Ok it is time for this. Anyone that really knows me, knows that Halloween is my time of year. Usually I do movies and TV but this year I'm inspired by a recent slate of quality horror/dark drama to highlight some of my personal favorites old and new. If you read my NYCC blog, you'll already have seen 3 or 4 titles that I will highlight. And if you know my comics history, you might know 2 or 3 of my all time favorites too.
I am going to start with Blackbird #1 by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, Paul Reinwand, Nayoung Wilson & Jodi Wynne. A never-do-well who always thought she's meant for more. A sister who seemingly has everything fall into place for her. Mystical creatures invade the neighborhood. What else could go wrong? Well. Destiny for one thing....
Jook Joint #1 by Tee Franklin, Alitha E. Martinez, Shari Chankhamma & Taylor Esposito seemingly takes place in the early 20th century centering on a speakeasy owned by a very special Black Family/Matriarch. How special? Well this is the thing: I can't really explain without giving away too much. Safe to say, if you are/got a problem, they have way (several ways) of dealing with you. Like I joked with folks on Twitter, an old lady was reading it over my shoulder on the train and thought I was the devil!
Michael Cray by Bryan Edward Hill, N Steven Harris, Dexter Vines, Ross Campbell & Simon Bowland may have just wrapped up with its 12th issue BUT the idea of a government assassin tasked with taking out superpowered degenerates/problems is cool. When each of the assignments is a broken mirror persona of a Justice League member? Oh sign me up..! Also the series that this book spun off from, The Wild Storm by Warren Ellis & Jon Davis-Hunt, is also dipping its toes in the alien horror genre in its reimagining of the beloved comic book universe. To the point where I am looking at both heroes and villains with a side-eye...
But while I'm on this side of the comic universe, let me also mention that Ellis along with Chris Sprouse, initiated the dawning of The Authority with his previous Stormwatch run "ender" WildC.A.T.S: Final Orbit where the Stormwatch team encountered an Alien (Xenomorph....yes the "movie" chestbursters themselves) infestation. And the CATs go up to Skywatch to help their friends when everything goes "dark".
Pivoting off that, the Xenomorphs have made their mark in comics a lasting one. Dark Horse Comics have quite a few collections featuring the killing machines. Predators. Terminators. Batman. Superman. Green Lantern. All have crossed their path with various levels of horror. (Batman/Aliens is a classic just on Bernie Wrightson's art designs alone! RIP Bernie) Heck, DHC are comics' masters of horror with Hellboy also in their camp.
I never thought of Hulk as being a horror character before Al Ewing got his hands on him in The Immortal Hulk. On second look, the groundwork was there all along as Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, Paul Mounts & Cory Petit have turned the gamma freak out feel WAY past what I've known. No matter what happens to Banner during the day, the Green Goliath will come out at night. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde never took it this far. Hell, Marvel as a whole hasn't had a book like this in a minute. Marvel Zombies were played mostly for laughs by and large. Blade and the Midnight Sons books read like mostly superhero fare than horror. Immortal Hulk strikes all the right goosebumps sensors in my body...
Although as I bring up Marvel Zombies, I can't help but mention the Gail Simone & Jim Calafiore Leaving/Surviving Megalopolis trade paperbacks which had the heroes of the city go crazy from an outside influence and savage the populace they once protected. Another Dark Horse supported book where if you think what's going to happen next, rugs get pulled out. Gail's got another one with Jon Davis-Hunt from DC/Vertigo called Clean Room that I can't even get into. Invasions. Demons. Possessions. Mental Powers. yeah. This book had it all....
I did bring up DC/Vertigo and they just released Border Town #1 & 2 by Eric M. Esquivel, Ramon Villalobos, Tamra Bonvillain & Deron Bennett which is the "outcast" kids of a Texas town realize that the creatures of lore their families always spun tales about are actually real... and more than a little dangerous. More dangerous than the "nazi-like" elements that have taken root in their town.
Over at Catalyst Prime in Lion Forge land, two of their books, Incidentals & Astonisher, are dipping their toes into superhero horror with their current storylines. As I say that, another title not to sleep on is Vita Ayala & Emily Pearson's The Wilds from Black Mask Studios, which is a very different take on the zombie genre.
In terms of technological horror, I'm going to go old school and say that Dynamite Comics has killed it with their handling of Battlestar Galactica's licenses old & new. Hell, they just had a "meeting/crossover" of the two properties (written by the great Peter David!) which hit ALL the right vibes of nostalgia and paranoia.
SO there's a few of the books what I have been reading this Halloween season. I didn't even include The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror or The Archie-Verse horror books (although, in anticipation of the Netflix series, I just picked up The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Vol 1). And don't sleep on DC Comics' Justice League Dark and Odyssey which just kicked off their "The Witching Hour" crossover involving Wonder Woman. Throw in their Cursed Comics Cavalcade, which involves horror stories from each corner of their universe from a variety of writers & artists.
Thx For Reading Folks.... And Have A Scary Halloween! Keep Fantasizing!
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