Clive Barker Archives | Otaku No Culture

Craving More Than Just Monocyte. Revisiting This Classic and Finding Other Works Just Like It!

From Menton3’s stark white spaces to Bill Sienkiewicz’s nightmare faces, Monocyte remains unmatched in horror comics. We revisit its world & soundtrack—and link it to today’s genre greats.

Monocyte Graphic Novel Cover — Pick up this title on Amazon USA!

As part of the “From the Vault” series, I revisit a horror comic that truly stands the test of time and is a rarity in the hobby. IDW’s Monocyte is one of those titles that has a companion soundtrack! As a striking artistic centerpiece that any horror art or comic collector should treasure, it’s rare to see an additional release offered by the creators.

This four-part saga tells of an uprising led by a one-eyed demon—Monocyte—literally hell-bent on destroying the Conduit, a machine created by the Olignostics. They are immortals born from a fusion of politics and technology. Their origin traces back to an MIT scientist’s experiment harnessing the mysterious power of “Absolute Zero.” What that truly means is left vague in the dense two-page text spread that introduces the Olignostics and their rivals, the Antediluvians.

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Surviving The Night of the Zoopocalypse Can Be Completely Easy–Not!

Not only is The Night of the Zoopocalypse a crazy homage to George Romero films but also, its love for B-movie cinema is perfect!

Elevation Pictures
Spoiler Alert

The Night of the Zoopocalypse is ready to hit theatres! And all I can say is that the action is as gonzo as the first Jurassic Park movie and the team up which must happen must be as solid as that team from the Ice Age movies. That’s most likely because the directors Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro have an IMDB credit of having worked on that franchise prior.

As the name of the film implies, all hell breaks loose when a meteorite crash lands inside the confines of Colepepper Zoo! After one critter finds it and gets turned into a mutant like zombie, things get hopping madcap! When this film is hard to review without giving away some spoilers, a second warning is required if you don’t want to know too much.

Here, Gracie (Gabbi Kosmidis) is a wolf who sort of knows what’s going on. But as how she can survive means learning how to be a leader of the pack herself. There’s a great message hidden between the lines, and when she eventually teams up with a few other creatures, namely a mountain lion named Dan (David Harbour), that’s when the story gets good. This pair figures out what’s going on. Also, I find this mighty beast very similar to Diego (Ice Age) and performance wise, it’s perhaps one of this actor’s best voice over work.

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Night of the Zoopocalypse! All Is Not Well When Zombies Invade!

Humour and zombies are abound in this sneak preview of Night of the Zoopocalypse! So where are the Penguins?

Release Date: March 7, 2025

These days, it’s very rare to hear about what Clive Barker is up to, and I’m certainly glad he’s not retired. And although his attempts to get some of his stories animated has been tough (I remember hearing about failing to get Thief of Always made a long time ago), it seems Viva Pictures have done what others could not move forward! Night of the Zoopocalypse is a story concept this author pitched some time ago, and the casting and trailer look awesome!

The art style reminds me of Illumination Pictures’ work (I see a lot of Scrat in it), and I fully expected the Jaws homage. As for whether this work will carry some of that dark edge Barker is famous for, hopefully this film will balance what’s needed to make this work accessible for all ages.

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A Look Into Shout! Factory’s Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions

Only the die-hard fans and film studies enthusiast will enjoy the extra content in the bonus disc that comes in this latest home video release of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed.

nightbreed-blu-ray-1 The underground world of Midian was very much alive within me many years ago, even before I discovered Clive Barker’s Cabel. I loved the narrative and it spoke to me as there were times I felt misunderstood. Life of an outcast as a nerd was never easy but I adapted. When the film Nightbreed appeared in 1990, I hoped some of the themes explored in the book would get translated over. Instead, what was presented was totally alien. This film was not Barker’s story and I wondered why. My favourite moments were either cut out or never written in.