COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Hellraiser Annual #1
Hellraiser Annual #1
Written by Brandon Seifert (Good Intentions), Clive Barker and Ben Meares (Something to Keep Us Apart)
Illustrated by: Jesús Hervás (Good Intentions), and Janusz Ordon (Something to Keep Us Apart)
Published by BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios gives us a halloween treat–a deeper look into one of Clive Barker’s iconic works’ mythos with “Hellraiser Annual #1″. We are offered two short stories that show a side of the franchise which the films have yet to explore, such as discontentment with the leadership of a cenobite, and different hells.
However, that’s the thing: someone uninitiated with the Hellraiser lore will hardly appreciate this due to estrangement. There are elements in the stories that even I had to confirm, which actually confused me as well. Yes, I haven’t read a single page out of the main storyline, “Dark Watch” by BOOM! Studios as well. My bosses will kill me using the Lament Configuration, for sure.
In the first story, “Good Intentions”, I’m not really sure if the protagonist (Legate Spencer) refers to Pinhead (Elliott Spencer). For “Something to Keep Us Apart”, I kept asking myself who the hell Edgar Boyle is, and why is he deeply infatuated with Kirsty, who’s an integral character in the movies. Again, I haven’t “Dark Watch”.
Something I really appreciate about Hellraiser Annual #1 is that the stories can stand alone (rejoice, newbies!) on their own. To sum it up, the first story is proving your worth to lead in a new environment and the latter is a relentless quest to be reunited with the one you love.
