The prompt for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was supposed to be Top Ten Book Boyfriend/Girlfriends, but it’s October and we’re not doing mushy. So, today we’re going to focus on horror-themed comic books / graphic novels.
The first five are books that we’ve recently come across. Didn’t have a clue they existed, but something about them drew our eye. The Veil and Born in Hell are both horror-mysteries. The Pound looks like it would be a wild ride. Arkham Woods was selected because, well, Arkham. And tentacles. The tentacles definitely had something to do with it. Really don’t have any good reason for choosing the Grim Leaper other than sometimes twisted romances can be fun to read about.
The second set of five are book series that we’ve read some of already and definitely enjoyed.
The Veil
Written by El Torres | Art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Meet Chris Luna, a cheap private eye with a client list of the dearly departed. Chris has the unique ability to sometimes pierce through The Veil between our realm and the unknown beyond. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really pay the rent. Now Chris is broke and has to return home to Maine… and face the darkness that now lurks beneath the surface of her quiet hometown.
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The Pound Vol 1
Written by Stephan Nilson | Art by Ibrahim Moustafa
What do two, unemployed, municipal animal control specialists do when their city is infested with monsters? They open a facility, “The Pound,” dedicated to the capture and rehabilitation of unregistered monsters. What they don’t realize is their community service is putting a serious kink in the original four monsters’ plans for all-out Armageddon!
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Arkham Woods
Written by Christopher Rowley | Art by Jhomar Soriano
Kirsti Rivers is an L.A. teenager suddenly transplanted to the small New England town of Arkham Woods. Kirsti and her mom, Victoria, are tasked with clearing out and selling the old house left to them by Silas Scadmore, Victoria’s eccentric uncle. But from the hidden recesses of the house, Kirsti and her friends unwittingly unleash and ancient evil that could spell the end of the world — unless they can find a way to stop it first!
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Born in Hell
Written by Valentin Ramon | Art by Ferran Xalabarder
By the end of the Thirties, with the world one step close to the most terrible war, three characters, seemingly with nothing in common, find themselves implicated in a complex intrigue which will push them to the very limits of sanity. Joe Colter, a tough private eye looking for an urn, Max Conrad, an FBI agent looking for a missing comrade, and Juiette Smith, a luxury prostitute looking for her missing friend, are the three legs of a story which will lead them to a true meeting in the real kitchen of hell.
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Grim Leaper
Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe | Art by Alusio C. Santos
In death, he finally found something to live for. Lou Collins is caught in a cyclical curse of violent, gruesome deaths and new beginnings in the bodies of strangers. With no clue why, Lou desperately searches for a way to break the curse and cross over peacefully to the other side. Then equally doomed Ella comes along. It’s a love story to die for.
’68 Vol 1: Better Run Through the Jungle
Written by Mark Kidwell | Art by Nat Jones, Tim Vigil
There are zombies in the razorwire. Welcome to 1968– and the end of the world. From the steaming jungles of Viet Nam to the brightly lit campus of demonstration-torn Berkeley, California, ravenous hordes of unstoppable ghouls are changing the face of the Age of Aquarius. Collected for the first time, this 178-page collection re-presents the first four-issue story arc from the ’68 ongoing series, along with the re-colored and re-lettered original one-shot from 2006! Plus, creators MARK KIDWELL, NAT JONES and JAY FOTOS have included tons of behind-the-scenes extras to make this a must-have for zombie and horror fans everywhere!
I have no interest in wars, but when you add zombies into the mix, I’m definitely willing to have a look. ’68 was an interesting read.
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28 Days Later
Written by Michael Alan Nelson | Art by Alejandro Aragon, Pablo Peppino, Ron Salas, Declan Shalvey
The film that changed horror forever continues here! Selena and her new comrades struggle against the infected, the American presence in the UK and themselves. Selena is a survivor but even she must give pause when the mission has her breaking into the land she fought so hard to get out of.
I loved the 28 Days Later movie, so when I saw this on Comixology, I was half-tempted, half-scared to check it out. Luckily what I read (not all of it was available on Comixology Unlimited) was well-drawn and worth checking out.
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The Dunwich Horror
Written by Joe R. Lansdale | Art by menton3, Peter Bergting
H.P. Lovecraft is known as one of the key founders of modern horror, cited as a major influence by many prominent authors, such as Stephen King. In collaboration with renowned Lovecraft historian and literary caretaker Robert Weinberg, IDW is bringing you the definitive Lovecraft comics updated for a 21st century audience. This unique series begins by adapting classic Lovecraft tale “The Dunwich Horror” by fright-master Joe R. Lansdale (30 Days of Night: Night, Again) and Peter Bergting (D&D: Dark Sun).
I think I actually started this before I’d tried to seriously read anything else from H.P. Lovecraft. The first volume was definitely creepy and caught my attention.
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The Twilight Zone Vol 1
Written by J. Michael Straczynski | Art by Guiu Vilanova
From the mind of J. Michael Straczynski, Hugo Award-winning creator of Babylon 5 and writer for the blockbuster films Thor, Changeling, and World War Z! Trevor Richmond is a Wall Street investor who embezzled millions and is about to tank the economy. Desperate to avoid the consequences for his actions, he goes to Expedited Services, which offers to help him disappear and enjoy a life of leisure in a new identity. But what exactly is this new life, how much is freedom worth, and what happens to the old life when someone else shows up to claim it? This captivating first volume will push the boundaries of The Twilight Zone into new and uncharted territory – a journey that will travel into the past and the future, into murder and revenge, and finally into the sunrise of nuclear Armageddon!
The art isn’t exceptional, but it fits the story perfectly. And the way the story is told does instantly put you right into the Twilight Zone. Think it’s something you must check out if you’re a fan of the TV series.
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Whispers in the Walls Vol 1: Sarah
Written by David Munoz | Art by Tirso
Somewhere in post WWII Central Europe exists an orphanage where children having survived a mysterious, transformative virus are admitted. Czechoslovakia, 1949. What Evil lurks within the walls of an ancient children’s infirmary? After the brutal murder of her parents, Sarah, a young orphan, is about to discover that and much more. From long-buried secrets to imminent battles, the fate of man, and monster, lie with young Sarah. A gothic tale of horror from David Muñoz (co-writer of Guillermo Del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone film) and artist Tirso.
This is another case where I wasn’t a huge fan of the art itself, but I liked the way the story was told. The color choice is nice as well. The story opens with a nearly wordless sequence of several pages that sets the mood properly and then leaps right into Sarah’s story itself.
Well, there you have it. If you’re a fan of graphic novels, you might want to consider giving these a try. (And please remember, Sci-Fi & Scary is an Amazon Affiliate, so we do earn a small percentage if you choose to purchase using the buy links. Helps pay server costs and the like.)
What do you think of horror movies getting adapted into graphic novels? I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed 28 Days Later. They kept the main character feeling very true to form from the movie.
Would you be interested in seeing a book like IT get made into a graphic novel?
Talk to us! (And feel free to link us to your Top Ten Tuesday posts as well!)
Some of these look just perfect for me. Have to go get my son and see which ones he wants to try too. We just finished Gaiman’s Sandman series. Those were awesome!
I tried Gaiman’s Sandman. It gave me a headache.