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[Comic Book Review] “Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Bestiary” #2 is Disturbing to its Core!

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10 years ago

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Gory and disturbing to the core, “Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Bestiary” #2 is a must-read continuation of the horror franchise that made Pinhead a household name. After so many lackluster sequels,  “Hellraiser” is back with a worthy installment. In the right hands, “Bestiary” delvers an anthology of shorts that know how to bring in the shocks and scares.

HR_Bestiary02_PRESS_coverA

 

 

WRITTEN BY: Mark Miller, Ben Meares, Christopher Taylor
ART BY: Jason Shawn Alexander, Amancay Nahuelpan, Carlos Magno
PUBLISHER: Boom! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: September 17, 2013

Reviewed By Jorge Solis

“Old Hat To The Devil” delivers a gritty and twisted take on the Robert Johnson legend. A blues musician is given a guitar that looks eerily similar to the Lament Configuration. In “Hellbound Desires,” viewers can watch the slaughter of unsuspecting nude, live women on an adult webcam site. In “The Hunted: Part Two,” the captured Pinhead finds himself caught in the middle of a gang war.

Though these are separate stories, all three tales take place right after the events from Brandon Seifert and Tom Garcia’s “The Dark Watch.” Eliot Spencer is back as Pinhead, the Pope of Hell, harvesting human souls for his own sicka musement. In the first installment, I missed Seifert’s witty comic relief, but writer Ben Meares brings back the dark humor in “Hellbound Desires.” It’s a short tale that packs a shocking ironic twist towards the end.

In Christopher Taylor’s “Old Hat To The Devil,” a blues musician wants to make a deal with Pinhead to see his long-lost love. When Calvin performs the music of the puzzle box on stage, his audience becomes fodder for the Cenobites. Artist Jason Shawn Alexander’s watercolors are an impressive sight to see.

In “The Hunted, Part Two,” the Meares and co-writer Mark Miller explores topics such as racism and urban crime, which makes the story feel original and fresh. You have a group of hardcore gang members who show no compassion for the “Devil.” In extreme close-ups, Carlos Magno captures Pinhead in gut-wrenching pain as the gang members operate on his face with machetes and other blades.

“Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Bestiary” #2 will deliver chilling nightmares to the reader. I can’t wait to read the next list of short horror stories.

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‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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13 hours ago

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April 17, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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