There’s nothing I love more than the horror genre and comic books. I grew up collecting comics and still do to this day. It’s not often that a genuinely scary comic comes along, but when it does it is pure heaven. The Vault of Horror, Weird Tales, and Tales from the Crypt are all classic horror comics, but they really weren’t scary. Below is my list of my five favorite scary comic books that will have you turning on the lights before bedtime.
NEONOMICON
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Jacen Burrows
Four Issue Run
No writer influenced and changed the world of comic books like Alan Moore. The man essentially created the graphic novel, redefined what a superhero was, and wrote some of DC’s best comics (his work on The Saga of Swamp Thing was nothing short of genius). Neonomicon, in short, is a terrifying read. It’s full of genuine scares and is accompanied by some fantastic artwork. Neonomicon is only a four issue-run, but is brutal, scary, and so goddamn effective. Every horror fan needs to read this Lovecraft-inspired madness!!
SEVERED
Writer: Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft
Artist: Attila Futaki
Seven Issue Run
Severed is a seven-issue horror mini-series that is set in the U.S. during 1916. It’s about a cannibal boogeyman who assumes various identities to hunt down, kill, and eat children. I tore through the pages of this one and read all seven issues in one sitting. The story beautifully builds until the utterly terrifying and suspenseful climax. Don’t miss this one.
ECHOES
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artist: Rahsan Ekedal
Five issue Run
Here I switch gears from creatures to a wholly human monster. Writer Fialkov describes his Echoes as a horror/noir graphic novel and I think that’s a pretty damn accurate description. Echoes is a murder mystery from the viewpoint of Brian Cohn, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. This makes him a very unreliable source, and he may or may not be continuing his father’s legacy as a serial-killer. Echoes is marked with strong story-telling and has dark and moody artwork that beautifully sets the atmosphere. Echoes is an intense ride into the depths of insanity with a schizophrenic acting as our tour guide.
NAILBITER
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Mike Henderson
Ongoing (currently at twelve issues)
Welcome to Buckaroo, Oregon. It’s a pretty plain town where not a lot of exciting things happen. This town, though, is known for one peculiar fact: Buckaroo, Oregon is the birthplace to sixteen of the worst serial killers the world has ever known. Kinda gives new meaning to the phrase, “There’s something in the water!!” An NSA Agent teams up with notorious serial killer Edward “Nailbiter” Warren to track down an FBI agent who went missing while investigating the town of Buckaroo. We get creative kills, lots of gore, and the lines between the hunter and the hunted become blurred. Nailbiter will have you turning the pages at a frantic rate while at the same time being afraid of what might be on the next page.
CROSSED
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Jacen Burrows
Currently 209 Issues
This is one twisted, sick, depraved, and disturbing comic book, and I love every blood-drenched page!! Crossed is about a zombie-like virus that turns it’s victims (called “the Crossed”) into something other than brain-eating, mindless creatures. The Crossed are driven by the over-whelming desire to torture, rape, dismember, and mutilate any and all uninfected human beings. The infected’s desire to kill and destroy even goes beyond people. They see animals and buildings as fair game and unleash their rage on those things as well. Crossed is published by Avatar books and I applaud them for giving writer Ennis free rein with his twisted vision. Crossed is the most extreme, horrifying, and disturbing titles out today.
What’s your favorite scary comic book? What makes it so scary?
Stay Bloody!!!
Filed under: Horror Comics, Horror Lists, New Posting
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