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Clive Barker's Hellraiser (2011) #5
Hellraiser Vol. 5
The smash success first series of Hellraiser builds to a shocking climax! As promised, Clive Barker not only returned to his signature creation, but brought a new level of storytelling mastery to the classis horror franchise. See the stunning climax between Kirsty Cotton and Captain Elliott Spence!
109 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
53 people are currently reading
443 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 33 reviews
January 26, 2019
Very disappointing! I've really enjoyed this series, but it has rapidly gone downhill. I loved the first three volumes. Found the forth to be more choppy and less impressive. But the fifth and final part was a confusing mess, and just didn't feel like it was part of the same series at all. Such a shame.
I borrowed this through Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
I borrowed this through Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
September 23, 2021
The story picked up a lot of steam and got down to the nuts and bolts, I really liked it a lot. The art changes seemed ok at first but at one point it got me confused. This was not an easy read but I will say in this case it just worked well as you were kept in suspense till the very end.
Sure it was heavy on the exposition side, but you only can do so much in this format and with the pages you are given as a writer.
Better than the previous volume! 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Sure it was heavy on the exposition side, but you only can do so much in this format and with the pages you are given as a writer.
Better than the previous volume! 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
August 18, 2016
This wasn't very good, what started as an enjoyable series descended into a complete mess.
The plot at times made no sense and once again the art was all over the place and at times it was hard to discern what exactly was going on.
I really love the earlier work of Clive Barker but his newer stuff often isn't as good. He seems to go way over the top and whilst he proves that his imagination isn't lacking, his writing sometimes is.
The main problem is he frequently tries to introduce fantastical elements in to his modern fiction and this is fine when he writes straight up fantasy (like Abarat), but it doesn't work so well with the type of horror he writes.
Whilst this not the worst thing I've read, it is an unsatisfying conclusion to this comic series that started out so promisingly.
The plot at times made no sense and once again the art was all over the place and at times it was hard to discern what exactly was going on.
I really love the earlier work of Clive Barker but his newer stuff often isn't as good. He seems to go way over the top and whilst he proves that his imagination isn't lacking, his writing sometimes is.
The main problem is he frequently tries to introduce fantastical elements in to his modern fiction and this is fine when he writes straight up fantasy (like Abarat), but it doesn't work so well with the type of horror he writes.
Whilst this not the worst thing I've read, it is an unsatisfying conclusion to this comic series that started out so promisingly.
December 5, 2022
This series started promising. Even though the quality of the art starts to degrade from volume 2, it was ok until it goes downhill from volume 4 and becomes utter crap in the final volume. So bad that sometimes you have no idea what you're reading. Same can be said for writing, as if no one was there to say to Clive to hold his horses a bit. I love his writing, but last two volumes of this series... What the hell, Clive? Did you really write this? Funny thing is, I've seen latest Hellraiser recently, and people were giving it bad reviews as they were saying how it's messed up and not up to lore. I've enjoyed it as it captures the essence of novella it was based on. I guess they didn't read this comic book. Pinhead as a doctor Manhattan from Aliexpress? Hardly a thing worth of Hellraiser lore.
February 20, 2018
I enjoyed the first three volumes of this series, but the story becomes confusing and uninteresting as it stretched on. The finale further disappoints with an unsatisfying confusing ending.
May 3, 2019
Creepy, grotesque, and nearly impossible to understand. In other words, everything you're looking for in a Hellraiser story.
June 25, 2015
I have to say this I thought was the weakest of the five. It was a bit all over the place. Spencer with his god like powers but not actually doing anything with them. The Kristy and Leviathan story was more interesting. However, as Elliot's past life was revealed I liked it less. I thought the idea of pinhead as a WWI solider worked really well. Someone who'd seen all the horror of war and been turned into the monster he was because of that. Having him as a family man instead whose biggest sin was he lusted after his own daughter didn't make nearly as much sense. (Especially when that made him much older as a solider!) Also the final defeat using his daughter/granddaughter also really made no sense and felt like a cop out. They went to a massive build up but then nothing happened. She had no agency at all. There was nothing to see in her mind, it was just, oh look, here's an ugly doll, Spencer looses. It felt like they really missed out on the opportunity for something interesting and horrible there.
The comics remain pretty though. I really liked the cover of the two women cenobites (though that may have been vol. 4. I read them together and they kinda blended). I think I will hunt down the rest of these and see what happens. I was hoping for a bit more resolution as this was the last in the series. But I guess that's how they keep you reading.
The comics remain pretty though. I really liked the cover of the two women cenobites (though that may have been vol. 4. I read them together and they kinda blended). I think I will hunt down the rest of these and see what happens. I was hoping for a bit more resolution as this was the last in the series. But I guess that's how they keep you reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2016
Elliott has gone rogue, Kirsty must go through a transformation to stop him from destroying the world. I thought this was a terrible conclusion to the series, it made very little sense, the plot was thin as ice.
October 14, 2019
Certainly my least favourite arc of the series.
All the politics/world leader/army action totally loses me.
All the politics/world leader/army action totally loses me.
October 17, 2022
This is a review for the 5 volumes of Hellraiser.
After a really strong and interesting start to the series with Vol. 1 I was fully invested and wanted to find out more about these mysterious Cenobites that we only get to glimpse in The Hellbound Heart. It was actually more of a story following Kirsty Cotton as she goes about finding all of the toymakers doors to hell.
No issues there, this was pretty good and a nice spin on it.
Then it went downhill pretty fast.
Main issue would be with the end to this series with Spencer/Hell Priest becoming a Dr Manhattan style god. Not good and so so far from the source material I had to question how much Clive Barker had to do with this one. You don't pick up a book with Hellraiser as its title and expect to be reading about nuclear Armageddon. But maybe that's just me having different expectations from this story.
Another huge issue for me is with the artwork, or more specifically the colouring. For a book that naturally would be soaked in blood you would at least get someone that didn't just splash every page with red and cover all the ink at every opportunity. It seemed lazy at times and very messy.
Unfortunately this wasn't what I expected or wanted from a Hellraiser story and the artwork just added to the disappointment.
2.5 stars rounded up.
After a really strong and interesting start to the series with Vol. 1 I was fully invested and wanted to find out more about these mysterious Cenobites that we only get to glimpse in The Hellbound Heart. It was actually more of a story following Kirsty Cotton as she goes about finding all of the toymakers doors to hell.
No issues there, this was pretty good and a nice spin on it.
Then it went downhill pretty fast.
Main issue would be with the end to this series with Spencer/Hell Priest becoming a Dr Manhattan style god. Not good and so so far from the source material I had to question how much Clive Barker had to do with this one. You don't pick up a book with Hellraiser as its title and expect to be reading about nuclear Armageddon. But maybe that's just me having different expectations from this story.
Another huge issue for me is with the artwork, or more specifically the colouring. For a book that naturally would be soaked in blood you would at least get someone that didn't just splash every page with red and cover all the ink at every opportunity. It seemed lazy at times and very messy.
Unfortunately this wasn't what I expected or wanted from a Hellraiser story and the artwork just added to the disappointment.
2.5 stars rounded up.
August 4, 2019
Well that was...something
If Clive Barker just wants us to keep reading, he's certainly figured out the knack. If he wants to write a world full of easily understood magical rules, he'll have to try again. This installment really goes off the rails with mysticism that I'm sure is intended to be incomprehensible to the normal human mind, since it's incomprehensible to Kirsty's even as she gets a front row seat. I'm not sure a story this big and insane is what I wanted from the Hellraiser universe, but it's what I got, and I'll be damned if I don't want to keep reading to understand what the ending means, since this is only the latest story in an ongoing series. If you wanted to delve into Elliot Spencer's psyche to understand just what kind of man he was and if he had any lines, you'll be pleased with this ending. If you would rather have preserved the unwavering omnipotence of the cenobites, you probably wanted to stop reading before this entire series. It was an entertaining story, to be sure, but seeing cenobites running around like characters in an action flick is just odd, a smash-up of genres I'm not sure anyone was asking for.
If Clive Barker just wants us to keep reading, he's certainly figured out the knack. If he wants to write a world full of easily understood magical rules, he'll have to try again. This installment really goes off the rails with mysticism that I'm sure is intended to be incomprehensible to the normal human mind, since it's incomprehensible to Kirsty's even as she gets a front row seat. I'm not sure a story this big and insane is what I wanted from the Hellraiser universe, but it's what I got, and I'll be damned if I don't want to keep reading to understand what the ending means, since this is only the latest story in an ongoing series. If you wanted to delve into Elliot Spencer's psyche to understand just what kind of man he was and if he had any lines, you'll be pleased with this ending. If you would rather have preserved the unwavering omnipotence of the cenobites, you probably wanted to stop reading before this entire series. It was an entertaining story, to be sure, but seeing cenobites running around like characters in an action flick is just odd, a smash-up of genres I'm not sure anyone was asking for.
June 25, 2022
A perfectly feasible end to what was overall a fantastic run. Looking at any of the Hellraiser films after the first two and calling this bad seems like missing the forest for the trees. That's not to say it gets a complete pass. I do think the issues from the previous volume bleed over into the conclusion and get a little worse, and I think the ending should've been more finite instead of leaving things open for someone else to potentially take over in a new run. Not uncommon in a comic, even for a licensed one like this, but I just wanted this to be a Hellraiser III I could actually enjoy and for Clive Barker to bow out gracefully assuming he never gets the film rights back. As is, I would still highly recommend it.
May 16, 2024
Finished the first 5 volumes of The Hellraiser series by Boom Studios. Volumes 1-3 were nothing short of excellent, with a captivating story and high attention to detail artwork, however, it seemed like the quality went downhill a bit in volumes 4-5. The story wasn’t as enticing or engaging, and was really not written that well imo. I also felt that the artwork was lacking compared to the first 3 volumes. Overall, it’s still a great read and recommended if you’re a fan of the films especially. I wonder if we’ll ever get another Hellraiser comic. It’s been over 10 years since the last one. Ah well, off to “The Road Below”….
May 20, 2020
It's a shame this book had to suck. The first book started strongly, and the following issues gradually got worse in a litany of areas such as story quality, story coherence and art quality. I'm not sure if this was due to a budget cut mid-way through the series, but it does seem like it.
Originally in the first books characters were strongly fleshed out (pardon the pun). The last few books introduced characters who they gave no reason for you to be invested in, playing pivotal parts of the end of the story.
Needless to say, I'm a little disappointed in this book.
Originally in the first books characters were strongly fleshed out (pardon the pun). The last few books introduced characters who they gave no reason for you to be invested in, playing pivotal parts of the end of the story.
Needless to say, I'm a little disappointed in this book.
October 28, 2021
It's a shame just how badly this series has gotten. Volume One was a good start and Volume Two and Three really upped the ante from there. But things started to fall apart in Volume Four and Five is just a train wreck. The story is nonsensical and the artwork is terrible. It was a chore to read and I've no desire to continue on with the next series - The Dark Watch. Kudos to Barker for trying something different with his mythos but it just doesn't work.
November 25, 2023
While I enjoyed the story overall, volume's 4 and 5 definitely veered slightly too much off course. The first three volumes managed to capture the horror of the original novella; 4 and 5 unfortunately do not. They are still an enjoyable experience, but they read more like a superhero comic than anything else. Similar to The Scarlet Gospels, these last 2 volumes are just comically over the top. 3.5/5
February 16, 2020
Hard to put down, just like the boxes
I hav been a fan of the Hellraiser franchise for decades, yet the comics only now came onto my path. The comics convey a feeling of inevitability stemming from an obsession with puzzle boxes that will be opened in due time. Just like the comics themselves...
I hav been a fan of the Hellraiser franchise for decades, yet the comics only now came onto my path. The comics convey a feeling of inevitability stemming from an obsession with puzzle boxes that will be opened in due time. Just like the comics themselves...
October 30, 2020
You can tell a book is in trouble when near the end a character needs to ask someone to explain everything that has gone on so far in the book and they do so in a huge exposition dump.
Very disappointing ending that really does not end anything at all except a crisis that seemed a little too dumb to matter in the first place.
Very disappointing ending that really does not end anything at all except a crisis that seemed a little too dumb to matter in the first place.
June 2, 2022
Giving this 3 stars purely for the artwork (a lot of people hate the art, but that’s pretty subjective I suppose). The story was a virtually incomprehensible mess, with very little explanation for why anything happens. Such a disappointing end to a very promising series, to be honest I think I’d rather have left the whole series alone than have been left with an ending like this.
September 23, 2022
Complex but exciting end!
Lots to digest in this final part off the story. I read all the trades in one sitting, that's how entertaining and compelling the story was. I will need to re-read it again to catch all the details the second time around. Great artwork and beautiful colouring makes this series a must!
Lots to digest in this final part off the story. I read all the trades in one sitting, that's how entertaining and compelling the story was. I will need to re-read it again to catch all the details the second time around. Great artwork and beautiful colouring makes this series a must!
October 9, 2022
That’s it, seriously?
How are they gonna leave me hanging with that ending? This comic crashed like the plane in the ending of this mess. I need an explanation! What’s gonna happen to nasty Elliot? Will our 3 heroins escape hell? Will kirsty finally get revenge on Elliot? Will the cenobite ever get to torture Him?I guess we’ll never know!
How are they gonna leave me hanging with that ending? This comic crashed like the plane in the ending of this mess. I need an explanation! What’s gonna happen to nasty Elliot? Will our 3 heroins escape hell? Will kirsty finally get revenge on Elliot? Will the cenobite ever get to torture Him?I guess we’ll never know!
August 13, 2021
I have to admit that I thought the first volume was just ok...but I had a blast with volumes 2-5. This wrapped it up well and I'm looking forward to starting the next series. Free with Comixology Unlimited.
December 15, 2022
Too much eco-terrorists and superheroes and definitive lack of real Hellraiser atmosphere. This end for an iconic character is a shame. I really didn't like this entry in the series. Only for true fans.
October 24, 2017
Incomprehensible.
July 11, 2018
The end?
Interesting climax to this series. Elliott is a total perverted monster! Just a very sick being! Chaotic and insane! Good read!
Interesting climax to this series. Elliott is a total perverted monster! Just a very sick being! Chaotic and insane! Good read!
May 13, 2019
This series goes the way of a terrible horror movie.
January 31, 2020
Such sights.
Who thought he'll could be so much fun. If you liked the first few you will like this too. Exquisite
Who thought he'll could be so much fun. If you liked the first few you will like this too. Exquisite
April 27, 2020
115/365
Como si Michael Bay o Zack Snyder en sus peores tiempos hiciesen un remake de Hellraiser.
Como si Michael Bay o Zack Snyder en sus peores tiempos hiciesen un remake de Hellraiser.
December 31, 2020
What a complete waste of time this whole series has been!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews