Comics
Review: ‘Hellraiser’ #19
There is something visually disturbing on almost every page of Hellraiser #19. The story arc is layered with subplots and the illustrations are eerily atmospheric. This “Hellraiser” series continues to be an ambitious effort. Back at the helm, Clive Barker maintains his original vision of terror and gore that was established in his novella, “The Hellbound Heart”. This issue will make you forget about the previous sub-par sequels that have plagued the “Hellraiser” franchise.
WRITTEN BY: Clive Barker and Mark Millar
ART BY: Janusz Ordon and Tom Garcia
PUBLISHER: Boom! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 24th, 2012
Having grown tired of being the Devil’s servant, Pinhead, AKA Elliot Spencer, manipulated Kirsty Cotton into taking his place at Hell’s throne. Removed from the rest of humanity, Kirsty never realized she was actually an unwilling accomplice in remaking the world in Pinhead’s version. As Pinhead gains more power as a supreme being, Kirsty is on a nightmarish journey with the Leviathan. With the help of the Leviathan, Kirsty must find an important clue that could stop Pinhead. Elsewhere, Harry D’ Amour, the occult private eye from Everville, finds himself thrown into the mix. The Female Cenobite warns Harry that Elliot Spencer has a living heir outside in the world, hidden from prying eyes.
Barker and co-writer, Mark Millar successfully keep fans entertained by the upcoming apocalypse and invested in Elliot Spencer’s past history. Priscilla Spencer, Elliot’s daughter, was mentioned in conversations in previous issues. Now, readers get to see what Priscilla really looks like, and it is not a pretty sight. Priscilla will certainly play a pivotal role in the upcoming story arc, and readers will find out later just whose side is she on.
Interestingly, Barker is taking characters from the films, such as he did with Tiffany, and re-creating them as comic book characters. In Hellraiser II: Hellbound, Leviathan was established as the god of Hell and ruler of the Cenobites. In the comics, Leviathan is more like a guide to Kirsty, taking her between the realms of Hell and Purgatory. The Leviathan previously saw Pinhead more as his loyal student, teaching him about the pain and pleasures of the flesh. In a well-developed character arc, The Female Cenobite, who always served with Pinhead, has become a powerful ally to Harry and Kirsty.
The character design of Harry D’ Amour is surprisingly different and caught me off-guard. Because I am a huge fan of Lord of Illusions, I expected Harry to look more like his live-action counterpart, actor Scott Bakula. In a departure from the film, Harry is more rugged and hardened, representing a tough New York attitude. By keeping him grounded in reality, Harry’s character design is closer to the descriptions from the short story, The Last Illusion. His appearance doesn’t disappoint me, but it also makes me wonder why the comic is deviating itself from this cult classic.
Artists Janusz Ordon and Tom Garcia have done a terrific job capturing the dark cinematic look of the first Hellraiser film. As she explores Elliot’s memories, Kirsty is blurred while everything else in the foreground is in focus. This blurring technique makes her seem ghostly as she phases through the past to the present. You might have to pick your jaw up off the floor once you see Priscilla on the last splash page.
“Hellraiser” #19 is a well-balanced combination of bloody gore and epic mythology. This isn’t just a completely satisfying comic for “Hellraiser” and “Lord of Illusions” film buffs, but for all horror enthusiasts in general. You definitely want to be there when Pinhead unleashes his unholy powers onto the rest of the world.
Rating: 4/5 skulls
Reviewed by Jorge Solis
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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