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Clive Barker's Hellraiser Vol. 1

by Clive Barker, Christopher Monfette, Leonardo Manco (Illustrator), Stephen Thompson (Illustrator)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 215 ratings · 17 reviews

Hell has come home as Clive Barker returns to writing his signature creation!Clive Barker has “touched” Hellraiser only twice before: once to write The Hellbound Heart, and once more to write and direct the original Hellraiser film. With the HELLRAISER ongoing series, witness Barker’s long-awaited return to tell a new chapter in the official continuity — a trajectory that...more

Paperback, 128 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by BOOM! Studios

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Apr 14, 2013 Tarl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, horror

One of the things that Clive Barker has touched in regards to the Hellraiser world, this shows that he still has a finger on the heartbeat on what makes horror.

I found the idea that Kristy and others touched by the Toymaker's creations hunting down said creations was an interesting idea. I'm not a huge one with using Kristy in any storylines, but overall it worked for this graphic novel. The very fact that they included the Toymaker as part of Hellraiser cannon (as far as Barker is concerned) i...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Andy Haigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Clive Barker is a name that's synonymous with horror, to most it's associated with an impressive entry into horror film history which not only gave birth to one of the most iconic figures in horror cinema but also introduced a chilling and disturbing world, that film was Hellraiser. Written and directed by Barker based on his short story titled The Hellbound Heart.

Barker somewhat naively signed away the rights to the world he had created not realising just how popular it would become. It quickl...more

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Feb 18, 2012 David Agranoff rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic-horror, modern-horror, monsters

During most of my life Clive Barker has been my favorite author, as far as professional heroes go he is one of them for sure. He has had a rough go of it lately. Lots of projects and books have been promised and only half of those (mostly films) have seen the light of day. Publishing wise Barker was dropped by his long time publisher after failing to deliver a collection of horror shorts called the Scarlet Gospels.

This collection has been rumored for almost a decade, and was said to feature Bar...more

During most of my life Clive Barker has been my favorite author, as far as professional heroes go he is one of them for sure. He has had a rough go of it lately. Lots of projects and books have been promised and only half of those (mostly films) have seen the light of day. Publishing wise Barker was dropped by his long time publisher after failing to deliver a collection of horror shorts called the Scarlet Gospels.

This collection has been rumored for almost a decade, and was said to feature Barker's return to the hellraiser-verse with a story about the death of it's villain Pinhead. Delay, after delay followed. In part because what was supposed to be a short story about Pinhead, became a novella, then as Barker kept writing it became a very, very long novel. The Scarlet Gospels became a separate project and different short story collection was said to be on the way.

Neither happened, I suppose Barker and the publishing powers that be had different ideas on how to market the work. The publisher claimed Barker couldn't stop revising it, or that he got distracted by other books(Mister B.Gone, Abarat 3) and film projects. Who knows for real.

Hellraiser is one of my favorite films ever, I am sure for Barker it has special place as it was his first film as director. So like many Hellraiser fans he helplessly watched as shitty sequel after shitty sequel was made with Pinhead that seemed to have little to do with his story. Personally I have found even Hellraiser 2 which Barker was somewhat involved with doesn't hold up well.

Barker clearly fell back in love with the story while workin on the Scarlet Gospels. Good thing because he decided to get involved in writing this graphic novel series. Not only does it return to the mythlogy of the story but follows the first stories heroine Kristy Cotton. After 25 years of haunting memories a trip to hell and back she has devoted herself to destroying the box and any gateway to hell.

Pinhead on the other hand is bored. The painand pleasure is all getting to be tiresome. Barker seems to be building up the character for a rebellion against hell. This is classic Barker, weird tools and gadgets. Deep non-tradtional mythos, and erotic horrors abound. This is the first Hellraiser story, since the first film that I could really get into. The art is perfect and disturbing.

Is it perfect? Besides a Pinhead that is a little to talkative and a throw-away lover for Kirsty it's pretty close to a perfect Hellraiser story.(less)

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Mar 01, 2012 Donovan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

OK...For starters, this is a graphic novel. I was surprised to find that out but I have not regretted it. This is a graat piece of work and is the first in a series. As it is not a novel I wont be doing the usual plot/spoilers. I will let you know it is the final chapter of Pinhead as a character and wraps up the series as Clive Barker sees it. Anything else wont be Barker and is just another story set in the universe.
Now, having said all that, this is a bloody (and I mean that literally) great...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Jacobi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: trades-read-in-2012

I'm giving this trade 2 stars not because it was bad, but because I didn't really connect with it. Even though there really are only two Hellraiser movies worth a damn (out of the 8 or 9 that exist), I really do love the mythology of this franchise. So I should have loved this book, but I realize now that along with the mythology, the franchise is really reliant on the sadomasochistic mood that the movies deliver. There is a sexy horrifying beauty in the first 2 movies that is hard to translate...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Kris43 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, comics, sweet-evil

Holy s***! Now that's a real real horror!

Or to be more exact its unholy s***....yes, definitely unholy:)
Full of disgusting and despicable things....Its got buckets full of blood dripping down its pages and desecrated bodies, done in many interesting ways:) However interesting, this one is not something you'll want to see your kids reading.

But if your a big girl/guy and are looking for a nice dose of something to give you nightmares, this one is for you. The story is disturbing and has a effect...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Frank Showalter rated it 2 of 5 stars

Kirsty Cotton, protagonist from the first three Hellraiser films, and her team of Cenobite-hating pals hunt the Lemarchand Configuration, even as Pinhead, bored with his existence, seeks to make a deal with his master to regain his humanity or suffer an eternity of torment. Barker seems to be incorporating not only his original story, but all the comics and films that came after, to create a continuity all its own, where he's free to completely upend the status quo by killing off characters, or...more

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Nov 30, 2011 April (CSI:Librarian) rated it 4 of 5 stars

(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)

I am endlessly impressed by the scope of Clive Barker's vision and I'm so happy to report that this graphic novel was really, really excellent. In fact, this is probably the best Hellraiser-related anything I've ever read or seen. Of course I realize that might not read as high praise considering some of the more recent films or anthologies regarding the Cenobites and their leader, but Barker's lack of involvement goes a long to explain why most of them are so...more (Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)

I am endlessly impressed by the scope of Clive Barker's vision and I'm so happy to report that this graphic novel was really, really excellent. In fact, this is probably the best Hellraiser-related anything I've ever read or seen. Of course I realize that might not read as high praise considering some of the more recent films or anthologies regarding the Cenobites and their leader, but Barker's lack of involvement goes a long to explain why most of them are so absolutely horrendous. In terms of Barker's third contribution, the graphic novel format captured the absolute horror behind what these monsters do to people and really added some emotional heft to the experience.

What surprised me in a really good way is that there's a real story here just as there was in the original novella and movie adaptation. There was also a lot of forward momentum and curious introspective moments since Pinhead has begun to seek out ways to break free of his current infernal position. It was great to have Pinhead play a pivotal role and be the focus rather than merely offering up an eerie cameo or two. There seemed to even be a side to Pinhead that reminds me a bit of Christopher Carrion from the Abarat series. Both, of course, are twisted and evil in many respects, but their desire to mean more is really compelling. Kristy Cotton also plays a pretty cool role as did other Cenobites and other humans as well. I really liked the sections of back story that showed how other people have joined up to try to stop the Cenobites by gathering up and ultimately destroying the objects they use to cross over. Over all it'll be interesting to see what comes of it. I'm holding out hope that it won't be anything too predictable.

Reader beware, however. This is not for the weak of heart and I have to admit that after I was done I sort of wanted to go hug kittens for a few hours. That said... Was there some disturbing violence? For sure. Did it seem to be ridiculously gratuitous? No and I'd even be willing to say that behind most of the disgusting deaths there was some sort of purpose. Nothing is ever going to sell me on there being anything all that sexy or enjoyable about having creepy pale leather-wearing abominations rip a person apart with magic hooks and chains, but that's sort of the nature of the beast when it comes to anything Hellraiser.

Besides, I've always felt that there was a a world of difference what Barker is doing with his concept and what others have done to his concept. I get the impression that Barker is using Cenobites to trying and go deeper to explore what darkness/pain/Hell is and the way such things manifest in the physical world. Others who have come after him seem to just use Cenobites as overly creepy closet monsters with a leather fetish who are way too into solving puzzle boxes. There are still elements of that in the graphic novel, but there's significantly more substance to Barker's vision to go along with it.

In conclusion, really dark and really enjoyable. It probably would help to understand what the Hellraiser saga entails, but readers might actually enjoy this more the less familar they are with the more recent sequels or other graphic novel collections. Personally, I can't wait for volume 2!(less)

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Jul 31, 2012 Shane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books

This story is awesome! It is a direct sequel to Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, skipping the maddeningly mediocre parts 3-8.
This is how the movie series should have continued. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

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Dec 12, 2011 Mandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, 2011, comics-graphic-novels

Oh, how I love Pinhead.
It's awesome that Clive Barker is involved in the writing of this comic series, and I LOVE that the original four Cenobites from the first movie are in here.

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Jan 14, 2012 Matthew Thomas rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-for-enjoyment

Great illustrations and incredibly graphic in terms of blood and gore but, despite the interesting concepts, it's a bit too mystical and supernatural for my tastes.

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Dec 05, 2012 Anna Prejanò rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Devo essere onesta: una minestra riscaldata, o una pizza fredda. Solo per i fans nostalgici, tra i quali mi annovero e quindi leggerò anche il seguito. Il top di Barker a fumetti restano i meravigliosi "Tapping the vein"; già le raccolte di "Hellraiser" non erano un granché. Qui la storia è scritta da lui e almeno assume un respiro più ampio e letterario. I disegni sono splendidi; la cura editoriale ineccepibile (miracolo: finalmente un fumetto con accenti e apostrofi usati correttamente). Eccel...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Chatters rated it 4 of 5 stars

super cool tie-ins to the books of the art..... and I'm always glad to see harry d'amour...

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Nov 28, 2012 CDowd rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love the Hellraiser franchise, so I liked this a lot. Beautiful art, plenty of gore, and we get to learn a little more about Pinhead and what makes him tick. Looking forward to vol. 2.

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May 08, 2013 Riley rated it 5 of 5 stars

The best Hellraiser comics yet

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Feb 28, 2013 wolfgirl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-have-read-in-2013

Yessssssss.

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Feb 26, 2012 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, graphic-novels

Full review on HorrorTalk: http://www.horrortalk.com/comic-revie...

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Jun 18, 2013 Ruit Vostell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jun 16, 2013 Stephen marked it as to-read

Jun 15, 2013 Matt marked it as to-read

Jun 14, 2013 Elise marked it as to-read

Jun 13, 2013 Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Jun 13, 2013 Starskrim_ added it

Jun 11, 2013 Justin marked it as to-read

Jun 10, 2013 Phoebe Morris marked it as to-read

Jun 05, 2013 Cody rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jun 05, 2013 Damian C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 31, 2013 Azathoth R'lyeh rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 29, 2013 Alex marked it as to-read

May 28, 2013 BungleGrind rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Clive Barker

Clive 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...more Clive 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, (less)

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