Clive Barker’s Book of the Damned #1 Retro Review

In 1991, Building off the success of the Hellraiser comics, Epic Comics launched what would be a 4 issue companion book.  Clive Barker’s Book of the Damned is that book.  This first Volume, written by Larry Wachowski, now known as Lana Wachowski (Ectokid, The Matrix) is a bit different from the usual comics, as in it is mostly text, with a few pictures.  Several of these pictures are actually out of the regular Hellraiser comic.  Most of the text is is still in a handwritten font however. It works great as a companion because it greatly expands on the Mythology that was established in the first two films.

This book starts of with some interesting Meta moments.  First is a warning from Clive Barker himself regarding the authenticity of the material within.  The next page is an account that reminds me somewhat of the beginning of The Vampire Lestat.  The unnamed Narrator is asked if he has ever seen a film called “Hellraiser.”  The man asking this question is described in such a way that it makes me think it is a Guardian similar to the Vagabond from the first movie.  Anyways, This man tells the Author that Hell “has always found a way to entertain, to entice and seduce.  Yesterday a traveling carnival, today, a movie.”  The man then hands the Narrator a “collection of art, pages of pictures, paintings and photographs.”  The remainder of the book is this collection, with occasional interludes of our Narrator telling us his thoughts as he reads these stories. These stories are written almost like short little parables, similar to what you encounter with any Myth.  I am not going to summarize them all for you here, because they are so much more effective when you read them in the format with which they are presented.  I will touch on the subject matter of a few for you however.

There is a one that deals with Phillip LeMarchand himself.  Keep in mind, it would still be about five more years before Hellraiser : Bloodlines tells a much different story pertaining to LeMarchand.  I prefer this one.  It is strange that certain concepts were pulled from this for the movie (athough it could be a coincidence), but were altered so radically.  This story also mentions LeMarchand designing buildings that were also puzzles. There is another story that goes into more detail on the purpose of  “The Keepers”  They usually are the ones that distribute the puzzles.  Often they would deliver the lines “What is Your Pleasure, Sir?”

There is also a section, that is supposed to be an exerpt of a book that is references in the comics, along with the author, Isadore Klauski.  Remember that name, he has a big role later in the comics that I haven’t reviewed yet.  The title of the book : Of Hell.  This goes into a lot more detail into Leviathan and the Cenobites.

There are some fun little stories dealing with other Cenobites from the comic, Grillard , Abigor, The Hunger, and who we call the “Female Cenobite,” but is referenced here as The High Priestess of Hell, and is also called the sister of Abigor. I apologize that this review does not do this book justice.  This is a book that needs to be experienced first hand, not simply read about.  Reading these early Hellraiser stories are bittersweet for me.  On the one hand a very rich and detailed tapestry of the Mythology of Leviathan and the Cenobites is painted.  This very Mythology is My Hellraiser.  I have nothing but respect and love for The Hellbound Heart, and the First two Hellraiser Movies, but they only touch on this Mythology.  On the other hand,  unfortunately, the Movies strayed further and further from this Tapestry with each film.  Reading these stories reminds me of how great the franchise once was.  Bloodlines at least tried to re-incorporate LeMarchand, but changed it to the point of almost non-recognition.  The new comics from BOOM! Seem to be working more on a slightly different Mythology, but at the same time it hasn’t completely discounted what has come before.

But this isn’t about the Movies or the BOOM! Comics.  This is about The Book of The Damned.  If you are fond of the First Two Movies,The Original Novella, or the original comics, this is a MUST READ book.  If you have never read a Hellraiser comic before, this book will make you want to.

My Next two posts will return to the world of the Nightbreed for a two part story, and then it is on to the event many had been waiting for for quite some time.  JIHAD, The Nightbreed / Hellraiser crossover!