BOOM! Studios; $4.99 

 I've been a Hellraiser fan for a long time, so I was curious about this one. Giving the Chatterer his own story sounded like an interesting idea, especially considering he has always been one of the most recognizable Cenobites despite barely doing anything besides standing around with that horrible grin and those endlessly clicking teeth. 

After reading Hellraiser: Resurrections – The Onanistic Ritual #1, I think Zac Thompson and Gavin Mitchell made the right choice. This is nasty, disturbing, and exactly the kind of horror comic I want from Hellraiser. The story takes a very modern kind of messed up personality and drops him directly into the world of the Cenobites. 

Mark is completely obsessed with the whole alpha male, looksmaxxing internet culture, and he's convinced himself that he's entitled to things he obviously isn't. What I liked about him is that he doesn't feel like some ridiculous cartoon villain. He feels like the kind of guy you could actually encounter online, which makes everything that happens to him even more uncomfortable. 

I also liked the way Mark and the Chatterer are presented alongside each other. There are moments where the two characters almost seem to reflect one another, and that gave the story another layer beyond simply watching some jerk get his hands on a puzzle box. 

That setup brought Hellraiser 3 to mind for me. I've always had a soft spot for that movie, even though I wouldn't put it above the first two. Mark actually reminded me of J.P. Monroe, the sleazy villain who gets involved with the Pillar of Souls and brings the whole nightmare into his nightclub, the Boiler Room. The situations aren't identical, but there are some interesting similarities in the way both characters become involved with something they think they can control. 

I also kept thinking about Man-Thing while reading this. The Chatterer obviously isn't known for conversation, so I was curious how a character whose entire identity revolves around his teeth could carry a comic on his own. The answer is pretty darn effective. This story gives him more presence and personality without suddenly turning him into something he's not. 

Gavin Mitchell's artwork was exactly what I wanted. The grotesque imagery, transformations, blood, and Cenobite horror all fit the material perfectly. There's a real ugliness to some of the imagery that makes the comic uncomfortable in the right way. 

I also got a kick out of the modern slang, internet culture, and jokes that were worked into the story. It makes this feel like a 2026 Hellraiser story instead of somebody simply recreating an older movie in comic book form. 

I had a pretty good idea where the story was heading, and I was still interested in seeing it play out. I was left a little unsure about exactly why the Chatterer appears when he does, but that didn't take away from the experience. 

What surprised me most is that the Chatterer actually works as the star of his own horror story. He's still connected to the larger Cenobite hierarchy and the world surrounding Pinhead, but this issue gives him enough of his own identity that he doesn't feel like he's simply waiting in the background for Pinhead to show up. 

As a longtime fan, that's what sold me on it. I went in wondering if the Chatterer could really carry an entire issue, and I came away wanting to see what the rest of these one-shots are going to do. 

–Scott Schlazer