Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Bestiary” #4 Is Three Rounds of Twisted Shocks
Unsettling to the max, “Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Bestiary” #4 continues to be must-read material worthy of the household name, Pinhead. This “Hellraiser” anthology series almost makes you forget about the lackluster sequels. Back in the right hands, “Bestiary” delivers three rounds of twisted shocks and cringe-worthy scares.
WRITTEN BY: Mark Miller, Ben Meares, Lela Gwenn, Christian Francis,
ART BY: Daniele Serra, Huseyin Ozkan, Carlos Magno
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: November 19, 2013
Review By Jorge Solis
“Study” revolves around a college student who has been studying torture and bondage. She wants to teach her professor a new lesson in pain. “And God Will Send His Angels” centers on a little girl trapped in an abusive household. Pleading desperately to God, she begs for an angel to come down and saver her soul. In “The Hunted: Part Four,” Pinhead finds himself ready to fight back against the gang members who humiliated him.
There is such a rawness to Daniel Serra’s watercolor illustrations in Lela Gwenn’s “Study.” Serra is able to push forward the sexual imagery through minimal brushes. The color red plays a major theme in the abstract panels. As Gwenn’s story moves at a quick pace, readers are going to be floored away by these vibrant pages.
In Christian Francis and Ben Meares’ “And God Will Send His Angels,” the Cenobites are portrayed more here as heroes rather than villains. Huseyin Ozkan’s panels are told from the point-of-view of an innocent little girl. The writers portray the Cenobites as reluctant heroes who do the right thing, only because their twisted rules say so. The Cenobites aren’t there to save her, but feed off on her anger and cruelty.
In “The Hunted, Part Three,” Meares and co-writer Mark Miller have given Pinhead more personality because he has lost something. Stripped of his powers and ego, this is Pinhead seeking revenge against the gang members who took his pride away. I love how Magno builds suspense in his wide shots. While the gang members are arguing over money, they don’t realize Pinhead is right behind them.
“Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Bestiary” #4 has three intense stories that horror fans should definitely read. The “Hellraiser” series continues to grow string with its never-ending round of disturbing sights.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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