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13 Chilling Comics Perfect for Halloween


Halloween is around the corner, and we’re all looking for spooky things to fill our days. Why not curl up with a spine-tingling comic? Since the early days of comic books, the medium had been used to bring some of the best thrills and chills around. So let’s take a look at some of the best horror or Halloween comics out there and get in the holiday spirit. Do you have any additional suggestions? Say so in the comments!

  1. Adventures into the Unknown and Tales of the Crypt

     

    We can’t talk about horror comics without going back to their roots. Adventures into the Unknown was the first ongoing horror comic. The first issue was published in 1948 and running 174 issues, ending in 1967.

    And arguably one of the the most well-known of the older horror comics is the The Tales from the Crypt Horror anthology that was published by EC Comics in the 1950s. You’ll find lots of pulpy classics in these pages, and while a lot of them may be hokey by today’s standards, they have an important place in history and laid the foundation for many of today’s horror titles.

    Tales of the Crypt was considered very risqué for its time. In 1954, psychologist Frederick Wertham published Seduction of the Innocent, which claimed that comics like this one were corrupting children with their violent imagery and sexual content. This led to comics being targeted in the Senate Subcommitee on Juvenile Delinquency and as a result, the industry instituted the Comics Code Authority, which forbade the gruesome and supernatural imagery important to the horror genre. As a result, Tales from the Crypt was cancelled. Adventures into the Unknown managed to survive, however.

    Tales has gotten several TV and movie adaptations and a rebooted TV series by M. Night Shyamalan was recently announced. Tales was revived as an anthology in 2007 by the indie publisher Papercutz. 13 issues were published.

  2. 30 Days of Night

    30 Days of Night is a comic written by Steve Niles, drawn by Ben Templesmith and published by IDW comics. This three-issue series tells of an Alaskan Town that is plunged into darkness for 30 days due to a harsh winter. Well, you know what that means! Vampires don’t have to deal with the sun, so it’s a blood-sucking free for all! The brutality and suspense that follows are well done and combining the threat of vampires with the bitter cold and isolation this town endures just makes the story all the more exciting. 30 Days of Night was popular enough to get adapted into a movie in 2007. It also has numerous sequel comics. 

  3. Outcast by Kirkman and Azaceta (and The Walking Dead)

    Outcast is a comic written by Robert Kirkman, drawn by Paul Azaceta and published by Image Comics. Kirkman is responsible for the phenomenally popular Walking Dead comic, which was praised for combining zombies with complex human drama. Outcast does the same thing with demon, but deals with the complications of a far less visible threat.

    The protagonist, Kyle Barnes, has been plagued by demonic possession his entire life. With the help of clergyman, he aims to uncover what’s really going on with these demons and why he’s a target. The story goes into Barnes' personal demons as much as his real ones- he’s totally cut himself off from society after all the horrors he’s endured. The story is ongoing, with 21 issues currently out.

    Like The Walking Dead, Outcast has been made into a TV series. It debuted on Cinemax with a ten episode first season and has already been renewed for a second one.

  4. Harrow County

    Harrow County is a series written by Cullen Bunn, drawn by Tyler Crook and published by Dark Horse Comics.  The series follows a young girl named Emmy who is possibly the reincarnation of a demon-affiliated witch. A creepy forest full of spooky creatures lurks just outside Emmy’s small, southern town and the series is filled to the brim with horrifying images done in nice watercolors. While serving up the scary, the series also deals with complex issues like nature vs. nurture. Harrow County is an ongoing series with 16 issues out so far.

  5. Afterlife with Archie and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

    Who knew Archie comics could bring the horror? Well, they really can. Afterlife with Archie and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina are written by Roberto Aguirre-Casa. Archie is drawn by Francesco Francavilla while Sabrina is drawn by Robert Hack. Both are published by the Archie Horror comics imprint.

    The characters of Riverdale are enduring archetypes (the girl next door, the slacker guy, etc) that fit in well for a horror movie setting, so perhaps it should be no surprise Archie works pretty well as a zombie story. This comic is incredibly acclaimed, impressing all the critics- the first eight issues even sold out.  The series contains a lot of homages to classic stories and moody, atmospheric art. It combines teenage drama with post-apocalyptic drama expertly and truly puts these characters to the test. It’s also often bitingly funny. Afterlife with Archie is an ongoing series with 10 issues currently out.

    Sabrina is another series that puts a dark twist on a traditionally wholesome tale and does it well. It takes our always-a-little-sketchy teen witch and shows her in a world where witches casually summon actual demons from hell and there are real consequences to magic. The series is set in the 1960s and the art has a lovely retro feel with a brustroke-heavy aesthetic. It focuses a lot on Sabrina struggling to maintain her normal life with the creepiness of her witch life. Like Afterlife, it’s also quite funny. Betty and Veronica show up as members of a teen witch coven and try to summon a demon to end the never-ending love triangle they are trapped in, for one. Definitely worth a look. Sabrina is an ongoing series with 6 issues currently out.

  6. The Saga of the Swamp Thing

    Swamp Thing is a monstrous character with many incarnations, first debuting in a stand-alone horror story for the House of Secrets series. The Saga of the Swamp Thing series written by Alan Moore, drawn by various artists and published by DC Comics, utterly transformed the character and is probably the most well-regarded run.

    Moore revealed the Swamp Thing an elemental force of nature, but also dug deep into the identity crises and mental issues of this horror movie monster. Featuring vampires, werewolves and even biblical characters, the book was one of the first to ditch the Comics Code. Moore’s run was from issue #20 to issue #65. It’s been reprinted in graphic novels starting with Swamp Thing #1: Saga of the Swamp Thing.

  7. Uzumaki

    Horror isn’t just the domain of American comics, of course, and Ito is one of the most acclaimed writers of horror manga. Uzumaki is one of his most famous works, focusing on a cursed Japanese town. The curse centers around spirals, causing the town to become obsessive or paranoid about these strange patterns. While it may sound silly, the spiral curse soon has grotesque and chilling consequences. Ito’s story is meticulously crafted, deeply examining the mechanics of a curse. The series runs three volumes and it published by Viz Media. 

  8. Wytches

    Wytches is an ongoing comic written by Scott Snyder, illustrated by Jock and published by Image comics. Wytches focuses on a family that finds themselves threatened by horrifying creatures that lurk around the local forests. It mainly dwells on the bond between a father and daughter, dealing with the psychological horror of not being able to protect your child and dark family drama alongside supernatural horror. The art is vivid and eerie in a way that complements the story perfectly. Wytches is an ongoing series with 6 issues currently out.

  9. Hellblazer

    Hellblazer is one of the longest running and most acclaimed series in DC Comics. The main character of the series, John Constantine, was first introduced in Alan Moore’s The Saga of the Swamp Thing.

    Constantine is a morally ambiguous occult detective who deals with all kinds of supernatural stuff. The horror in the series is often deeply rooted in political and social commentary because a Warren Ellis declares “real horror comes from people. Just people. They’re the scariest things in the world".

    In addition to Ellis, the series has featured the work of many other acclaimed writers, including Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison and Neil Gaiman. The series ran 300 issues, starting in 1988 and ending in 2013.

  10. Gyo

    Gyo is another manga by Junji Ito. When the world is overwhelmed by weird fish creatures with metal legs, a young couple must fight to survive. Lots of body horror! Included with Gyo are two other classic horror stories, including “The Enigma of Amigara Fault” which depicts people finding impressions of themselves in the side of a mountain and obsessively crawling into these holes only to be swallowed by the mountain. Things just escalate from there.  Gyo is two volumes published by Viz media.

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