Strongest issue to date
I was incredibly disappointed when I got home from the comic store after buying this issue, flipped to the first page, and saw that my favorite comic artist, Leonardo Manco, who's the entire reason I'm buying this thus-far only so-so title, didn't do the art for this issue. I felt cheated. This issue's artist, Stephen Thompson, does decent enough work in this issue, but it is merely decent whereas Manco's ultra dark, ultra gritty style is PERFECTLY suited for this material.
And yet... despite Manco's absense (which I hope will not continue), this is the strongest issue of the series to date. Earlier issues have been weak, due in large part to just throwing a bunch of new stuff at the reader without any explanation. This issue actually provides some fleshing out of the new characters and new story elements, and it handles it all surprisingly well based on the blandless of the prior issues. It even manages to tie in aspects from some of Clive Barker's other continuing story devices that, until now, have not been Hellraiser related (the dream sea from "The Great and Secret Show" and "Everville"). So this issue (and perhaps the ongoing story as a whole, who can say) will reward people who are fans of CLIVE BARKER even more than those who are merely die-hard fans of the Hellraiser movies and mythos.
While this issue is the strongest to date (by far), it still, however, isn't THAT great. Each of the new Harrowers is given backstory, but not much of anything in terms of characterization. They remain blank slates who are defined by what has happened to them rather than who they are. They are generic plot devices that could be represented just as accurately as if they were, say, a rape victim who, rather than provide characterization and show HOW the rape altered how a person would act, merely has "rape victim" printed on their t-shirt.
It's the best issue so far, but it still has a ways to go if it wants to be a book I'd continue to pick up beyond the first arc. At this quality level I could still drop it even if Manco returns. But I'll be more likely to continue once Manco comes back... I've always figured his art must be quite time consuming and I'm hoping maybe he's going to do an on-for-2 / off-for-two (or off for just one, ideally) sort of pattern.