KendallReviews has been lucky enough to gain early access to the new Hellraiser: Anthology from Clive Barkers own Seraphim Comics. I will be submitting a review shortly, but till then, here is a very brief history of the Hellraiser graphic novel.
1987 saw the release of Clive Barkers directorial debut Hellraiser. Based on Barkers own novella The Hellbound Heart (1986). The storyline was so rich and the movie successful enough to call for a multitude of sequels, but fans were left increasingly unsatisfied. We wanted to know more about the Cenobites, Leviathon and The Box. Movies with their limited budgets could not do the mythology justice. To remedy this, 1989 saw a series of graphic novels released by Epic Comics (who were a spin-off of Marvel Comics)
These were beautifully drawn and mostly incredibly well written stories that focused on tales of the Box and the various people who came into contact with it. Such was the demand for these stories that spin-off titles were created. Sadly, this all came to an end in 1994 after the release of Hellraiser: Spring Slaughter.
Fans would then have to wait 16 or so years for the surprise announcement that the graphic novel series was going to be rebooted, with the original series also getting a partial reprint as Hellraiser: Masterpieces. (12 issues in total)
The graphic novel reboot would be produced by Boom! Studios and written by Clive Barker and Christopher Monfette. First released was a 20 issue series entitled Hellraiser.
In 2012, Hellraiser: The Road Below saw a 4 issue run.
Followed by Hellraiser: The Dark Watch (12 issues 2013/14) and Bestiary (6 issues 2014/15)
Now in 2017, fans are rejoicing, there is a new Hellraiser Anthology being released. This time via Clive Barkers own company Seraphim Comics. Available initially at Monsterpalooza, Pasadena, CA – April 7th to 9th 2017 (Hardcover only) and then visit www.realclivebarker.com from April 14th 2017 (Hardcover & Digital Download).
The anthology will feature stories written by Clive Barker, Ben Meares, Mark Alan Miller, Blumhouse’s David and Rebekah McKendry and POW Entertainment’s Matt. Murray, with artwork by Daniele Serra (who also illustrated the cover), Riley Schmitz, Clive Barker, Sam Shearon, Nick Percival, Jim Terry, and Jimm O’Dell.
The anthology was edited by Ben Meares, with Matt. Murray assistant editing. “We had a very simple mission statement at the beginning of our journey with this comic,” Ben Meares, Editor-in-Chief of Seraphim Comics said. “We set out to create something with no limits and no censorship, that everyone involved, as both creatives and fans of the Hellraiser mythos, would be proud of.”
I’m delighted to be able to show you some preview pages from Hellraiser: Anthology.
As you can see the quality is outstanding! This feels like a labour of love, created by people who respect the mythology as much as the fans do. I’m sure this title will be a massive success, the tease of having Volume One on the cover suggests to me that future volumes are a possibility. So Hellraiser fans, you know what you have to do…
Thank you very much Clive Barker, Ben Meares and all at Seraphim Comics for letting me have an early look at Hellraiser: Anthology.
Review will be submitted shortly.
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