, the delightful Wordsworth by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Absolutely wonderful. It also has Dead Things Rot with a delightful recognizable art style.
July 3, 2023
A ghoulishly fun blast from the past read. Some of the stories are better than others but overall this is a worthy addition to the Hellraiser Mythos.
November 7, 2023
Amazing short stories
This is one of those reads that just grab you. Stories are short but perfectly sum up random cenobite encounters! Definitely worth the read
This is one of those reads that just grab you. Stories are short but perfectly sum up random cenobite encounters! Definitely worth the read
December 28, 2015
You know what I realized as I read this? I am not really a Hellraiser fan. I pretty much just watched the movies to pass the time and research the horror genre. Distinguishable aesthetics and semi-interesting mythology for sure, but there are so many disgusting depictions of torture in the series and in this book, which has no characters that I can really latch onto. One of the sadists even wants pain inflicted on his crotch. I dig the satirical message about certain companies taking the heart out of stories in "Writer's Lament," but the panels of that story showing violence performed on a baby (even if it is artificial) are a type of gruesome that I cannot really tolerate.
January 13, 2015
Great Stories In An Incomplete Collection
Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, Mike Mignola... There's even a story penned by Clive Barker himself. Don't get me wrong, the stories are great... or at least the parts of the stories that are in this collection. One of the reasons I buy trade paperbacks is because I can get the whole story in one place. This book is frustrating because a couple of the stories are multi-parters, continued in future volumes. I can't see any reason why Boom couldn't have collected full storylines together for these books.
Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, Mike Mignola... There's even a story penned by Clive Barker himself. Don't get me wrong, the stories are great... or at least the parts of the stories that are in this collection. One of the reasons I buy trade paperbacks is because I can get the whole story in one place. This book is frustrating because a couple of the stories are multi-parters, continued in future volumes. I can't see any reason why Boom couldn't have collected full storylines together for these books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews