Saint Sinner #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSaint Sinner #1 marks the debut of Philip Fetter — the tortured teenager who becomes the self-described 'Man Who Walks Between' good and evil — and serves as the launch of one of the four interconnected titles that made up Marvel's Razorline imprint, Clive Barker's experiment in building an entirely original superhero-horror universe outside mainstream Marvel continuity. The issue introduced a batch of conceptually distinctive characters unique to the Earth-45828 universe: the demonic brothers Runesmith, Bladesmith, Clocksmith, Soulsmith, and Unlockingsmith, as well as the surreal supporting figures Bull Baby, Mish-Mash, Kento Canto, and Tentacle, none of whom appear anywhere in the primary Marvel Universe. Barker himself described Saint Sinner as the 'wildest' of the Razorline titles and the one most determined to push what mainstream comics could do tonally and narratively, treating its premise less as a superhero origin and more as a shaman's journey through folklore, religious mythology, and urban legend. As the first Razorline title to carry a Comics Code seal while trafficking openly in possession, suicide, and demonic horror, it represented a genuinely unusual tension between mass-market distribution and boundary-testing content.
In "World without End," Philip Fetter awakens to a world that’s moved on—only one day has passed, though he’s been gone for nine—after escaping the purgatory of the Amen with other imprisoned souls. Now caught between the warring forces of the Runesmith’s darkness and the Angel’s light, he must navigate a reality that feels both familiar and utterly changed.
In "We Are Paxis... We Are Peace...", Eschbacher's consciousness confronts the sentient Paxis system, triggering a clash of wills that unravels fragmented memories of the Hyperkind's past. As the battle unfolds, glimpses of their hidden histories surface—revealing layers of loss, legacy, and connection buried within the machine.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Raw — NM ▾ $2–$7.99 6 listings
Raw — VF/NM ▾ $0.99–$4 5 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $0.99–$100 33 listings
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Razorline was conceived by horror and fantasy novelist-filmmaker Clive Barker in partnership with Marvel, with Barker providing detailed world-building premises and character concepts for each of the four titles while established comics writers executed the actual scripts. Saint Sinner was assigned to writer Elaine Lee, with artist Max Douglas handling both pencils and inks for the series' first several issues; editor Marc McLaurin oversaw the imprint under executive editor Carl Potts and editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. The entire Razorline line — including Saint Sinner, Ectokid, Hokum & Hex, and Hyperkind — launched into one of the most oversaturated periods in comics history, and comics historians Keith Dallas and Jason Sacks have noted that the market conditions of summer 1993 left little room for even a distinctive imprint like the 'Barkerverse' to find traction, ultimately cutting Saint Sinner's run to just seven issues before the whole line was discontinued.
Trivia · 9 facts
- First appearance of Saint Sinner (Philip Fetter), the series' protagonist, a sixteen-year-old possessed simultaneously by the demonic Runesmith and the angelic spirit of a woman he kills in the opening story.
- First appearances of the antagonist 'Smiths' — Bladesmith, Clocksmith, Soulsmith, and Unlockingsmith — demonic brothers of the Runesmith who cast Philip into the purgatorial dimension known as 'The Amen.'
- First appearances of supporting characters Bull Baby, Mish-Mash, Kento Canto, and Tentacle, the bizarre allies who populate Philip's world throughout the series.
- Written by Elaine Lee with art (pencils and inks) by Max Douglas; cover also by Max Douglas. Marc McLaurin served as editor.
- The issue's story is titled 'World Without End' and was released on sale August 3, 1993, with an October 1993 cover date.
- The #1 issue shipped with an embossed foil-enhanced cover and was published in both a Direct Edition and a Newsstand Edition, with an additional Australian variant, for a total of three printings.
- Saint Sinner exists in the Razorline shared universe, officially designated Earth-45828 in the 2005 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe alternate-universes one-shot — a universe where Marvel Comics exists as an in-world publisher and characters reference X-Men comics.
- The 2002 Syfy telefilm also titled Saint Sinner shares only a thematic kernel with the comic — a man wrestling with internal good and evil — but features none of the comic's characters (no Philip Fetter, no Runesmith, no Regina), and its screenwriter confirmed it was based on an original concept rather than the series.
- Hyperkind characters Amokk (George Yoneda), Armata (Lisa Moffin), Logix (Kenny Zambetti), Dyan Devine, Eschbacher, and Mandamus Thermakk appear in a backup story within this issue, tying the two Razorline titles together from the very first issue of each series.
Cast · 21 characters
Full credits
Variants (2)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.