As we get closer to Halloween I try to read or see some new scary stuff as much as I can. This is the one month of the year where you can proudly read all sorts of horrific titles on the bus and nobody minds. My biggest problem is actually selecting which stuff to read as there is so much of it out there. My solution - categories.

Two weeks ago I looked at the 5 horror novel classics I figure everyone should check out, today I'm going to look at comic books. So here goes, my five favourite horror titles in comic books:

5. Arkham Asylum, by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
This comic was actually the first graphic novel I ever purchased. Flipping through it on the shelf at the comic store, I was simply in awe of the artwork; Dave McKean's painted panels freaked the hell out of me, each character looked different than the standard comic book versions but way WAY scarier. The basic idea is that the inmates at Arkham have taken over the Asylum and will only see reason if Batman comes to play. This story is a little hard to read, as each characters word balloons are very different, but believe me, it is totally worth a visit (or revisit) for Halloween.

4. Saga of the Swamp Thing, by Alan Moore
Really all I can say here (because if you haven't read it I am not going to wreck it) is issue 21 "The Anatomy Lesson." Go get Saga of the Swamp thing #1 (issues 20-27) and start reading. This is some of the freakiest, scariest stuff I have ever come across and for you first time readers I am completely envious of you, this stuff is simply comic gold.

3. Sandman, by Neil Gaiman
Like probably half of the comic book readers who started in the early '90s, this is were I started too. These books are so good I have difficultly trying to break it down into a synopsis. I think my friend Mike described it best as saying "In every issue there is at least one panel that I would classify as Nightmare batter." From Serial Killer conventions to the Cuckoos to the Devil himself, this comic has it all.

2. The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman
I started purchasing this series for my brother-in-law Jeff as he is a big fan of zombie stories, but while they were sitting in my house waiting for his birthday or Christmas to come around I would take a peak, and then another, and then I got hooked. Done entirely in Black and White, these comics go beyond the end of every zombie film you've ever seen and attempt to answer the question "What happens next?" I've been following the survivors of this zombie plague for the last five years and I don't want it to end!

1. Hellblazer, by Jamie Delano
This comic is one of my favourite titles over all, but with one simple rule. Read the comic issue by issue, rather than purchasing the graphic novels. I'm not exactly sure of what DC is trying to do here, each graphic novel is a collected story, but there isn't actually any attempt to label them vol. 1, 2, 3, etc. so if you want the whole story of this very broken, talented bastard, you will have to read them issue by issue. Frustrating, expensive, but totally worth it, as hands down Hellblazer is the scariest comic I've ever read.

So now that you have my top five, how about the rest of you? Any scary comics I should be reading? I'm always looking for more.

I guess I would also have to have The Walking Dead, Sandman and Arkham Asylum (whilst I hardly read any Batman I love asylum horror)

To my list I would add Wormwood by Ben Templesmith. It has many horror elements (the main characters is a worm controlled corpse), gorgeous art (he was the artist on 30 days of night) and it's also very funny. Ongoing series though.

After that I get a bit stuck, I guess I would crowbar in From Hell by Alan Moore which looks the the Jack the Ripper murders.

5. House of Mystery
The original series, not the more recent Vertigo series. Not only one of my first horror comics, but first comics period. A great anthology series.

4. Wasteland
An anthology series published by DC in the late '80s. Body horror, psychological horror, and a general sense of despair. The Swamp Thing also made an appearance. If anyone is aware of these comics having been collected, please let me know. I would love to have the whole series.

3. The Walking Dead

2. Hellblazer

1. Preacher
Jesse Custer, Tulip and a vampire named Cassidy searching for God. It may not be considered "horror", but there are enough horrific elements to squeeze it in. Also introduced me to Bill Hicks, for which I am eternally grateful. A great, great series.

Message edited by its author, Oct 19, 2009, 12:27pm.

you're very much in the Vertigo line... my likes are a bit more classic... my favourite horror comics are Creepy and the EC classics... more modern I read a bit of the Swamp thing by Alan Moore... excellent... and the interesting The walking dead... do you know the fumetti (italian comic book) called Dylan Dog...? is it published in the states...? is about a detective of the supernatural...
and what about the comic book of The factory of nightmares by Thomas Ligotti...?

I would recommend the original Swamp Thing (collected as Swamp Thing: Dark Genesis). Len Wein's stories are very EC in style, but Bernie Wrightson's darkly gothic artwork is gorgeous.

I'd also recommend Steve Niles' graphic novel adaptation of I Am Legend.

Ted McKeever had a neat series called Metropol that was cool.

Also, Mike Mignola's Hellboy is fun and the artwork is to die for.

Mike Mignola also did the comic adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula movie that is worth a look.

#4 I thought the The Nightmare Factory was ok, I am not sure why I expected it to be creepier. Mind you I am not a huge fan of Ligotti but I somehow expected the comic to bring it too life.

#5 Metropol looks interesting. I haven't tried any Ted Mckeever before so I am going to have to check it out. Thanks

I don't see Vertigo as horror comics.. they are more dark fantasy or something like that... maybe I'm a bit traditionalist but when I think about horror comics I think in the anthology format...

ollonois: my favourite horror comics are Creepy and the EC classics

Me too! I love the EC horror and suspense comics, even though some of the stories can be pretty corny. Have you seen the new EC Archives reprints?

There are also some good horror series in manga format: Uzumaki, especially.

@clfisha, I'm with you: asylum horror is great!

in Spain have been edited in b/w with a digest format... I almost prefer the James Warren comics... there were great writers like Bruce Jones or Bill Dubay and artists like Bernie Wrightson or some spanish like Jose Ortiz or Jose Maria Bea...
in the EC comics my favourite artists are Jack Kamen and Johny Craig...

Oh, I hope you like Metropol. It's been years since I've read it, but I remember loving it and wishing he would have continued passed the fifteen issues he did.

I was trying to figure out if the collected editions of Metropol were black and white? The series was originally published in color and was beautiful (if you like Ted McKeever's artwork anyway).

#10 I saw it that it was republished in black and white but the review assured me this was fitting. I am always a bit wary of changes like this. Oh well I will still check them out.

#9 You have intrigued with Uzumaki too. I am going to have to start ignoring this thread! :)

Joe Hill's Locke and Key is turning out to be something special.

Kirkman's The Walking Dead is a must, but his very strange Astounding Wolf Man is just great, too.

Also gotta love The Goon - it's sick, funny, and monster heaven.

I really dig the new House of Mystery by Willingham/Sturges of Fables fame. I especially like the artwork by Luca Rossi!

The new Creepy Archives volumes from Dark Horse are really well done. Gorgeous black and white reproductions. If only they'd do the original Vampirella by Gonzalez, Sanjulian, etc.

Also add the recent Jonah Hex volumes to the list. There is some disturbing stuff in there!

Message edited by its author, Oct 21, 2009, 3:10pm.

Oh yeah! Jonah Hex!

Joe R. Lansdale and Timohty Truman did a couple of really good mini-series in the mid-'90's: Two Gun Mojo and Riders of the Worm and Such (no touchstone for that one). Both are worth a read.