Horror Comics

Horror, a genre not short of content across media and comic books are no different. In fact, some of the most popular comic books of all time are horrors – we already covered some of the best horror manga written by Junji Ito if that is something that takes your fancy. Whether you enjoy reading dark fantasy or ghost stories, I promise there will be something in this list you love as much as I do! In this article we are going to take a look at only the best horror comics, new and old.

One thing I would like to add before we get into it, the gore and violence depicted in these comics sometimes may not be something you want your child to see yet so please read them first yourself then make that call. One of them already created such a stir with parents, I would not want to start that up again.

1. Hell to Pay

2. The Bloody Dozen

3. The Infernals

4. The Sandman

5. Hellboy

6. Tales from the Crypt

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Hell to Pay

Image by Image Comics

The first comic on this list might seem a little biased, since I know one of the creators, but this 6 part comic book series is honestly the best comics I have read over the last year and potentially the best horror comic I have ever read. When Sebastian and Maia are ‘saved’ by The Shrouded College, they are tasked in finding all the Hell Coins released in the world and returning them to the College in exchange for their debt. However, we quickly realise that there are much more coins in the real world then first anticipated, ultimately extending their debt.

Created by Charles Soule and Will Sliney, Hell to Pay is the first comic released in The Shrouded College series. The Illustrations are absolutely stunning, remarkable work from Sliney, and the story is so gripping I read the entire series 3 times before the release of the next instalment in the series. The suspense this comic created in its penultimate issue gave me a shiver I had not felt since I was a child reaching the cliff hanger of the latest issue of Spectacular Spider-Man – truly a must-read for any comic book fans.

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The Bloody Dozen

Image by Image Comics

Though this one did not hit me as hard as Hell to Pay, The Bloody Dozen is another Shrouded College comic which belongs on this list. We’ve all heard of space cowboys, but what about space vampires? Well, you are in luck since that is basically what The Bloody Dozen is about. When I first heard about this, I honestly did not know what to think, but after just finishing the 6th and final issue in this series, I have to say I loved it. It really is so unique it’s hard to compare it to almost anything, but the ‘heroes’ do give off a very Guardians of the Galaxy vibe!

The Bloody Dozen is the second instalment of The Shrouded College series by Charles Soule and Will Sliney. Like the first comic in the series, the illustrations and storytelling are incredible, this time drawn by Alberto J. Alburquerque. His style is noticeably different to Slineys, but as my first introduction to this man’s art style I have to say I loved it – it has a very cartoony vibe about it which almost felt nostalgic, which made me instantly enjoy consuming the pages!

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The Infernals

Image by Image Comics

One I have only just started reading, to fill in the gaps between the next instalment from The Shrouded College, is The Infernals. In The Infernals, Abraham Morgenstern, the son of Satan, has one month to live. Before he dies, he must choose someone to inherit his empire. If dark fantasy is your vibe, you will probably enjoy this one since this comic seems to lean into that a lot more than what you would typically see in the horror genre – there are even a few comedic moments in The Infernals, it’s a complete mix of genres and has something for just about everyone.

The concept for this one is the whole reason I was interested, I had never heard of the creators Ryan Parrot or John J. Pearson before but I will certainly keep my eyes peeled for more of their work in the future. The illustrations have a certain realistic element about them which made so many scenes all the more distressing and impactful.

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The Sandman

Image by DC Black Label

On the subject of dark fantasy, it seems just about right to add this one, The Sandman. Though this comic mostly lacks the fright expected from horror, there are some really scary stories throughout The Sandman series. A god-like being kept prisoner for years and years to eventually kill his captors and rebuild his empire makes for a pretty chilling concept in itself, don’t you think?

Since it is published by DC Comics, like most DC titles, The Sandman has a few similarities which fans will recognise since it seemingly shares a universe with Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing – John Constantine even shows up at some point which thinking back to kind of felt out of place, but what a great crossover.

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Hellboy

Image by Dark Horse Comics

Many of us first experienced Hellboy in film, I am not ashamed to admit I am one of those people, but the comic books are where this universe is really able to shine! This lovecraftian horror is an absolute must-read for any fans of crime comics since at its heart it is a detective novel. A half human (witch) half demon man raised by a professor with superhuman abilities fighting supernatural beings, a concept which plays out so perfectly.

One of the most interesting things about Hellboy is actually its publication origin story. It was first pitched to none other than, my favourite publisher, DC Comics. DC are said to have liked the idea, but at the time did not like the idea of it involving hell, which is really strange considering The Sandman involved hell – not in such a prominent way but it was still a key point for the characters and story. I’m just thankful Dark Horse Comics saw the potential of Hellboy.

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Tales from the Crypt

Image by EC Comics

There are other EC horror comics which we could talk about in this list – The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear since they at least deserve a mention – they certainly had a place in the horror genre perhaps even could compete with Junji Ito himself, and probably win (sorry Alex). However this one we are going to talk about changed the face of horror comic books for generations. Tales from the Crypt was a bi-monthly horror anthology which told a collective of different horror stories with no continuity between issues. The main narrator, or host, was the Crypt-Keeper who was creepy in appearance but added some light hearted comedy to the stories he was telling. From Zombies to Vampires to Werewolves, this series had everything, but the tones of the stories caused quite a stir – they were not exactly child friendly and neither was the artwork. 

Parents, teachers and just about every adult who came across these comics believed this anthology to encourage juvenile delinquency. One man, Fredric Wertham took it one step further and brought the issue to congress which led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority, or the Comics Code as most will know it. Although the Comics Code was voluntary, most retailers would only stock comics which followed the code leading to EC eventually dropping the title as it would require too much change to follow the code. Big publishers such as Marvel, Archie Comics and DC all followed the code until the early 2000’s when they all decided to drop it – rendering the 55 year old guideline useless today. Thanks to this change The Tales of the Crypt anthology was reintroduced in a graphic novel format which led to many of us finally having the opportunity to read these horror classics, myself included.

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Conclusion

Horror is a passion shared amongst the Nerdy Nook team, it was nice to give my input on this genre. If you share this passion with us, which I assume you do dear reader since you are reading this article, make sure to check out the others by simply typing ‘Horror’ in our search bar at the top of the page! Also every comic on this list can be purchased in kindle format on Amazon for a reasonable price, so no excuses… get reading, or Crypt-Keeper might come to get you.

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