It’s that time of year again …Mariah is defrosting and some of us aren’t quite ready to pack up the spooky decorations yet. So, Boos and Ghouls, grab your popcorn and that bag of the good candy (that just happened to go missing and reappeared after the last trick r treater) and settle in for one last round of tricks and treats to say goodbye to the season. Here are my top 5 picks to keep the spooky mood going and as a bonus, I will pair each with a movie recommendation I personally think goes well with the book.
1. Something Is Killing The Children (Boom Studios) –
There is a reason this book has consistently been on our Top 50 Best Selling Graphic Novel shelves for, it seems years at this point. A mysterious force is killing the youth of a small town and it’s up to Erica Slaughter to put a stop to it. The book very much has a “Kids on Bikes” type of vibe, like Stranger Things, Stand By Me and The Goonies, except the kids on said bikes are disappearing. A James Tynion IV (Nice House By The Lake/Sea, Department of Truth and Exquisite Corpses) creation, it may be a while between issues, but it’s consistently a great read.
Movie Pairing: Pairs well with Stephen King’s IT. Tim Curry’s version. Because Tim Curry can do no wrong.
2. Creepshow (Image) –
Now in its fourth year of publishing, Creepshow has been another fun series. Very much in the same vein as the original movie, it’s a short story anthology series with fun twists and turns. They also tend to pick a few holidays throughout the year to use for horror themed specials, such as last year’s Holiday special and the “In Love” Valentines special.
Movie Pairing: obviously the Creepshow movie, specifically the original. Ironically also involved Stephen King… (I promise this isn’t a trend).
3. Universal Monsters (Image) –
We are a few monsters in here. We have seen Dracula, Frankenstein (not pronounced Frahnkensteen), Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mummy and are currently experiencing The Invisible Man. Not direct adaptations of the movies, but think of them as stories set in that world and/or new interpretations. Writers include James Tynion IV (of Something is Killing the Children fame, See above), Michael Walsh (Silver Coin), Dan Watters (Lucifer) and Ram V (Swamp Thing, Detective Comics).
Movie Pairing – obviously Universal’s Dark Universe/Monsters. Classics that are still some of the best horror films of all time.
4. The Twilight Zone (IDW Publishing) –
Recently restarted by IDW Publishing, this series follows the tone and style of the original 1950’s TV series. So far only the first issue has released. Each issue will be its own stand-alone story, which the format fits perfectly. A good blend of Science Fiction and Horror and Dark Fantasy. Issue #2 is due to release November 19th.
Movie Pairing – Any anthology series will do. Twilight Zone (TV Series) is always good, but if you are looking for a movie along those lines, I suggest the often under the radar John Carpenter Presents Body Bags.
5. Hello Darkness (Boom Studios) –
So, apparently, I like anthology style books. Quick simple stories that I can read in one go. This book is currently in its second year of publication and just released its first Halloween special (Hello Halloween). The book features the talents of Garth Ennis (Punisher, The Boys), Becky Cloonan (Batgirls, Wonder Woman), James Tynion (again? Dude, do you sleep? We worry about you!), Sarah Andersen (Sarah’s Scribbles, Fangs), Jenny Frison (cover artist extraordinaire), and RL Stein (Goosebumps). Some stories go across a few issues like old pulp magazines; some are just a few pages and done. Being an anthology, art and story wise, your mileage may vary, but this one has been, for the most part, solid.
Movie Pairing – More of a “TV pairing”, I would say Freddy’s Nightmares (A Nightmare on Elm Street TV anthology series that ran from 1988 to 1990) would be a good match. Or Tales From The Crypt.
Honorable mentions:
EC Comics 2.0 (Oni Press) – Fun Anthology books that run for about 6 to 12 issues and then relaunch.
EC/Creepy/Eerie Archives (Dark Horse) – Do you like Tales from the Crypt? Vault of Terror? How about Creepy and Eerie? Dark horse is collecting the early issues and they are fantastic.
Houses of the Unholy (Image) – Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. One of the best creative teams publishing right now. Read It.
Anyways, hope everyone had a safe and prosperous Halloween.
And for the most horrifying reminder of all: Less than 60 days until Christmas.