Publication date: March, 2011
Written by: Clive Barker and Christopher Monfette
Art by: Leonardo Manco
Colors by: Charlie Kirchoff
Lettering by: Travis Lanham
Edited by: Ian Brill
Written by: Clive Barker and Christopher Monfette
Art by: Leonardo Manco
Colors by: Charlie Kirchoff
Lettering by: Travis Lanham
Edited by: Ian Brill
“At the Tolling of a Bell” and “Pursuit of the Flesh, Part One”
When it comes to the “Hellraiser” comic book series, I’d qualify myself as something of a fan. Although I didn’t collect the series during it's original publication, I devoured all three “Best of” volumes released by Checker Publishing and fully intend to digest the series a second time when Boom! Studios release their “Hellraiser Masterpieces” collections (and hopefully these will be in proper chronological order and uncut, unlike Checker’s “Best of” series).
While the “Hellraiser” film series was deviating into ever-increasing (and ever-obnoxious) “epic” territory, ultimately culminating in the disastrous “Hellraiser: Bloodline”, the comic book series was behaving in a manner truer to the attitude and atmosphere of the first “Hellraiser” feature film. The comics were often times very personal, focusing on the Hells and horrors of a single individual. Certainly, more “epic” tales weren’t unfamiliar to the title, but I tended to find those to be the worst of the book’s output (more on that in specifics, later). It was the low-key stories revolving around deranged or foolish individuals that piqued my interests, with Pinhead and the more recognizable Cenobites often only appearing for the briefest of sequences (rewatch the original “Hellraiser” and you’ll find he’s hardly in the thing). My affection for the original “Hellraiser” comic series and its “tales of terror” approach is one of the reasons why I adored the first three straight-to-video “Hellraiser” films, while those familiar only with the theatrical flicks often hated them.
Well, all good things have a way of coming back and Boom! Studios has now revived the “Hellraiser” comic book series for the enjoyment of sickos and goth kids everywhere.
Preceding Hellraiser #1 was an 8-page "Prelude to Hellraiser" comic book that Boom! published exclusively online, encouraging folks to download it and share it with everyone they can. You can find the thing here.
“At the Tolling of a Bell” tells the story of the last man to be executed at a decommissioned and virtually empty correctional facility. However, things aren’t what they seem, as the Catholic priest overseeing the execution offers the condemned one last chance at salvation should he solve a familiar puzzle box before the electric chair fries his brains. He solves it, but the priest finds that Pinhead isn’t interested in dragging the condemned man to Hell; he’d much prefer a member of the cloth.
It’s a fairly typical tale and I’m not sure exactly how it acts as a prelude to Hellraiser #1, as the stories don’t appear to interconnect in any way (though that may change down the road). Rather, it’s just an original one-shot story by the same writer and artist team as the Hellraiser ongoing and not particularly necessary for understanding the first issue. Barker and Monfette certainly have Pinhead’s dialogue down pat, and though he’s not over-the-top, his dry and dark humor is as ever present as always. Manco’s art is grimy and gory and wonderful, though he suffers from some poor layout on page 5. One panel Pinhead is sitting in a jail cell, the next sees the faceless priest running in terror toward him, the next has him running in terror away from him. It’s a tad confusing:
But the real discussion here is about the first issue proper, “Pursuit of the Flesh, Part One”. A mysterious farmer is capturing women and forcing them to open the Lament Configuration, where they’re summarily torn asunder by Pinhead and the Cenobites. Alas, Pinhead is bored with his job and, just like Jack Skellington, he dreams of something more. But instead of journeying to Christmas Town, he journeys to a pipe organ made from tortured souls to convene with his predecessor. Pinhead bargains for the opportunity to reclaim his humanity and seek the salvations of Heaven, though should he fail, he’ll take his predecessor’s place in an eternity of the fiercest torments their Lord Leviathan can imagine.
Elsewhere, Kirsty Cotton bids farewell to her lover and possible fiancé, Edgar, as he leaves to go on a scholarly tour. As Kirsty sees him off, a farmer drops a note in her mailbox labeled “Harrowers”.
The big news surrounding Boom! Studios’ “Hellraiser” series is that Clive Barker is back in the saddle after a considerably extended period away from the franchise. I get the feeling that I was the only person who considered this a potential problem.
You see, Barker only wrote one story for the original “Hellraiser” comic book series, a two-parter called “The Harrowers” (illustrated by none other than Alex Ross) and, believe it or not, it was one of the absolute worst “Hellraiser” stories I have ever read and a considerable low point for the entire series. The story sees a group of people gaining super powers from Leviathan’s arch nemesis, “Morte’ Mame’”; super powers such as the ability to spit acid or the ever-present comradery of a wisecracking cherub with poisonous farts (actual dialogue: “It’s a GAS!”). Next, they decide to form a superhero team called “The Harrowers” to take the fight back to Pinhead and the Cenobites (who are portrayed as supervillains). They ride their motorcycles into Hell, kill Pinhead’s girlfriend (seriously) and escape after rescuing one of their captured teammates, with Pinhead shaking his fist into the sky and swearing vengeance.
It. Was. TERRIBLE.
So, after reading that, I was left with the impression that although he was the man who had created the series, “Hellraiser” was better off without the input of Clive Barker, talented as he may be.
“Pursuit of the Flesh, Part One”, however, left me impressed, excited and worried all at once.
Barker seems to be incorporating every "Hellraiser" story into this continuity, opting not to pick and choose what he prefers or ignore what wasn’t penned by himself; a decision I found relieving (Kirsty references her previous, failed marriage from “Hellraiser: Hellseeker”, for example). It would have been easy for Barker to have simply decided “everything not written by me doesn’t count”, so I found it very impressive that he chose to respect the work of those who kept the torch lit in his absence. A classy move, in my opinion.
But, at the same time, he extensively references his previous tale, “The Harrowers”, and that frightens me more than the sight of hooks tearing out flesh ever could. Pinhead speaks cryptically of a group waging war on Leviathan and, as mentioned earlier, Kirsty receives a letter labeled “Harrowers”. I suppose it’s only natural for Barker to want to continue the storyline he began years ago (there was a “Harrowers” miniseries written by someone else, though I'll be damned if I'm gonna read it), but the entire concept of that storyline was so fundamentally flawed and obnoxious that I dread to see it revisited. The last thing “Hellraiser” needs is farting cherubs making poop jokes.
The highlight of this story is the characterization of Pinhead. He’s torn off so many faces during his career that he’s simply sick of the whole ordeal and wants to try something else. “Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth” was a pretty heinous film, but it’s one redeeming factor came in the character work provided for Pinhead. Hopefully, this ongoing series will expand on Pinhead’s character, though without being “heinous” in the process.
Oddly, the Female Cenobite and Chatterer are alive again, which somewhat disappointed me, at least in terms of continuity. The film series had been remarkably good about keeping the “classic Cenobites” dead after their showdown with Channard in “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. Chatterer returned in “Hellraiser: Deader”, though folks tended to write that off as a different Chatterer. Guess not. Even stranger, Pinhead and the Female Cenobite appear to have some sort of an affection for one another (I guess Pinhead got over his dead girlfriend from “The Harrowers”?). Still, discontinuity or not, it was nice seeing the familiar faces again, so I really can’t put forth too much of a fuss.
Overall, the new “Hellraiser” comic book from Boom! Studios leaves me with a few worries coming from experience, but makes up for them with some superb artwork by Leonardo Manco (though Charlie Kirchoff’s coloring should not be understated, either), soothing those notions fairly quickly. To the uninitiated, familiar only with a handful of the earliest movies in the series, you may be confused by a few of the references to the later films and the comic books, but Barker and Monfette are careful to implement them in a way that keeps the narrative accessible (at least for now). And while I hated the Harrowers as characters back in the day, I’ll give Barker the benefit of the doubt and hope that if he does indeed choose to revive them, it’ll be in a way that makes them more palatable than before.
Grade: B+ (as in, “But Kirsty moved back into that fucking house? She almost deserves what’s coming to her…”)
While the “Hellraiser” film series was deviating into ever-increasing (and ever-obnoxious) “epic” territory, ultimately culminating in the disastrous “Hellraiser: Bloodline”, the comic book series was behaving in a manner truer to the attitude and atmosphere of the first “Hellraiser” feature film. The comics were often times very personal, focusing on the Hells and horrors of a single individual. Certainly, more “epic” tales weren’t unfamiliar to the title, but I tended to find those to be the worst of the book’s output (more on that in specifics, later). It was the low-key stories revolving around deranged or foolish individuals that piqued my interests, with Pinhead and the more recognizable Cenobites often only appearing for the briefest of sequences (rewatch the original “Hellraiser” and you’ll find he’s hardly in the thing). My affection for the original “Hellraiser” comic series and its “tales of terror” approach is one of the reasons why I adored the first three straight-to-video “Hellraiser” films, while those familiar only with the theatrical flicks often hated them.
Well, all good things have a way of coming back and Boom! Studios has now revived the “Hellraiser” comic book series for the enjoyment of sickos and goth kids everywhere.
Preceding Hellraiser #1 was an 8-page "Prelude to Hellraiser" comic book that Boom! published exclusively online, encouraging folks to download it and share it with everyone they can. You can find the thing here.
“At the Tolling of a Bell” tells the story of the last man to be executed at a decommissioned and virtually empty correctional facility. However, things aren’t what they seem, as the Catholic priest overseeing the execution offers the condemned one last chance at salvation should he solve a familiar puzzle box before the electric chair fries his brains. He solves it, but the priest finds that Pinhead isn’t interested in dragging the condemned man to Hell; he’d much prefer a member of the cloth.
It’s a fairly typical tale and I’m not sure exactly how it acts as a prelude to Hellraiser #1, as the stories don’t appear to interconnect in any way (though that may change down the road). Rather, it’s just an original one-shot story by the same writer and artist team as the Hellraiser ongoing and not particularly necessary for understanding the first issue. Barker and Monfette certainly have Pinhead’s dialogue down pat, and though he’s not over-the-top, his dry and dark humor is as ever present as always. Manco’s art is grimy and gory and wonderful, though he suffers from some poor layout on page 5. One panel Pinhead is sitting in a jail cell, the next sees the faceless priest running in terror toward him, the next has him running in terror away from him. It’s a tad confusing:
But the real discussion here is about the first issue proper, “Pursuit of the Flesh, Part One”. A mysterious farmer is capturing women and forcing them to open the Lament Configuration, where they’re summarily torn asunder by Pinhead and the Cenobites. Alas, Pinhead is bored with his job and, just like Jack Skellington, he dreams of something more. But instead of journeying to Christmas Town, he journeys to a pipe organ made from tortured souls to convene with his predecessor. Pinhead bargains for the opportunity to reclaim his humanity and seek the salvations of Heaven, though should he fail, he’ll take his predecessor’s place in an eternity of the fiercest torments their Lord Leviathan can imagine.
Elsewhere, Kirsty Cotton bids farewell to her lover and possible fiancé, Edgar, as he leaves to go on a scholarly tour. As Kirsty sees him off, a farmer drops a note in her mailbox labeled “Harrowers”.
The big news surrounding Boom! Studios’ “Hellraiser” series is that Clive Barker is back in the saddle after a considerably extended period away from the franchise. I get the feeling that I was the only person who considered this a potential problem.
You see, Barker only wrote one story for the original “Hellraiser” comic book series, a two-parter called “The Harrowers” (illustrated by none other than Alex Ross) and, believe it or not, it was one of the absolute worst “Hellraiser” stories I have ever read and a considerable low point for the entire series. The story sees a group of people gaining super powers from Leviathan’s arch nemesis, “Morte’ Mame’”; super powers such as the ability to spit acid or the ever-present comradery of a wisecracking cherub with poisonous farts (actual dialogue: “It’s a GAS!”). Next, they decide to form a superhero team called “The Harrowers” to take the fight back to Pinhead and the Cenobites (who are portrayed as supervillains). They ride their motorcycles into Hell, kill Pinhead’s girlfriend (seriously) and escape after rescuing one of their captured teammates, with Pinhead shaking his fist into the sky and swearing vengeance.
It. Was. TERRIBLE.
So, after reading that, I was left with the impression that although he was the man who had created the series, “Hellraiser” was better off without the input of Clive Barker, talented as he may be.
“Pursuit of the Flesh, Part One”, however, left me impressed, excited and worried all at once.
Barker seems to be incorporating every "Hellraiser" story into this continuity, opting not to pick and choose what he prefers or ignore what wasn’t penned by himself; a decision I found relieving (Kirsty references her previous, failed marriage from “Hellraiser: Hellseeker”, for example). It would have been easy for Barker to have simply decided “everything not written by me doesn’t count”, so I found it very impressive that he chose to respect the work of those who kept the torch lit in his absence. A classy move, in my opinion.
But, at the same time, he extensively references his previous tale, “The Harrowers”, and that frightens me more than the sight of hooks tearing out flesh ever could. Pinhead speaks cryptically of a group waging war on Leviathan and, as mentioned earlier, Kirsty receives a letter labeled “Harrowers”. I suppose it’s only natural for Barker to want to continue the storyline he began years ago (there was a “Harrowers” miniseries written by someone else, though I'll be damned if I'm gonna read it), but the entire concept of that storyline was so fundamentally flawed and obnoxious that I dread to see it revisited. The last thing “Hellraiser” needs is farting cherubs making poop jokes.
The highlight of this story is the characterization of Pinhead. He’s torn off so many faces during his career that he’s simply sick of the whole ordeal and wants to try something else. “Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth” was a pretty heinous film, but it’s one redeeming factor came in the character work provided for Pinhead. Hopefully, this ongoing series will expand on Pinhead’s character, though without being “heinous” in the process.
Oddly, the Female Cenobite and Chatterer are alive again, which somewhat disappointed me, at least in terms of continuity. The film series had been remarkably good about keeping the “classic Cenobites” dead after their showdown with Channard in “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. Chatterer returned in “Hellraiser: Deader”, though folks tended to write that off as a different Chatterer. Guess not. Even stranger, Pinhead and the Female Cenobite appear to have some sort of an affection for one another (I guess Pinhead got over his dead girlfriend from “The Harrowers”?). Still, discontinuity or not, it was nice seeing the familiar faces again, so I really can’t put forth too much of a fuss.
Overall, the new “Hellraiser” comic book from Boom! Studios leaves me with a few worries coming from experience, but makes up for them with some superb artwork by Leonardo Manco (though Charlie Kirchoff’s coloring should not be understated, either), soothing those notions fairly quickly. To the uninitiated, familiar only with a handful of the earliest movies in the series, you may be confused by a few of the references to the later films and the comic books, but Barker and Monfette are careful to implement them in a way that keeps the narrative accessible (at least for now). And while I hated the Harrowers as characters back in the day, I’ll give Barker the benefit of the doubt and hope that if he does indeed choose to revive them, it’ll be in a way that makes them more palatable than before.
Grade: B+ (as in, “But Kirsty moved back into that fucking house? She almost deserves what’s coming to her…”)
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