Horror Comics!

Wherein I write about the horror comics I have been reading and ask for your recommendations.

I have been enjoying some of the great horror comics that are coming out right now, so I thought I would look at a few that have caught my eye and would love to hear about any you all recommend. I know there are a lot I am missing out on.

Marvel’s Alien

This is the only comic on my pull list at the moment. Author Phillip Kennedy Johnson just finished up a run that was a perfect Alien storyline. A religious colony that contracts with Weyland Industries is sent some Aliens as a parting gift. Of course, all Hell breaks loose. I would love to see it as a movie or a TV season. The new run (starting over with a new issue #1) just started, and I am also enjoying it. Kennedy Johnson is just killing it.

R.L. Stine’s Stuff of Nightmares

You can tell by that amazing cover and R. L. Stine’s name that this is going be to be good.

Written Ward

turned me on to this one and I am so glad he did. It has the perfect mix of mad scientists, creepy undead creations, and groovy (almost Archie) style vibes. All of this is introduced by Stine's own horror host, the Nightmare Keeper. Super fun, gory, and delightful with just enough of the Frankenstein inspiration to keep it even more interesting.

Dead Mall

Adam Cesare’s first creator-owned comic has a fun setup, and the great creature design and interior art by David Stoll is an awesome mix of deformed humanoids and Lovecraft craziness. Cesare (a great horror novelist already - Video Night is one of my favorites) pitched the book as “Chopping Mall meets The Ruins meets Nightbreed.” I can see those influences in the first issue. I also see inspiration from some of the classic horror characters Brian Keene (Urban Gothic) and Bryan Smith (Freakshow) bring together in Suburban Gothic (which is one of the many books I am reading right now).

Earth Divers

I might have saved the best for last with Stephen Graham Jones’ historical slasher, Earth Divers. As an Early American Literature professor, I navigate the bloody waters of the Columbus myth every semester. So, when I heard that this book was all about a Native American from the future sent back to kill Columbus, I had to pick it up.

Jones talks about the mythology surrounding the founding of America being an inspiration for the series, stating that:

“sitting through American history classes all through elementary and junior high, we always get kind of indoctrinated into the Christopher Columbus myth that makes America happy. America wants to believe in that. And sitting in the back of the class as the only native kid, I always felt like shouldn’t this be another way? Why don’t we tell the other stories?”

That, on top of the fact that Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite horror writers and a master (as well as a connoisseur) of the slasher genre.

There are more, but these are the ones that have really gotten me excited right now. What am I missing out on? What comics should I be reading, horror or not?

Let me know in the comments!