It’s spooky season, so we decided to share our Top 10 Horror Comics. Jarrod and I will list them off and a short description of why the book made the list. If you’d like to listen to our lists, you can find it here on this episode of Panel Chewing.
Note: I’ve included Amazon affiliate links for each book that is available there. If you use the link, we get a few pennies from Amazon that helps support the website, blog and podcast. We appreciate the help covering costs!
Jarrod’s Top 10
10: B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense)
Developed by legendary Mike Mignola and mostly written by John Arcudi with contributions from many others, this series in the “Hellboy” universe dealt with Lovecraftian type monsters and End of the World situations. If you’re a Stranger Things fan, than this may be for you.
Written by John Layman, this series delved into the fears of world wide bird flu making chicken inedible and the body horror of “chewing” on the dead to find out “how” they died or other information through a weird power of the main character. Not for the weak stomach.
8: Serial by Terry Moore
A creepy teenage serial killer. Nuff said. Moore is a master comic book craftsman.
5: Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips
This series delves into the supernatural aspects of the horror field. A fixation on beauty leads to the downfall of many.
7: Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
Philosophical and theological horror at it’s best. Through in some gore and southern gothic and you really have something to look out for.
See above, but with that creepy Mignola art and a bigger focus on the gothic roots of horror and, of course, hell.
Specifically Jamie Delano’s original run and then Garth Ennis’ run later on. This was a long running regular series but these two runs best define John Constantine and the horrors he goes up against.
The earlier issues in this fantasy were much more focused on horror and had some truly disturbing stuff. The nightmare Corinthian says it all.
Moore does a fantastic historical delve into the Jack the Ripper myth and the fear felt throughout the society of the time.
1: Rachel Rising by Terry Moore
Moore is one of the best independent creators of comics and really shows his horror chops in this 42 issue series. Rachel comes back from the dead. Why? How? What does it all mean? Find out here. Moore has the ability to convey so much story in just a few panels, a few glances, a few strokes of the pen.
Steve’s Top 10
A young boy tries to start a new life and finds much more than he bargains for. Not all evil is temporary, sometimes it follows you through life and re-appears when you least expect it. The end really got to me and I still think about it years later.
9. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath
A story about a town with anthropomorphic characters that look like a children’s stuffed animals. Sounds wholesome, right? Until we find our main character, Sam, who is a serial killer. The contrast between the crimes Sam commits against the children’s book appearance is chilling.
What more is there to say about this series that hasn’t already been said? Some truly horrific events, creatures and a good story make this one of the darkest and more disturbing books I’ve read. Let’s hope we finally get a conclusion eventually before we die. I’m kidding, but not really. For those of you who haven’t read this series, the podcast has a volume by volume discussion series, so check that out.
7. American Vampire by Scott Snyder
If you’re a vampire fan, this is a must read. It’s hard to make an original vampire story at this point, but I like what Snyder did introducing different types of vampires and the different traits they have. Not to mention the conflicts between the groups. The art by Rafael Albuquerque is the perfect companion.
6. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead got me back into comics, years before the TV series started. The burnout on the series led me away from the comics, I just wasn’t a huge fan of the TV series after a few seasons. But you can’t deny the brilliance of the series and the absolutely brutal events that befall our survivors. Issue 100 will always go down as one of those moments that impacted me so much I had to put the book down.
This book isn’t for everyone, it has all of the warnings you can think of. Alan Moore wrote this during a period of time that he was very angry and there is some personal messaging in this book, but I still love the Lovecraft connections and the end of the story is another example of one that has stuck with me all these years later.
The sequel to Neonomicon, this book is another love letter to Lovecraft and the mythos he created. I read this when I wasn’t familiar at all with Lovecraft and it wasn’t until after I became more knowledgeable that I truly appreciated what Moore did with this story. The art by Jacen Burrows is truly something to behold. The architecture is so detailed and historically accurate, you can stare at these pages and find new details. Shoutout to Burrows for accepting an interview from us for our blog. You can read it here.
My comfort read. I love this series. When the world is taken by a virus that turns people into crazed maniacs, we quickly find that all the systems in place to protect us fall apart and we’re left on our own. If you are caught, being killed will be the least of your worries. Survival horror at it’s finest. You can read much more about Crossed here.
Science fiction and cosmic horror that is begging to be re-read. I always find new details and more questions when I read this book, it’s truly disturbing and mind bending. Horrific in the best ways.
Mana is full of fantastic horror, and Ito is a master at crafting stories. The body horror element has stuck with me, even years after reading it. A collection of connected stories that are tied together at the end, and you’ll never look at spirals the same again after reading it.
There you have them! What are your favorite horror comics? Share them in the comments section below or on our member forum.
