Edited by Ben Meares

Lettered & designed by Christian Francis.

Seraphim Comics, Hardcover & Digital Download (www.realclivebarker.com)

Out April 14

Raisin’ Hell…yet again!

Now, if it’s one subject I know inside out and back to front, it’s the mythos of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. I wrote a book on the movies – The Hellraiser Films and their Legacy – edited an anthology of Hellraiser stories with my better half, Marie O’Regan – Hellbound Hearts – and penned last year’s Sherlock Holmes/Hellraiser crossover, Servants of Hell. I’ve been in love with everything about the franchise since I was in my teens, and have often been asked at cons and on panels what I think the way forward for the series is. My answer has always been some sort of anthology, whether it be the much talked about TV series or in comics. Which brings me to this new anthology series published by some other people who know the mythos inside out and back to front, Clive’s own company Seraphim!

It’s not the first comic to do such a thing, of course. Back in the ’90s, Epic produced a run of them, and just a few years ago BOOM! picked up the baton to do more. But the great thing about Hellraiser is that the scope to tell stories within its framework is never-ending, as those gathered together here cheerfully testify. The image on the front, by Daniele Serra, is a perfect introduction to the delights waiting inside – and in fact Daniele contributes the art to the first tale as well: editor Ben Meares’ own ‘Finding Frank Cotton’. This one brought a smile to my face immediately, as we’re treated to a bit of Frank’s history…or more importantly his impact on a very different lady to Julia.

‘The Blind Sadist’, a one-pager written by Christian Francis and superbly illustrated by Nick Percival (you might recall Nick did some wonderful covers for BOOM!) is a love letter to everyone’s favourite Cenobite foot-soldier, the Chatterer. I feel Nicholas Vince will be proud. While ‘The Evil of Banality’ – penned by Matt. Murray and brought to life by artist Riley Schmitz – is a meditation on how the Lament Configuration puzzle box can affect people, even if they haven’t opened it yet; in this instance an elderly woman who acquires it at a yard sale. Next comes ‘The Watchers Part 1’, a prose poem by Meares illustrated by Percival which perfectly encapsulates the paranoia of being in Hell and being observed by the Cenobites. We get the second part, which shows things from the other side – this time illustrated by Clive himself, with colours by Schmitz – a bit later on.

‘Nesting’ is a prose story from Seraphim’s own Mark Alan Miller (Next Testament, The Steam Man), also illustrated in black and white by Clive. A highly original take on the Hellraiser bargain and doorway idea, it starts with a woman involved in a horrific car accident and twists and turns from there to give us one of the highlights of the anthology. And if you thought Pinocchio couldn’t be given a Hellraiser slant, then you obviously haven’t read Meares and Francis’ take – ‘PIN-occhio’ – from a story by Clive. Complete with a children’s storybook-style layout provided by Schmitz, this is perfect bedtime reading… to give you nightmares.

‘Vagina Dentata’, courtesy of Meares and Jimm O’Dell, does exactly what it says it’s going to do, although I’ve never seen one quite like this before – and if you want to know what I’m talking about, you’ll just have to witness it for yourselves. But for ‘Scalps’ written by David Ian & Rebekah McKendry, with Sam Shearan illustrating, we go back to the Wild West; again, proving without a doubt that Hellraiser can take you anywhere and to any time period. While in the truly disturbing ‘Like Taxidermy’ written by Meares and Schmitz, Jim Terry’s visuals hammer home a gruesomely unique way of smuggling puzzle boxes over the boarder.

Finally, Daniele Serra is back again – bookending the anthology, by providing the art for Francis’ ‘What We Are’ – which suggests what might happen to the Cenobites if humanity turns its back on them. The publication is then rounded off with a truly stunning ‘PIN-up Gallery’ of Hellraiser artwork, complete with artists’ web presence details.

If you’re a fan of the franchise, then I shouldn’t have to tell you that you need this book in your life. But if you’re coming to it cold, then you’re getting a collection of thought-provoking stories and excellent artwork, so you really can’t go wrong either way. By the time you get to the end, you’ll be echoing the Frank Cotton quote you’ll find there, that one book was never going to be enough.

Verdict: The sweet suffering…   10/10                             

Paul Kane