There are few names in horror that stand as tall as Clive Barker’s. A living legend, Barker inspired generations of horror fanatics with his horror fiction, artwork, and film work. And of course, his horror comics. While not as well known as other works, Barker’s comics contain some of the artist’s most daring ideas. In 2013, BOOM! Studios released one of Barker’s most audacious projects. Along with co-writer Mark Alan Millar, illustrator Haemi Jang, colorist Vladimir Popov, letterer Steven Wands and cover artist by Goñi Montes, Barker presented the world through a nightmarish vision of a new genesis in Clive Barker’s Next Testament. Now collected in its entirety, Clive Barker’s Next Testament Omnibus SC presents a terrifying vision of the end of days.
The God of the Old Testament has returned to judge of his creation. But God, known as Wick, isn’t what any church on the planet imagined. Made of living color, Wick was found buried deep beneath the desert by billionaire Julian Demond. Free from his earthly tomb, Wick finds the world has changed more than he likes in the past two millennia. With Julian Demond by his side, Wick embarks on a world tour, reacquainting himself with his playthings. In his wake lies catastrophe and the promise of Armageddon. Only Julian’s son, Tristan, and his fiancée, Elspeth, stand a chance of stopping Wick.
If Clive Barker’s works have a defining trait, it’s the audacity of their ideas. Clive Barker’s Next Testament Omnibus SC imagines the Judeo-Christian God as a technicolor Hannibal Lecter. A near omnipotent sociopath composed entirely of living color, only Wick’s sadism dwarfs his power. Barker’s cosmic being embodies every petty and irrational cruelty found in the Old Testament. Wick is the kind of God who’d drown the world for pissing him off. Like a tyrannical child Wick demands to be adored and entertained. He lashes out at anyone who doesn’t offer their devotion. Wick’s gleeful malevolence and quick wit would absolutely kill it on reality TV, provided he didn’t turn his castmates inside out.
As you’d expect from a God, Wick wields unimaginable power. With only a thought, Wick can rearrange the fabric of the universe. In one instance, Wick decides that airplanes are yesterday’s news. Just like that, Wick adjusts the laws of physics ever so slightly, making air flight impossible. Airplanes around the world come crashing down, the laws of nature bent to the whim of Wick. Jaw-dropping scenes of horrifying scale permeate Clive Barker’s Next Testament Omnibus SC at every turn.
As enjoyable as it is to read about Wick’s path of destruction, Clive Barker’s Next Testament Omnibus SC is even better to look at it. It holds a terrible beauty full of visual delights of inhuman depravity. Wick’s technicolor design distorts reality of the world around him. His mere presence injects vibrant colors throughout the world. It’s simultaneously revolting and entrancing. In contrast, Tristain and Elspeth’s American road trip are far less visually stunning. But through their boots on the ground perspective, Barker explores the broader implications of Wick’s return. These scenes redefine Old Time Religion in ghastly ways.
Clive Barker’s Next Testament Omnibus SC is a work of outrageous vision. It’s one of those things that defines Barker’s work. Barker and his creative team bring their A-game. Disgusting, beautiful, and audacious in its ideas, Clive Barker’s Next Testament Omnibus SC will put the fear of God in you.
Clive Barker’s Next Testament Omnibus SC is available now everywhere comic books are sold.
Clive Barker's Next Testament Omnibus
TL;DR
Clive Barker’s Next Testament Omnibus SC is a work of outrageous vision. Barker and his creative team bring their A-game.
