Horror is one of the many genres that audiences love to digest. It's particularly prominent in cinema and on television, with horror movies and TV shows enjoying a lot of success over the past few decades. In fact, I recently put together a list recommending some horror movies and TV shows based on comic books.
But there are also plenty of horror comic books, too. With that in mind, I'd now like to focus on the comics that inspired many of the movies and shows from the previous list. So, without further adieu, here's some horror comic book recommendations for spooky season.
A note that this list is in no particular order!
Swamp Thing (Various)
The muck encrusted mockery of man, the Avatar of the Green, The Swamp Thing! Swamp Thing has had a great amount of runs in his decades long history, with his initial run and introduction from the minds of renowned writer Len Wein and legendary artist Bernie Wrightson in House of Secrets No. 92 and the subsequent series, to the recent and awesome Scott Snyder run from the New 52 era. And of course, the one comic that made Swap Thing and his world more than just classic horror by a study on existential dread and coming to terms with one's identity, is the iconic Alan Moore run from the early to late '80s.
The Moore run has become one of my favorite comic runs of all time, and Swamp Thing one of my favorite characters. The way that Moore wrote his stories and the various artists who worked on the title brought his words to life, it was a perfect union of story and art. My recommended reading for Swamp Thing is to read the character's first appearance in House of Secrets No. 92, then the Alan Moore run, and finally the Scott Snyder and later Charles Soule run from the New 52. It's up to you which one to read first, and there are so many more good Swamp Thing runs beyond those ones, too.
Hellboy
Mike Mignola had worked in comics for years, drawing for Marvel and DC Comics during the mid to late '80s and into the early '90's, but his creation of Hellboy would span decades of stories centered around the titular character and the supporting characters that made up Mignola's world.
Not much needs to be said about the Hellboy comics, I can only state that the writing, while not my favorite in some stories, was definitely enhanced by Mignola's gothic and shadow heavy artwork that's instantly recognizable to any casual fan. Also, the various artists that worked on the Hellboy comics and beyond, such as legends Richard Corben, P. Craig Russell, and more contributed their unique styles that fit perfectly into these comics.
For someone starting out with reading Hellboy, I think the best bet would be to begin with the 2 omnibus volumes that collect Mignola's Short Stories. These stories deal with the various cases that Hellboy investigated throughout his time as a B.P.R.D. agent, and included in these volumes is the iconic Crooked Man storyline, which was a standout to me at the time I read it. From there, you can follow any reading order you want, you won't be disappointed.
Tomb of Dracula
Now this is a true classic and another personal favorite of mine! The Tomb of Dracula series was born during a time when the decades of regulations from The Comics Code Authority that restricted the use of certain monster and horror ideas and characters were relaxed somewhat and the demand for more horror content was in high demand. Marvel and DC began pumping out more horror related titles (which led to the creation of Swamp Thing from DC), but it was Tomb of Dracula that got the ball rolling for Marvel to produce many horror comics in quick succession.
Titles like Werewolf by Night, Man Thing, Monster of Frankenstein, and Ghost Rider owe their thanks to Tomb of Dracula in a way. As for the comic itself, it more than deserves it's classic status, for it's a testament to '70s horror comics. While the first few issues of the series saw a rotating roster of writers, such as Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin, and Gardner Fox, it wasn't until issue No. 7 of that series that writer Marv Wolfman took the reins, and he remained on the title until it's very last issue in No. 70. His writing stood out from the previous writers as being conducive to writing for many characters and having each character stand out from each other, as well as including other genres into the mix (such as some romance and even elements of sci fi).
The only constant in the series' whole run was the artist Gene Colan, and his work on the title should be considered a 101 on how to draw horror comics. His style of art fit the book perfectly from the word go, for he added heavy shadows, breathtaking vistas and locations, and gave in my opinion the definitive version of Dracula in comics! So what are you waiting for, sink your teeth into this macabre world, for it's a lot to chew through.
Batman Vampire Trilogy
This is a comic that I read pretty recently, and I can safely say it stands out as the definitive Batman horror comic - and it's a must read for all Batman fans. There were three 96 plus page graphic novels by DC during the late '80s into the early '90s, and these stories were a part of the Elseworlds imprint.
Elseworlds could be seen as DC's answer to Marvel's What If...? title, where characters are taken from their usual status quo and given new life in various interpretations. There were many titles that came out of that imprint that've left an indelible mark on DC characters, but none more so than the Batman Vampire trilogy. The first graphic novel was titled Batman and Dracula: Red Rain, followed by Batman: Bloodstorm, and concluding in Batman: Crimson Mist, and all of these stories were written by Doug Moench and drawn by horror master Kelley Jones.
These stories deal with Batman fighting vampires that are sweeping over Gotham like a plague, but the leader of this horde is none other than Dracula himself! Over the course of the three graphic novels, Batman must learn new ways to fight creatures that are already dead, and to become more than just a man, but a true Batman, to vanquish these new foes. The writing and art come together in a beautiful package dripping red with blood.
Moench and Jones would work together again years later on the main Batman comic due mostly to the success of these works.
American Vampire
Wow, three vampire titles in a row! The most recent release on this list, American Vampire was the brain child of writer Scott Snyder and artist Rafael Albuquerque, with aid from legendary horror author Stephen King (Yes, It Stephen King).
American Vampire was being made under the now defunct Vertigo Imprint from DC (and for those who don't know, Vertigo was an imprint created in the '90s that allowed writers and artists to tell more mature stories that wouldn't have been possible within the confines of regular comics at the time). Titles from this imprint include but are not limited to The Sandman, Hellblazer, Preacher, etc.
American Vampire poses the question, "What if each country had it's own unique type of vampire with different abilities and weaknesses?" Snyder and Albuquerque answer that question with the first American Vampire Skinner Sweet and his journey throughout the centuries - journeys that involved much murder and blood. The first arc dealt with Sweet turning a young woman named Pearl into a vampire during the 1920s, while during that same arc Stephen King wrote the origins and early life of Skinner Sweet before becoming a vampire and what led him to becoming part of the undead.
Scott Snyder is a name that you can trust when it comes to comics, because his resume is so vast with so many iconic works that it would do the man an injustice to try and mention them all here, but if one were to attempt to read Snyder's work for the first time, your best bet would be with American Vampire!
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Many hardcore and casual fans are well aware of the famous Batman Arkham games from Rocksteady Studios, but did you know that there was a graphic novel from the late '80s that inspired the first game in that iconic series? That graphic novel was titled Batman: Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, and it was written by legendary writer Grant Morrison and equally legendary artist Dave McKean.
The first Rocksteady game did take some inspiration from the graphic novel, such as the setting and certain villain's involvement in the overall plot, but these two Batman stories are very different from each other in many ways. But for the purposes of this list I'm going to focus on the graphic novel.
Grant Morrison is a writer that dealt with and continues to deal with ideas that are, shall we say, bonkers. Basically, any Grant Morrison comic one picks up will probably be a very trippy and imaginative reading experience, and this Batman graphic novel they wrote is no exception. I would argue that not only is the story of the graphic novel trippy and weird on its own, but it's combined with the equally trippy and weird artistic style of Dave McKean, making the whole thing feel like a fever dream.
The story begins in familiar territory where Batman is called to stop the inmates from Arkham from wreaking havoc, but from that point on it's a trip through dark and macabre settings and villains that'll test the Dark Knight and the reader's sanity. The reason I recommend reading this is mainly because of how off the wall this graphic novel really is, and I'd be interested to see what people think of this comic within this community who haven't or have already read it.
Deadman by Kelley Jones
Kelley Jones makes his second appearance in this list, and this time he's joined by writer Mike Baron to spin a tale of a soul's desire to rest in peace; a soul who has instead continued to see the morbid depths that humanity will go to to get what they desire, thus beginning to lose his belief in them and his own humanity in the process.
Deadman was a character that had existed in the canon of DC Comics for well over a decade, but he was often relegated to back up stories in other well known character's books (such as Superman). While Jones' initial run with the character started out in pretty much the same fashion, the work he did with Baron stood out from past Deadman stories as being much more dark and sinister than the early '70s groovy takes on the supernatural. Deadman had existed as a ghost for a long time, and he felt that all the work he did saving lives was all in vain, while at the same time dealing with the fact that he's alone in the world, a deadman walking, as it were.
These stories continued to explore Deadman's deteriorating mental state, until he essentially becomes the villain in his own story. These comics propelled Jones to super stardom, and it's not hard to see why, for every image from this series that he drew oozes with atmosphere, and his redesign of the character making him more ghoulish and bony just added to stories' overall appeal.
Frankenstein Alive, Alive!
The story of Frankenstein has transcended beyond the pages of the novel into every corner of storytelling, such as movies, TV, video games, and of course, comics. Easily one of the most exceptional takes on the novel in the comics format is from the graphic novel Frankenstein: Alive, Alive!
This was written by horror writer Steve Niles and the legendary Bernie Wrightson makes his presence known again on this list, and this story could be seen as the pseudo sequel to Mary Shelley's original novel. The story follows the Monster after the events of the novel, trying to live his life as a circus sideshow freak. I don't want to give too much away, because the story is that good, but I wanted to point out as a side note that this graphic novel was the first work of Wrightson's I discovered outside his creation and initial run on Swamp Thing, so for me it was a real treat to rediscover this artist and witness more of his work. To me, this is the best work Wrightson had ever worked on, because not only is his interpretation of the Monster closer to that of the descriptions found in the original story, but he adds his own signature style of heavy shadows and detailed figures and forms with a macabre twist that it's impossible not to stare at a single image for longer than you might think, and each image that followed.
This story is a treat for the senses for not only is the storytelling capabilities of Niles at full display here, but Wrightson goes above and beyond his previous work in this must read for horror fans.
Batman: The Long Halloween
Another classic, we return to DC to tell a story of the early years of Batman's crime-fighting career, tracking down a serial killer who only strikes on holidays. This was the earliest collaboration between the now iconic team of writer of Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale, and this comic has gone down as one of the greatest Batman comics to have ever existed. It's also considered as one of the blueprints for Batman films such as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and more recently Matt Reeves' The Batman film series.
Batman: The Long Halloween is a testament to crime stories in any medium, and while I wouldn't say this story is a straight up horror comic, it does deal with themes and images that might scare or at least creep out those who read it. While Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing made me see the value of comics and what they can do that other mediums can't, Batman: The Long Halloween was the first comic that I'd loved so much that I wanted to read more. Without Batman, I wouldn't have found Swamp Thing and the countless other comic book stories that I've read throughout the years. This book made Jeph Loeb one of my favorite writers and Tim Sale one of my favorite comics artists, because while I understand that Sale's art is an acquired taste for some, to me it's such a unique take on the Batman mythos that I can't help but love it, and I'm sure you'll love it too.
Spectre by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake
Last, but certainly not least, and one I'd wager most fans haven't heard about, The Spectre's run throughout the 90's by Suicide Squad mainstay John Ostrander and artist Tom Mandrake is the perfect example of letting creators cut loose with established characters and do their own thing with it.
For those who don't know, the Spectre was created by Jerry Siegel (who created Superman) and artist Bernard Bailey in the pages of More Fun Comics issue No. 52 in 1940. The supernatural character is a cop from the 1930s named Jim Corrigan who was murdered by gangsters. His soul reached Limbo and due to the severity of his murder, he felt that there wasn't enough justice in the world that he could simply walk away from it without doing something. Suddenly, a voice speaks to Corrigan offering him the chance to become Heaven's instrument of vengeance upon the mortal world, and that it was his duty to understand and confront evil. When Corrigan accepts this offer, he becomes the Wrath of the unavenged dead, the Spirit of Vengeance known as the Spectre.
For decades the Spectre had remained in the background in DC Comics' continuity, but he got his big break with Ostrander and Mandrake's run on the character that changed the Spectre forever. Ostrander not only stayed true to the original comics, but he updated and added much of his own lore to the character that greatly enhanced him, adding much more depth and nuance than he previously had. Mandrake's art style was perfect for this rendition of the Spectre because he captured the epic nature of the Spectre's origins and powers while at the same time providing intense images of Hell and gore that are still vivid to me to this day.
This run on the Spectre has become another favorite of mine, and it's a shame that the whole run isn't fully collected. For those of you intrigued by this comic, the best bet to get a good portion of it is through the two graphic novels that collected the first 22 issues of the run, which can be found in The Spectre: Crimes and Judgments, and The Spectre: Wrath of God. The only other way to get the full run is to buy the individual issues. I implore you guys to check this comic out, because not only is it edgy and badass, it's also contemplative about the nature of humanity and our potential for both evil and good.