CLIVE BARKER'S THE THIEF OF ALWAYS

written by Kris Oprisko

art by Gabriel Hernandez

published by IDW Publishing

ISBN-10: 1933239174

ISBN-13: 978-1933239170

reviewed by Adam Armstrong

4.15.09

Yeah, yeah, yeah, everybody would’ve rather had Barker illustrate it.

Harvey Swick is a ten-year-old boy who is bored of his parents, school, and the orderly life altogether. After wishing for a different life a strange character named Rictus shows up and offers Harvey a children’s paradise. A reluctant Harvey eventually agrees and is swept away to Holiday House where all four seasons happen every day and children can eat all the junk food they want, anytime they want. After a month at the Holiday House, Harvey begins to long for his parents again. After a few inquiries about Mr. Hood, the owner of Holiday House that Harvey has never seen, he begins to suspect that paradise is really a prison. Harvey and his friend Wendell escape only to find that a year has passed for every day they have been gone. And the two must go back to reclaim their childhood.

This was a fairly close adaptation to Barker’s novel. The artwork gave the story a surreal cartoonish feel that was both welcoming and a little disturbing. The coloring really made the book. There was a bit of complaining by the fans that Barker himself should have provided the artwork for the graphic novel (Barker did illustrate the original novel). While Barker is a fantastic visual artist I don’t believe his art would lend itself well to sequential story telling. A piece of Barker’s artwork typically is perfect as a standalone work.

Buy it for your kids: 5 out of 5