When somebody emails you and asks if you would like to read a sneak preview of Clive Barker’s new comic book, you pretty much have a moral obligation to say yes; I mean he is Clive Barker. So, when my Managing Editor emailed that she had it available, I responded as fast as I could. It wasn’t long before I found myself reading Issue #1 of Next Testament from Barker, his writing partner Mike Miller (not to be confused with Mike Millar of Kick-Ass and The Ultimates fame, among other things), and BOOM! Studios.
A one-page introduction gives us Julian Demond, an eccentric millionaire, archeologist, philanthropist that believes God gave him a quest in a dream. Turning to the next page gives us the title “Chapter One: In The Beginning,” with a sinister quote from Mikhail Bakunin about the nature of God. I was immediately interested. I am a sucker for anything that plays upon ancient religions, folklore, and old pop horror, and this is right out that genre, even to the point where a savvy Clive Barker has Julian’s son, Triston, making a joke about how cliché his father is. Sure, there are clichés in the first issue, but the good writers like Barker know how to work them, whereas the bad writers, well, reinforce them.
The beginning finds Julian running through the desert carrying a shovel, ready to unearth something he has found (cliché 1). Why do eccentric archeologists continue to dig up mysterious forces in the desert? You would think they would learn by now, but not Julian, and he has a very spiritual experience. He meets a being who calls himself Wick, the Father of Colors, and God from the Bible. (Colors is a nice shout out to H.P. Lovecraft’s famous story, The Color out of Space.)
So, with no real spoilers here, there is your premise – a fanatic eccentric, his son, and some strange being with a God complex. Others things come into play: ancient symbols (cliché 2), old libraries (cliché 3), and, of course, a young, innocent fiancé of Tristan’s who will undoubtedly get caught up in the mix (cliché 4). Barker is setting up a dark, sinister world rather nicely while having some fun in the process. It is set to have a 12-issue run, and things are sure to get interesting, or as BOOM! puts it ” . . . something the likes of which you’ve never seen. Prepare yourselves for a horrific fantasy of Biblical proportions.”
I, for one, am in.
Jefferson Jordan is excited to be Fanboy Comics’ newest Guest Contributor. You can follow him at @nerdy_something.
