Age of Desire

Age of Desire is a story from a larger collection of work called Books of Blood, written by Clive Barker in the mid 80s, which was recently adapted into a graphic novel by Desperado publishing.

The Books of Blood series was a collection of six books containing four or five stories each and gained instant notoriety as soon as they were published, even being hailed by the likes of Stephen King as the new face of horror. Since their publishing, seven of the stories have been adapted into movies, including Candayman, Night Breed, and Lord of Illusions, to name a few.

Age of Desire begins with a laboratory experiment gone horribly wrong. When doctors think they have found the perfect chemical aphrodisiac, they administer it to a human patient who then becomes so engorged with lust that he rapes and mutilates his way out of the lab, and into the streets where his murderous libido claims victims at will, including the crack in a brick wall.

The art is done by both Timothy Bradstreet and the writer (P. Craig Russell) and is done in black and white, which I find adds to the ominous and dark subject matter. Although the art is rendered well and flows neatly from panel to panel, there is a lot of story which makes the pages look rigid – a minor setback considering the quality of writing.

I found the book in a hidden away comic shop in Edmonton, so if this story appeals to you I advise ordering it online. Happy reading!