Back in 2001, the horror genius that is Clive Barker collaborated with the comic and action figure master Todd McFarlane to create a new cabal of terror known as the “Tortured Souls“. Six different grotesque abominations, each with their own story, the “Tortured Souls” were the first time Barker entered the realm of action figures, a venture that he said allowed him to have fun, “…pushing the envelope.”¹
What set these action figures apart from other offerings was that they didn’t have a background before they came out. Most toys have some kind of property that they’re a part of. Transformers, Batman, My Little Pony… They’re from a cartoon, a movie, a comic, a show, or something else granting familiarity and recognition. But Barker’s “Tortured Souls” seemingly came out of nowhere, much like the terrors of his novels. And in an exciting and unique approach, they decided that the story behind these unsettling humanoids would be included with them, each character’s packaging containing verses from a 32-page novelette dubbed “Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium” that explained their origins. So, to help introduce you to the “Tortured Souls”, I would like to give you a rundown of the characters and their purpose in the greater story.
We start with Agonistes, an architect and artist of pain and transformation. A devout being, Agonistes is said to be one of the creations of God. Per Barker’s mythology, God did not rest on the 7th day. Rather, he continued to work in a near fever state, his productions the antithesis of the beauty he created in the days prior. Because he was created by the Almighty, he has a direct connection and can hear the prayers of those who beseech his aid.
Each of the characters in the set were operated on by Agonistes, his masterful work turning them into the nightmarish visions you see below. He is an ancient being and “…for two and a half thousand years he has walked the planet“, performing his works on the famous and the unknown. His tools carved the flesh of Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, and those who time has forgotten. In the novellete, it explains that anyone is free to call upon his services, “As long as they are sincere Supplicants, and their prayers sound genuine, then Agonistes will be attentive to them.”
The Scythe Meister was originally Zarles Kreiger, who began his life in poverty in the slums of Primordium, the first city. While many perished in squalor, Kreiger flourished, his body growing and his soul hardening. He turned to a life of crime, carrying out executions by slicing open his prey with scythes and then strangling them with their own intestines.
One day, at the order of the Emperor of Primordium, he killed a Senator who was causing trouble in the government. As he was arranging the body, the Senator’s daughter, Lucidique entered and the two joined in an uneasy truce, Kreiger taken aback by her ability to understand his upbringing though she came from opulence. Lucidique, meanwhile, saw Kreiger as a man who could help her father’s cause of reigning in the government’s wealth and excess. It was through her that Kreiger met Agonistes in a nearby desert and ventured down a path he could never return from, a path where he shed himself of his human identity and embraced a new one as The Scythe Meister. Using his terrifying form, he slew the emperor and his entire family, bringing forth the Great Insurrection.
Lucidique met her own grim fate soon afterwards. It was by the hand of Kreiger’s old master Duarf Cascarellian, who feared the chaos and pandemonium that the Great Insurrection brought about. Senators vied against each other for power, their own private armies waging war in the streets. Criminals and their gangs also took the opportunity to seek their own rise in power, attempting to gain the upper hand in a city that was struggling to find a new form of leadership. Cascarellian didn’t want any of that. Rather, he had heard rumors of the Scythe Meister and feared that it might was Kreiger, who would come back for him, for some reason. Also hearing that Kreiger had become friendly with Lucidique, he had her kidnapped so as to have some form of a bargaining chip. She convinced him to go into the same desert to try and meet Agonistes, hoping he would endure a terrible fate. Alas, his fear of the seeming heresy that stood before him cause Cascarellian to kill Lucidique in front of Agonistes, whereupon he ran home and fortified himself. It was all for naught, however, as he met his demise at the hands of the transformed Lucidique, whose strength and efficiency made his home a crypt for all who were in it, their bodies left for the dogs.
We are introduced to Talisac by the three Generals of the military junta that have taken control of the city. He is a mad scientist and surgeon, his goal to create soldiers who do not have fear. Although he is not successful in this endeavor, he is tasked with creating a monstrosity that will roam the streets of Primordium, wiping out those that the Generals feel are encouraging supernatural events. By this point, Talisac is already a tortured man, although he has inflicted his ghastly appearance upon himself, attaching a womb to his abdomen through his own sick scientific experimentations. He holds within himself Mongroid, who writhes and spasms at each action the surgeon takes.
The monster that Talisac created was a Frankenstein-esque creature dubbed Venal Anatomica. Over nine-feet tall and built to destroy anything it was commanded to attack, its first task was to face and vanquish Lucidique and the Scythe Meister. Using guile and formidable strength, it nearly dispatched Kreiger but was blinded by Lucidique, who took Kreiger, who had become her lover since her transformation, into the desert in the hopes of having Agonistes resurrecting him.
Meanwhile, Talisac’s womb could carry Mongroid no longer, its thin walls tearing and releasing the beast within. Moments later, Talisac’s pride and joy would become his undoing as Mongroid feasted upon his weakened body, the son forsaking its father.
The tale ends in tragedy, with no one finding salvation, judgement, or reprieve. Kreiger doesn’t live through his wounds, leaving Lucidique alone and empty. Venal Anatomica, who became known as The Blind One, roamed the city’s cemeteries, feasting upon those recently buried, never acclimating to the loss of his sight. Mongroid lived in the sewers of the city, surviving on filth and offal. All three monsters became legends to the citizens of Primordium, their names whispered in prayers, asking higher powers to protect and shield the from any harm.
And so ends the tale of the Tortured Souls. There is obviously a great deal more detail within the pages, so I highly recommend you pick up a copy to read for yourself. Only Clive Barker could weave such a grand and monstrous tale within a few pages. And only Todd McFarlane could bring his imaginations to life in the form of six action figures that no child should ever lay their eyes upon.
Behold the “Tortured Souls”, figures that are intricately and exquisitely detailed. Each figure was 6″ tall and wonderfully married organic with pain, fusing flesh with metal and leaving gaping wounds across the body. These were nightmarish visions come to life, something to be held and appreciated for their sickening attributes. Not since these have I seen figures as grotesque or macabre. Even the second series from Barker and McFarlane couldn’t come close to the tale that was constructed for the originals.
A film was supposed to have been made several years ago to bring the story of these characters to the big screen. While it’s supposedly still a possibility, it’s far more likely that it wallows in developmental hell and will never see the light of day. I can only hope that I will be proven wrong and that a studio will take a risk at producing something this unique and exciting.
I await the day when some company will take it upon themselves to best these creations. Until then, they shall reign supreme. Not just in the legends and fears of the citizens of Primordium, but also in my own collection and nightmares.
