Hyperkind #5
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeHyperkind #5, titled 'Under Pressure' (released November 9, 1993; cover-dated January 1994), holds narrative significance as the issue that formally establishes Paragon John as the Hyperkind's defining villain and cements his role as a cross-title figure within the broader Razorline universe. As the midpoint of the series' nine-issue run, it marks a turning point in the imprint's ambitious attempt to build a coherent shared mythology across Clive Barker's four interconnected Razorline titles — an experiment that was, as comics historians Keith Dallas and Jason Sacks observed, undermined by a severely oversaturated 1993 market. The book's significance today rests partly in its place within that short-lived creative experiment: a Comics Code-approved superhero title authored from horror-genre sensibilities, set in an alternate Marvel universe (Earth-45828) with no other superheroes, where even the characters themselves read X-Men comics.
In "Under Pressure," the Hyperkind find themselves trapped and forced to endure Paragon John’s chilling recounting of how he erased the Paxis from history—only to later turn the tide and strip him of his memory of them. Written by Fred Burke and illustrated by Paris Cullins, with inks by Bob Petrecca and Jordi Ensign, this 1994 Marvel issue delivers a tense, mind-bending confrontation. The cover by Paris Cullins and Bob Petrecca captures the moment’s intensity, making it a standout in the series.
In "Under Pressure," the Hyperkind find themselves trapped and forced to endure Paragon John’s chilling retelling of how he erased the Paxis from history. As the weight of his past unfolds, the captives plot their escape, turning the tables on their captor in a twist that leaves his memories forever altered.
In a brief, deadpan moment from Hyperkind #5, a regular guy recounts to a street interviewer how he happened to witness Electro’s clash with She-Hulk—straight out of *The Sensational She-Hulk* #58—and even scored an autograph. The story’s quiet absurdity lands with a wink, all in under a page.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Razorline imprint was conceived by filmmaker and horror-fantasy novelist Clive Barker as a suite of four interrelated superhero series published under the Marvel umbrella, with Marcus McLaurin — a Marvel editor who had previously overseen Barker's Nightbreed and Hellraiser licensed titles — serving as the line's editor. Hyperkind itself was written throughout its run by Fred Burke, penciled by Paris Cullins, and inked by Bob Petrecca, working from Barker's detailed premise about four young Angelenos who inherit alien-derived powers representing aspects of human consciousness. Razorline launched in the summer of 1993 alongside competing new universes from Malibu, Defiant, and Dark Horse, and the imprint's short run of seven to nine issues per title was attributed primarily to those adverse market conditions rather than to any creative failing — a point Barker himself acknowledged with some frustration about Marvel's handling of the line.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Issue title: 'Under Pressure'; on-sale date November 9, 1993; cover date January 1994.
- Written by Fred Burke; pencils and cover by Paris Cullins; inks by Bob Petrecca; concept by Clive Barker; edited by Marcus McLaurin.
- This issue is identified in retailer catalog copy as the installment that establishes Paragon John as the Hyperkind's greatest foe and as a significant figure across the Razorline imprint.
- The series is set on Earth-45828, an alternate Marvel universe with no other superheroes, where Marvel Comics exists as a real publisher and characters reference titles like the X-Men.
- Hyperkind is one of four interrelated Razorline titles; the others are Ectokid, Hokum & Hex, and Saint Sinner — all built from Barker's detailed premises but written and drawn by separate creative teams.
- The four core Hyperkind team members are Logix (Kenny Zambetti), Armata (Lisa Moffin), Bliss (Dyan Devine), and Amokk (George Yoneda), each with powers representing aspects of human consciousness.
- The series ran nine issues (September 1993–May 1994) and was followed by the 48-page one-shot Hyperkind: Unleashed (cover date September 1994), which also contained a prose Hokum & Hex story.
- No collected edition, trade paperback, or reprint of the Razorline titles — including Hyperkind — has been documented; the issues remain available only in their original single-issue format.
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