10 Must-Read Horror Comics That Are Perfect For Halloween Season

Comics have been a beloved form of entertainment since their early days, featuring iconic series like Marvel’s adaptations of Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as classic titles from EC Comics. Now that spooky season is here, many comic book fans are searching for thrilling, scary stories. Luckily, there’s a huge collection of comics from over the decades—thousands of issues—to keep fans satisfied, and a number of these are considered essential reads.

Comics offer fantastic scary stories, ranging from dark takes on well-known heroes to entirely new and original tales. Many have become essential reads for horror fans, especially around Halloween, whether they expand on beloved movies or become cultural phenomena themselves. From huge superhero crossovers to critically acclaimed limited series, these comics represent some of the best horror the medium has to offer.

Blackest Night Is the Ultimate Cosmic Horror Event

DC Comics produced many critically acclaimed stories in the 2000s, but Blackest Night stands out as their most significant event of that decade. Following the success of the Rebirth miniseries, writer Geoff Johns launched a massive story arc centered around the arrival of Nekron – essentially, the personification of death. Nekron began transforming people into Black Lanterns, undead versions of their former selves.

During the decade dominated by Green Lantern stories, the Blackest Night event brilliantly blended superheroes with horror, even surpassing the impact of Marvel Zombies in the process. Its unique mix of cosmic horror, superhero action, and science fiction elements have cemented its place as a landmark achievement in modern comic books. The terrifying imagery of Nekron as the Grim Reaper remains one of the most chilling visuals ever created for DC Comics.

Freddy vs Jason vs Ash Is the Horror Crossover Every Fan Needs

For years, fans have loved seeing horror icons team up in movies and comics, with films like Freddy vs Jason being particularly enjoyable. The story gets even wilder in Freddy vs Jason vs Ash. We find Ash Williams reluctantly teaching a sales team when a series of murders occur. Thinking the evil Deadites have returned, Ash grabs his chainsaw and heads out to fight them, but instead finds himself facing off against both Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger.

Continuing the story from Freddy vs. Jason, Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash (by Jeff Katz, James Kuhoric, and Jason Craig) delivers exactly what fans wanted: a fun, over-the-top mix of campy humor, slapstick, and action. The idea for this crossover was first hinted at in Jason Goes to Hell back in 1993, and this miniseries perfectly fulfills that promise. It’s the perfect Halloween read for any true fan of 1980s horror movies.

DC vs Vampires Is a Fun Journey Into Vampire Comics

The popularity of zombie and vampire stories has grown immensely over the years, and DC vs Vampires is a great example of that trend. It’s similar to the DCeased series, but with vampires instead of zombies. The story follows how vampires secretly invade the Justice League. As more heroes are turned into vampires, those who remain realize what’s happening and try to use their knowledge of vampire weaknesses to fight back. But with enemies hiding among them, the heroes’ numbers decrease as a powerful Vampire King prepares to arrive.

DC vs. Vampires is a perfect example of a series that understands its strengths: it’s pure, enjoyable horror for fans of the genre. Blending the thrills of stories like 30 Days of Night with a nostalgic nod to classic DC comics, the series presents a compelling mystery, challenging readers to figure out who the Vampire King really is.

DCeased Is DC’s Answer to Marvel Zombies

In 2019, Tom Taylor and artist Trevor Hairsine launched DCeased, introducing a zombie outbreak to the DC Universe. It all started when Darkseid discovered the Anti-Life Equation, which quickly unleashed a virus spread through screens. As heroes and villains alike turned into zombies, a small group of survivors had to decide whether to fight for a cure or accept the end of the world.

DCeased was DC Comics’ response to the popularity of Marvel Zombies, imagining a DC Universe completely overrun by a zombie outbreak. The story and its follow-ups explored the terrifying consequences of the plague, showing what DC’s heroes would become if infected.

Marvel Zombies Changed Superhero Comics for the 21st Century

Man, I first read Marvel Zombies back in 2005, and it totally blew my mind. It’s this crazy alternate reality where basically all the Marvel heroes turned into zombies. You follow a small group trying to fix things, but it’s brutal because even zombified versions of their friends and enemies still have all their superpowers. Watching that unfold was seriously messed up, but so good!

The popularity of Marvel Zombies led to a flood of superhero stories exploring dark and unusual alternate universes. It really paved the way for titles like DCeased and DC vs. Vampires. You could say it took the ‘What If?’ concept—originally created by Stan Lee—to its extreme, and it remains one of the best zombie comics ever made.

30 Days of Night Is One of the Most Iconic 2000s Comics

Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith created a landmark indie horror comic in 2002 with 30 Days of Night. This miniseries, about a vampire attack on an Alaskan town during its month of darkness, helped open the door for comic adaptations in Hollywood. Readers were captivated by the eerie story and Ben Templesmith’s haunting artwork.

After becoming a hit, 30 Days of Night showed other creators how to find success beyond comics, leading to a surge in high-quality, limited-run comic series adapted for the screen. Ultimately, very few have had as much influence as the original work by Niles and Templesmith, which is now considered a defining comic of the 21st century. Both the comic and the movie are excellent choices for anyone looking for a truly terrifying horror experience.

Swamp Thing: Green Hell Is a Chilling Look at the Apocalypse

I’ve been a Swamp Thing fan for years, and he’s always been one of DC’s best horror characters – especially when Alan Moore wrote him! I was really excited when Jeff Lemire and Doug Mahnke brought him to the Black Label imprint in 2022, because it let them really push the boundaries. The story is amazing – it’s set in a future where most of the world is underwater, and an older John Constantine seeks out Alec Holland for help when these powerful elemental beings decide humanity needs to be wiped out. It’s a dark and compelling take on the character.

Swamp Thing is a reliable source of genuinely scary horror, and any series featuring the character is likely to deliver. This particular Black Label book is beautifully illustrated and cleverly combines the feel of the movie Waterworld with the DC universe. It depicts a world on the edge of destruction and highlights the truly frightening nature of creatures like Swamp Thing.

Hellraiser Continued Clive Barker’s Vision

Following initial success with his horror creations, the author stepped away, and the series became predictable. Years later, he returned to the story of Kirsty Cotton through Boom! Studios, revitalizing his original vision and bringing her – and Pinhead – back to Hell.

The Hellraiser comic series from Boom! Studios is a hidden gem that expands the franchise with compelling new stories and characters. If you’re a fan of Clive Barker’s original vision and want a truly frightening experience, this series is the best the Hellraiser universe has offered since the iconic 1980s films.

Something is Killing the Children Is a Modern Phenomenon

Following his successful run writing Batman, James Tynion IV created a popular horror series at Boom! Studios. The story centers on Erica Slaughter, an experienced monster hunter, who investigates when children start vanishing from a quiet town. Her search leads her into the woods, where she comes face-to-face with the terrifying creatures behind the disappearances.

James Tynion IV’s Something is Killing the Children quickly became a modern horror hit, often compared to Buffy the Vampire Slayer for comic book fans. It’s a standout example of slow-burn horror, delivering plenty of scares and tension. The series has grown into a larger shared universe, but it remains one of the most captivating horror comics for today’s readers.

EC Is an Endless Treasure Trove of Horror

I remember discovering EC Comics and being totally blown away! Before all the zombie stuff from Marvel and DC, EC pretty much defined horror comics. They were huge in the 1950s, and Tales From the Crypt was just incredible. It was an anthology series – basically a collection of spooky stories – and it was so raw and thrilling. It wasn’t fancy, but it always delivered a great scare, and it even inspired a fantastic TV show and movie later on. It really set the standard for horror comics, as far as I’m concerned.

Oni Press continues to publish comics today, including horror titles like Catacomb of Torment and Blood Type, solidifying its reputation as a major force in the genre. Fans of scary comics will always enjoy classic titles such as Weird Science, Vault of Horror, and Tales From the Crypt.

2025-10-30 04:47