Happy Halloween! It’s that time of year, so welcome to Sequential Planet’s first HorrorFest! We will be taking a look at some of our staff’s favorite horror comics. Let’s get started!
Marcus – Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
I’m picking this one because it’s still fresh in my mind, as I finally gave this a read a few months ago. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is one of the darkest, most atmospheric comic books I’ve ever read. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s writing is fantastic, while Robert Hacks art has a style that no one else can create. The end result is a terrifying look at the teenage witch, as she deals with the awful magical world around her. I really don’t want to spoil anything, just give this one a read, and try to get the awful imagery out of your thoughts.
Matt Dillion- Dreams of Deadworld
In this four-part series, Kek-W and Dave Kendall presented a new take on the Dark Judges, Judge Dredd’s most iconic foes. It combined the grim humor, bombastic characters, and classic sense of horror that cemented Judge Death and his lieutenant’s position in the 2000 AD canon. It also provided new depth to admittedly one-dimensional characters, adding a melancholic element to some otherwise absurd villains. All of it is rendered in Kendall’s grotesque, atmospheric art. Dreams of Deadworld managed to redefine some of the most established characters in British comics, while still remaining true to their original interpretation.
Matt Herman- Sandman #6
Sandman is a book of many things: fantasy, fables, mystery. It’s a book that rarely uses horror, but when it does, it does it right. Sandman #6 is by and far my favorite horror comic. The concept is inherently terrifying, a group of strangers forced to commit increasingly horrible acts by a mind-controlling monster over the course of 24 hours. The idea is so incredibly simple and works to great effect. I think this issue stands out because it’s not really in a horror series. It’s the one-off issues like this that make Sandman one the greatest comic series of all time. If you’re looking for a quick and scary read this Halloween, look no further than Sandman #6.
Steven – Redneck
The Bowmans are a family of vampires living in Texas. They run a BBQ joint and drink the blood of the cows they use for meat. There’s even a western style, multi-generational feud between them and another family, that forces them into conflict with police and other vampire clans. Donny Cates is the writer behind this, and the main reason I initially read it, but the core of a family trying to keep their heads down and survive kept me on board. To top it off, Lisandro Estherren and Dee Cunniffe, on art and colors respectively, truly shine when there is violence and blood. In a book about vampires, there’s plenty of blood to go around.
Chris Terry – Locke & Key
Most comic book fans are familiar with Joe Hill’s Locke & Key series and its importance to the horror genre. The story isn’t short and it is almost impossible to summarize. It plays out like one of the best-haunted house/ghost story movies you have ever seen. The length of the series gives Hill time to expand on the characters and give the story a lot of breathing room. He doesn’t rush anything and it pays off. Gabriel Rodríguez deserves a lot of credit here as the artist on the series. When you think about Locke & Key you immediately conjure up images of the artwork from the panels. This series proved that Joe Hill was a master of storytelling like his father, Stephen King. It consistently ranks in the Top 5 and Top 10 if you ask a comic book fan what his favorites are. I don’t see anyone not enjoying this book whether you are looking for horror or just a good story.
Pashtrik – Infidel
The main crux of the story follows Aisha, a young Muslim woman, living with her husband, stepdaughter, and mother-in-law. They are living in an old apartment building which, prior to the event of the book, suffered a terrorist attack. This event, supposedly, left the building haunted, as the evil spirits slowly start to interfere with the residents’ lives. While the protagonist and theme choice might stir up some emotions (it has), the execution is wonderful. Pornsak Pichetshote’s underlying theme of racism and Islamophobia is excellently elevated by Aaron Campbell’s seriously grotesque artwork. While it’s not easy to be scared by comic books, some of the monstrosities in Infidel are sure to send shivers down your spine.
Chris Green – Tomie
When it comes to horror and comics, at least in Japanese media, Junji Ito is the gold standard. If you’ve ever seen a manga panel floating around online that made your skin crawl, there’s a good chance it was from one of Ito’s works. From notable works like Gyo and Uzumaki, Ito has explored the terror in both the mundane and on a societal scale. And there aren’t too many other creators out there who can keep me up late at night just from a single terrifying image. But if I had to pick his most terrifying work, for me it would have to be his collection of stories on the beautiful monster Tomie. Portrayed as a beautiful and mysterious girl, Tomie inspires intense lust and violence in those around her, and in almost all the stories with her she ends up being brutally murdered by those around her. However, along with her bewitching presence she also has the ability to regenerate from almost any injury, as well as spawn a new Tomie if her body is cut apart from each separate piece. The idea of an army of evil, immortal women roaming the earth infecting humanity with malice is a concept that really never sat well with me, and after binge-reading the collection late one night let’s just say it was a little while before I slept soundly again.
