I was kind of hoping this would just be the guys, sitting around: "Isn't pain awesome?" "It's the best!"

Also, there's a shiny red foil cover, but while the Marshal has one of his traditional guns, I don't know what Pinhead is holding. T-square? Plunger? From 1993, Pinhead vs. Marshal Law #1, "Book One: Hell for Leather" Written by Pat Mills, art by Kevin O'Neill.

I spent a few minutes looking for sales numbers on this one, and came up empty, which isn't encouraging. Epic had put out multiple Hellraiser titles, including a few just under the title Pinhead, which seems to detract from his gravitas somewhat. This might've been the first new Marshal Law in a few years; and like a lot of these crossovers if you go with two issues, the first one is going to be more set-up than anything. In the dystopian future city of San Futuro, Law is the licensed vigilante that hunts "heroes" that commit crimes. Most, including Law himself, were former government super-soldiers, and were either murderous thugs or deluded lunatics; with many of the latter bearing unflattering resemblance to traditional superheroes. Law felt no pain, but hated the heroes, and himself; yet is flying high the start of this one; enjoying the hell out of his job and his new girlfriend, Super Nova. Her daddy issues might account for most of their relationship, as she's more esoteric and spiritual than Law. In fact, she was currently trying to contact "...the dark ones. Cenobites." Law figures Super Nova was "out to lunch," but she was hot, so...he's willing to accompany her to a "super hero therapy party," even if he's not sold on the treatments, and he still has a good laugh with her.

Unfortunately, the arrival of Super Nova's angelic friend Seraph steps on the moment: Law has an immediate knee-jerk reaction to the holier-than-thou, and S-N wonders if Law's negativity is good for her. Seraph has a little sermon-slash-sales pitch for transformation, with a familiar looking box: it's not named here, but I believe it's called the Lament Configuration. He convinces Law to try it, opening a gate to hell, where Law is run through a few fears, but none stick yet. Seraph grabs Super Nova, and takes on a more demonic appearance, as Pinhead arrives, to drop a bit of the Cenobites' mythology, and how they used fear to create order. Law is pleased to find his old foe the Public Spirit there, although he doesn't think he's being tortured enough: Law, like others, joined the army because he wanted powers like the Spirit's, and instead became a desensitized killing machine. Pinhead and his "War Cenobites" run Law through the gauntlet, then now feeling pain, Law is on the operating table for "limb modification procedure," an aphorism for amputation!

There's a lot going on this issue, and much of it still has some bearing today: Pinhead explains to Law how words are used to desensitize people to the horrors of war--otherwise, horrors, war might stop! And as usual for Marshal Law, O'Neill puts a ton of cameos, subtle nods, or blistering parodies in there. Keeping my eye out for the conclusion.