The Hellraiser franchise began with Clive Barker’s 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart but found proper life as a feature film series with Clive Barker’s directorial debut, the eponymous film Hellraiser in 1987. The success of Barker’s feature film, which introduced Doug Bradley as legendary horror antagonist Pinhead, naturally gave way to a merchandise empire including numerous Hellraiser comics. For fans of the franchise, the Hellraiser comics are often considered required reading, especially for those interested in understanding the complex lore only implied throughout the original few films.
The below guide breaks down how to read the Hellraiser comics in order – in all of their different canons and continuities. Various publishers have handled the Hellraiser license throughout the decades and the results often conflict with how fans now view Barker’s canon. Nevertheless, they also offer plenty of stories that are much more faithful to Barker’s original vision than most of the films that comprise the film franchise’s narrative (or lack thereof). Thus the following complete reading order for all Hellraiser comics should come in handy.
The initial Hellraiser comics were published in a series of twenty issues by Epic Comics from 1989 to 1992. It’s worth noting that despite the occasional contradiction when comparing with the film franchise, Hellraiser creator Clive Barker was still involved with the stories as a creative consultant. Epic Comics would continue to publish Hellraiser comics up until 1994. Some of these publications included crossovers with Clive Barker’s Nightbreed and the unrelated comic series Marshal Law.
Hellraiser Comics in Order (Epic Comics)
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser
- Issue #1
- Issue #2
- Issue #3
- Issue #4
- Issue #5
- Issue #6
- Issue #7
- Issue #8
- Issue #9
- Issue #10
- Issue #11
- Issue #12
- Issue #13
- Issue #14
- Issue #15
- Issue #16
- Issue #17
- Issue #18
- Issue #19
- Issue #20
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Summer Special
- Issue #1
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Dark Holiday Special
- Issue #1
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Spring Slaughter
- Issue #1
Hellraiser Nightbreed Jihad
- Issue #1 – As Above
- Issue #2 – …So Below
Epic Book One
- Birth Rite
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth Adaptation
- Issue #1
Clive Barker’s Book of the Damned: A Hellraiser Companion
- Issue #1 – Compositions
- Issue #2 – Family Memories
- Issue #3 – Journale
- Issue #4 – The Revelations of Johnny John
Clive Barker’s The Harrowers: Raiders of the Abyss
- Issue #1 – First Strike!
- Issue #2 – Strike 2
- Issue #3 – Immortal Longings Part 1
- Issue #4 – Immortal Longings Part 2
- Issue #5 – The Devil’s Pawn
- Issue #6 – Double Edged Sword
Pinhead vs. Marshal Law: Law in Hell
- Issue #1 – Hell for Leather
- Issue #2 – Hell to Pay
Pinhead
- Issue #1 – The Devil You Know
- Issue #2 – The Devil You Don’t Know
- Issue #3 – Speak of the Devil
- Issue #4 – The Devil Bides His Day
- Issue #5 – The Devil in Disguise
- Issue #6 – Give the Devil His Due!
Epic Comics absolutely got as much potential out of the license as possible for their Hellraiser comics. It’s worth mentioning that the miniseries Clive Barker’s Book of the Damned: A Hellraiser Companion isn’t a traditional comic series but more of an epistolary style of journal entries and scrapbook-adjacent artwork. They do a great job of fleshing out the lore, however, and still fit the style of beefy comic book that Epic Comics delivered for the rest of their Hellraiser runs. Things changed when BOOM! Studios took over the license for their own Hellraiser comics in 2011, however.
The new publisher abandoned the initial anthology style of its predecessors to launch a new line of Hellraiser comics. The initial run consisted of 20 issues that were collected in five volumes. This was followed by two additional miniseries, one of which lasted for four issues to be collected in one volume and another for twelve issues to be collected in three volumes. Finally, there was a return to form with a short-lived anthology miniseries of six issues that was never contained in any volume or trade paperback. It’s worth noting that the trade paperbacks include three additional issues not counted in the original twenty – Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Issue #0 – At the Tolling of a Bell, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Annual 2012 #1, and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Annual 2013 #1.
Hellraiser Comics in Order (BOOM! Studios)
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser
- Issue #0 – At the Tolling of a Bell
- Issue #1 – Pursuit of the Flesh Part 1
- Issue #2 – Pursuit of the Flesh Part 2
- Issue #3 – Pursuit of the Flesh Part 3
- Issue #4 – Pursuit of the Flesh Part 4
- Issue #5 – Requiem Part 1
- Issue #6 – Requiem Part 2
- Issue #7 – Requiem Part 3
- Issue #8 – Requiem Part 4
- Issue #9 – Heaven’s Reply Part 1
- Issue #10 – Heaven’s Reply Part 2
- Issue #11 – Heaven’s Reply Part 3
- Issue #12 – Heaven’s Reply Part 4
- Annual 2012 #1
- Issue #13 – Hell Hath No Fury Part 1
- Issue #14 – Hell Hath No Fury Part 2
- Issue #15 – Hell Hath No Fury Part 3
- Issue #16 – Hell Hath No Fury Part 4
- Issue #17 – Blood Communion Part 1
- Issue #18 – Blood Communion Part 2
- Issue #19 – Blood Communion Part 3
- Issue #20 – Blood Communion Part 4
- Annual 2013 #1
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: The Road Below
- Issue #1
- Issue #2
- Issue #3
- Issue #4
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: The Dark Watch
- Issue #1
- Issue #2
- Issue #3
- Issue #4
- Issue #5
- Issue #6
- Issue #7
- Issue #8
- Issue #9
- Issue #10
- Issue #11
- Issue #12
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Bestiary
- Issue #1
- Issue #2
- Issue #3
- Issue #4
- Issue #5
- Issue #6
The entire BOOM! Studios run is extremely faithful to the lore established in the original two Hellraiser movies, Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II, which makes the overall series some of the most important additions to the franchise. However, they weren’t the last, as Clive Barker’s own graphic novel imprint Seraphim Incorporated took on the brand next in 2017. Two graphic novels were released containing a variety of Hellraiser stories in anthology format.
Hellraiser Comics in Order (Seraphim Incorporated)
Hellraiser: Anthology
- Volume 1
- Volume 2
The Hellraiser franchise has since returned to literary form with books in addition to new movies and even a full-fledged video game. It’s incredible to see how well Clive Barker’s mythos holds up against different mediums even when so much time has passed. Likewise, the Hellraiser comics both old and new have aged like fine wine for collectors. Whether you want pulpy anthology stories or a proper follow-up to the franchise’s original two movies, the Hellraiser comics from Epic Comics, BOOM! Studios, and Clive Barker’s own Seraphim Incorporated have you covered. If you’d like to dive into another comic book franchise, check out our guide for the Puppet Master comics based on the horror film series of the same name.
