Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Issue 5 Retro Review
Before I talk about this week’s book, I have a correction to make. Last week when talking about Nightbreed, I had said that in the Novel, as in the Comic, Detective Joyce whisked Babette to safety. Turns out that was not the case in the Novel. In fact, Joyce is not even a character in the Novel. I did a search in my digital copy…Zero hits on the word “Joyce.” Apparently, the three sources melded together in my head a wee bit too much, to the point that I got confused. For this I apologize for the misinformation. Joyce DOES rescue Babette in the comic, however.
Okay, now, let’s move onto Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Issue 5.
This installment has four vastly different stories in it. The first of which is titles “Fire Trap” The creative team that brought you the story “Diver’s Hands” (that would be the one about the Leper Colony) from Issue 2, James Robert Smith and Mike Hoffman, return for another round of Hellish Delights. The story revolves a pair of men, Byron and Steve) I think they’re cousins, it doesn’t really specify, and a family reunion gone horribly wrong. See, Byron has never liked his father, and his “Damned Book.” He writes a letter to Steve to tell him to stay away from the Family Reunion. Steve knows Byron isn’t quite right so he goes Apprehensively goes to the reunion anyways, to find the house on fire and everybody inside dead…Except for Byron, who did all this just to get to his dad. Byron has figured out that the Book was a Riddle Book (kinda like a Puzzle Box) and his Dad is a Guardian. Also in the house is Hunger, the same Cenobite from Smith and Hoffman’s story from Issue 2. Hunger, and some of his friends have…reconfigured the other family members into creations that make Human Centipede look like a Puppet Show. Steve basically feeds Byron to them to facilitate his own escape, but succumbs to the Cenobites and their creations anyways. I felt this was an abrupt ending to an otherwise interesting story. In the background, you can see what I am assuming is Byron’s Father, The Guardian, watching as the Cenobites attack Steve, thus “Bringing the family together”
Our next story, “Glitter and Go,” was written by Ron Wolfe. This is his first of many Hellraiser appearances. On the art side of things we have Comics legend Dan Spiegle, whose work we say in the very first issue with the Western Story, “Dead Man’s Hand.” This one was weird yet fascinating at the same time. It involves a series of mass suicides in which people are en mass off of offices buildings. They have been nicknamed Lemmings. These Lemmings also tend to throw a bunch of Jewelry and such up in the air before jumping (hence the Glitter) . Our Protagonist, Alex, is investigating the phenomenon. He is on the roof while the people are gathering, with an Air Glider on his back. He jumps off with everybody else and glides to safety, but without any answers. In a Flashback, we learn that his brother, Allen, has been researching Configurations. Long Story Short, Alex figures out that these buildings are themselves Configurations, and that is causing the Lemming Phenomenon. He manages to discern a pattern in the staircases up to the roof and realizes he just solves the configuration. Again, he jumps, with Glider in tow. But this time has different results. This story doesn’t really make much sense to me. Maybe I am missing something here. There is a theory in the story about the Glitter being the Lemmings getting rid of worldly possessions, but that doesn’t get confirmed, nor jibe with usual Hellraiser Mythologies. This whole story tries too hard to tell a story that doesn’t involve a puzzle box. I applaud the effort. I like it when a Puzzle Box isn’t at the center of the story, but the execution of this one was just off. For me at least.
Our third tale, “Mazes of the Mind,” Is both written and Illustrated by Mark A Nelson, who is mostly known for his work with the ALIENS Franchise over at Dark Horse Comics. It is basically a monologue of a Cenobite, named Orno, who is responsible for creating New Guardians and Gateways. We see him take a fresh soul/victim and cut into his brain to view the Labyrinth of his Mind. Then using those patterns, he creates a New Gateway, or Puzzle Box as we have come to call them. He then Sends the Victim back to Earth, with a need to Procreate and Orno’s …ahem…Seed. Thereby making the Victim a Guardian of the new Gateway. The Guardian then passes the Seed along to a willing (at least in this instance) partner, then dropping dead shortly after. The Mother also dies during childbirth, but the kid lives on a receives the Puzzle Box for his 16th Birthday. Although this doesn’t exactly jibe with the Toymaker concept we have seen in the past it is entertaining. This version of how Boxes are made actually fits better with the Mythology, especially with the number and variety of Puzzles/Gateways that are out there.
Our last story, is also my favorite of the issue. “Dear Diary” is Written by Sholly Fisch, who also wrote the aforementioned “Dead Man’s Hand” story from the first issue. Colleen Doran, who is known for many things, including her own comic, A Distant Soil. The entire story is told through Diary Entries about a young girl who goes to a Carnival with a boy who wins her a Puzzle Box. She doesn’t tell anybody about this “Secret Gift,” Except her Diary, that is. Of Course, the boy starts to ignore her, and she becomes despondent, staying home from school, and starts obsessing about solving the box. She never quite gets it, even though she leaves very explicit directions in the Diary. During all this, she is constantly telling her Little Sister to stay away. Now we get to the big twist ending. Her sister finds the Diary, and the Box and solves it, never to be seen again. A pretty powerful ending, if you ask me.
This issue had some good, some bad, and even a little bit of Ugly. I am referring to the cover. Again, not a big fan of Ted McKeever’s Style. This issue over all does demonstrate the variety of stories that can be told, and the different types of Gateways. In this issue, we have a Riddle Book, a Building, and of course, some boxes.
There is only one issue left before the first big Multi-issue Story arc, THE DEVIL’S BRIGADE begins. I plan on covering Hellraiser #6 next week, and then jumping over to Nightbreed and cover the next story arc there, before returning to Hell for THE DEVIL’S BRIGADE!
