34 replies to this topic

[QuietScholar]

I'm loosely defining "Horror comics" to also include the Occult/Mystically inclined - think more like HB and Allan Moore's From Hell and less Dr. Fate or Moore's Promethea.

So, i've been in search of a good read - still haven't found it unfortunately.   Used to pick up the Trades for Image's Living Dead.  Tried to get into Ellis' Black Gas.   Went searching for Devil's Footprints, but the testimonials from others have made me dismissive of it.

So...any suggestions?     I've been mainly scrounging around the DC Vertigo imprint, Avatar Press, and DH Comics - but if there's an independent title label/company I haven't heard of i'm all ears.

[JohnMcMahon]

Sea Of Red.  Vampire pirates with twists aplenty.  Three trades tell the full story, published by Image comics.   Kieron Dwyer writers, Rick Remander draws, art is quite unique in that it's all red/black/white.

Remains.  Top zombie tale Written by Steve Niles, art by Kieron Dwyer.  Really enjoyed this when it came out first, shame a sequel never materialised.

Cal McDonald.  Hellblazer with shotguns, but not at all rubbish like a certain major motion picture.  Trades to be reissued through Dark Horse in the very near future.  Covers on the current mini produced by our own Tim Bradstreet.

[DanElHombre]

A good horror comic imo is Dark Horse's Sudden Gravity

Here is DH's preview.

[JasonT]

Excellent question, Scholar. The first two collections of The Sandman are amazing horror comics, but I suppose you're aware of them already.

If it doesn't have to be all edgy and po-faced, how about the much-missed UK anthology Scream!? Have a look at Back From the Depths for a few archived stories.

[Trace]

Let me throw out a few choices that may be obvious:
Hellboy
B.P.R.D.
The Walking Dead
Marvel Zombies
Doc Frankenstein (really good, similar to the Frankenstein mini from Seven Soldiers)
Wormwood Gentleman Corpse

and here's a link to a website about horror comics (loosely defined), that lists them and provides some blurbs.

[Christian]

If this is just a thread to nominate any good horror comics (regardless of age or if it's still readily available), I will give my nod to Wasteland by John Ostrander (et. al), the 1980s DC horror anthology comic (not to be confused with the on-going horror/sci-fi anthology comic from Oni Press). It's the best horror anthology I've ever read, but sadly DC never collected it.
If you can find it, you should buy the series. It was 18 issues.

[JohnMcMahon]

If it doesn't have to be all edgy and po-faced, how about the much-missed UK anthology Scream!?

I can still remember getting freaked-the-fuck-out by a story in that about a creepy sea-monster-crab-thing.  I'm pretty sure that story's online somewhere too.

Hurm, can't find it but you can see the creature in question at this fansite, its used as the background image for the 'Story Lines' link.

[JasonT]

Here y'are, squire. Sea Beast, with art by Steve Parkhouse.

[Selkie]

Nobody, from Ait-Planetlar.

Although not scary horror comics, exactly, what about the Courtney Crumrin series from Oni Press? I love those!

More as I think of them.

[JohnMcMahon]

Nobody, from Ait-Planetlar.

Crikey, that's going back a bit, really good too - shame it only ever ran the one trade.

[dogpoet]

I think that collection of The Complete Saga Of The Victims Chimera Arts published a year or two back is still in print: barking mad weirdo '70s pulp horror.

[JasonT]

If there was a "horror comics" thread before, then this is the all-new horror comics thread.

Comics legend Alan Grant has quietly built up his own line of books at Berserker Comics. The Dead is the one drawn by Simon Bisley; Channel Evil and Church Of Hell are the other titles in the range. Check out the art on Channel Evil.

There's an excellent Alan Grant interview at www.sexgoremutants.co.uk/spot61.html. It's a mild interview by Alan's standards, but he does note that

Shane Oakley and I have been trying to find a way to work together for several years now - we had a couple of proposals turned down by Vertigo over the years because the stories featured too much action and not enough talking.

Amongst the other horror titles on the shelves these days are DC's Dead Romeo, which Balthazar will be along in a minute to tell you about, and a whole pile of crap over at Zenescope.

[dogpoet]

Is it worth mentioning that Dark Horse have acquired the rights to Eerie (or Creepy, or possibly both) and are relaunching it in a month or two?

(And I'm sure House Of Daemon was in The Eagle, not Scream: they made a point of having a decent Jose Ortiz drawn horror story mixed in with the godawful photostories early on.)

[JasonT]

You're right about House Of Daemon, it did run in the Eagle. But Alan probably hasn't read those 25-year-old comics as recently as I have.  

[Maritimus]

I don't know many horror comic books, there are things Hellstorm, but i can't name other ones really.I feel it's hard to scare with a comic book. Things that work in horror movies don't apply here - like sound effects and music. Long descriptions that build up the atmosphere in books here are images instead, and images don't scare as much as our own imagination - sometimes they are simply grotesque. So comic book has a challenge to develop it's own tools that would affect readers on psychological level. I read a couple of horror books from Glenn Danzig's imprint, they are pretty bad. Haven't read Walking Dead yet, but intend to one day. Any good horror comics?

[JohnMcMahon]

The Cthulu comics aren't too shabby, at times they're genuinely disturbing though they don't wander into that uncomfortable weirdness nearly enough.

[JasonT]

Dogpoet said:

Is it worth mentioning that Dark Horse have acquired the rights to Eerie (or Creepy, or possibly both) and are relaunching it in a month or two?

Since Bernie Wrightson and Angelo Torres are involved, yep, it is.
www.scifislacker.com/comics/dark-horse-gets-creepy-and-eerie.shtml
www.darkhorse.com/Comics/15-862/Creepy-Comics-1

[Balthazar]

The first I will always recommend is David Hine's Strange Embrace. It's one of my favorite graphic novels and one of the best horror comics. Next to that is Screamland which is really categorized under comedy, but if you're a fan of old school horror such as the Universal stuff like Frankenstein, Wolf man, Mummy, and Dracula, then this is DEFINITELY for you. FUN FUN book.

DC's Dead Romeo has been a pretty good fun read. Not the best thing I've read but it's good fun with nice fights and gore.

Golly! by Phil Hester I'll also put down as my favorite on-going.

Also just picked up IDW's The Veil about a young woman who could see ghosts. She also helps them try to gain peace by helping them figure out their murder or why they're still around and hopefully she can get paid by the ghosts before going to where they have to go. Thus far the first issue was pretty darn good with some nice moody art. Recommended.

I'd do things for a Brother Voodoo horror book.

Oh course there's the awesome Walking Dead. If you haven't been reading that series, you're missing out.

[JasonT]

Is anyone here following The Complete Dracula from Dynamite? Is it worth picking up?

[dogpoet]

Maybe it's just me, but I've no interest in reading yet another comics adaption of Stoker's (rather dull) novel. Sorry.