Clive Barker's Hellraiser

[adam_warlock_2099]

Anyone read the Epic/Marvel series? I watched the original movie some time back and ventured into the second and fourth movie on Netflix. By fourth it was a bit tedious for me to sit through, though I find the Cenobites and Pinhead's origins/creation more interesting than the story. Someone I know who is a fan of the films pointed me to the comic series as a source of the story behind them. Is there any other of the comics that too shed some light on them as well?

Also anyone know if this collection is the whole Epic series? The description doesn't say, but I hoped someone on the forum may know for sure. Thanks ladies and gents.

http://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=591041

[Shawn Hopkins]

You may also want to check out the original Clive Barker novella the series is based on, The Hellbound Heart.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hellbound_Heart

[MWGallaher]

That collection doesn't include the entire run, which was more than 20 oversized issues from Marvel/Epic.
I bought many--maybe all--of the issues when they first appeared, but I can't recommend any in particular. My recollection is that most of the stories were inconsequential "mood pieces" without much plot to them. I'm pretty sure there were several stories that dealt with the origins of the Cenobites, but mostly I remember stories where bad--or not-so-bad--people opened a puzzle box and were rewarded with eternal torture. And there was a lot of that highbrow style of painted art that was popular in the late 80's, in muddy browns with metallic tones, dark, obscured, and pretentious.

[adam_warlock_2099]

Thanks guys.

Shawn I got the book on it's way from amazon.

MW, I thought so, as I just realized as I was shopping that they are prestige format books, 68 pages. Boom recently collected all of them into 3 volumes, which may be easier and cheaper than the original books. At a more available and cheaper price point, it may be worth the chance.

But might just go with novel to start with.

[CromagnonMan]

If they do contain an origin story, it wouldnt be by the original creator, Clive Barker, who only had a hand in the novel and the 1st film.

i have a lot of the Epic comics, only i havnt read them yet. Having had a look through i cant say they look all all that enticing. Judging by the cover prices, they were over priced, glossy nonsense with a "mature" theme. Lots of 90's painted art.

And the handful of ones written by Neil Gaiman are hard to come by.

[adam_warlock_2099]

That collection doesn't include the entire run, which was more than 20 oversized issues from Marvel/Epic.
I bought many--maybe all--of the issues when they first appeared, but I can't recommend any in particular. My recollection is that most of the stories were inconsequential "mood pieces" without much plot to them. I'm pretty sure there were several stories that dealt with the origins of the Cenobites, but mostly I remember stories where bad--or not-so-bad--people opened a puzzle box and were rewarded with eternal torture. And there was a lot of that highbrow style of painted art that was popular in the late 80's, in muddy browns with metallic tones, dark, obscured, and pretentious.

I thought of your comment as I read Hellraiser #5, 8, 12-16, 18 that I recently acquired out of a dollar box. There was one excellent Mike Mignola story in one issue, and that was about the highlight of all the issues I had. Needless sex and nudity, over the top (though that's hard to imagine with Clive Barker) shock violence. Oh there was a nice work of Texiara in there too, but the story was short, like 5 pages. Very glad I didn't pay much for these. Though seeing Mignola's art depicting hell, death and a Cenobite was cool.

[destro]

Clive has a new novel coming out, hopefully this year or the next called the Scarlet Gospels that is focused on Pinhead and the Cenobites. His first since the Hellbound Heart.