Dark Horse is well known for our horror comics, so no one takes Halloween more seriously than the staff who help bring it all to life! Who better to recommend the best in Dark Horse horror right now than our Editors, Prepress Coordinators, Marketing Team, and more! We've gathered some of their favorite titles from this year, some already out and some coming soon, to give you some reading inspiration for the spooky season. So, beware, you're in for a scare!

Looking to spook-ify your space while you read? Check out our Spotify for playlists like Dark Horse Spooky Synth Horror or Dark Horse Halloween Haunts to create the perfect Halloween reading atmosphere!

Spooky Staff Picks 2022

Night of the Ghoul by Scott Synder and Francesco Francavilla  

"Night of the Ghoul #1 is a delightfully chilling start to a three-part tale of terror, following horror film-obsessed Forest Inman as he tracks down filmmaker T.F. Merritt concerning a legendary horror movie that burned in a studio fire before it was ever released.

As a horror-obsessed person myself, the blend of horror movies and comics really makes Night of the Ghoul the best of both worlds! By seamlessly flowing between the present story and segments of old movie reel, Night of the Ghoul melds comics and cinema in a really unique way. Even the title spread a few pages in feels like a quick cut in a horror movie—I can almost hear the soundtrack behind it!

By the end of issue #1, you’ll not only be begging for more, but you’ll start to wonder whose story you really believe…" --Rikki Midnight, Prepress Coordinator

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 Series by Mike Mignola and others 

"Folklore and traditional fairytales are always a hit in our house, so we've been longtime fans of the Hellboy comics. To this day some of our favorites are the classic one-shot stories, which is why we're loving the new Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 series! While each of the five stories is set in the same year, they all follow different occult and paranormal storylines that feature Hellboy and individual B.P.R.D. members from the era, like Dr. Woodrow "Woody" Farrier and Susan Xiang. It's fabulous to see some of these lesser-known agents really get to shine alongside Hellboy in their own classic Mignolaverse "side quests." And to make things even better, while every issue is written by longtime collaborators Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, each is drawn by a separate artist. Seeing the way that the different art styles of folks like Shawn Martinbrough, Laurence Campbell, and Stephen Green have been tonally matched to individual stories is nothing short of phenomenal. The first three issues in the five-issue series Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 have been released and are available now through your favorite local comics shop! They're the perfect addition to your spooky autumn reading list." --Jenny Blenk, Associate Editor

 

Daisy by Colin Lorimer, Joana Lafuente, Anita Vu, and Jim Campbell

"Colin Lorimer's Daisy expertly pushes a number of gut-churning horror buttons while delving into the darkest corners of Christian mythology. It's hard to imagine someone writing this well with so much originality while illustrating with such utter command. Colin is possessing of more talent than any one person deserves!" --Chris Warner, Senior Editor

 

The Hellbound Volumes 1 & 2 by Yeon Sang-Ho and Choi Gyu-Seok, translated by Danny Lim

"When a catastrophe happens, we ask ourselves 'why?'often turning to faith for an understanding. But when an event occurs, as inexplicable as creatures manifesting from thin air to rip and burn you limb from limb, that call becomes desperate. How do you live knowing you can be condemned at random to an excruciating death? Now, how do you begin to accept that this death sentence can be passed onto one as innocent as a newborn baby? The Hellbound will have you trembling—from fear of the unknown, fear of doom, and fear of the ease at which society can so quickly be consumed by dogma. Experience this original work by acclaimed South Korean writer/director Yeon Sang-ho and artist Choi Gyu-seok, published in English for the first time. Volume 1 and 2 available now! Live action adaptation also directed by Yeon Sang-ho now a Netflix original series." --Judy Khuu, Associate Editor

The Roadie by Tim Seeley, Fran Galan, and El Torres

"The Roadie is a dark and twisted tale that brings about a new spin on heavy metal and horror. Joe's journey to rescue his daughter from demonic entities is a wickedly epic journey that's sure to appeal to heavy metal heads and horror fans everywhere!" --Chris Beltran, PR Coordinator

The Evil Dead: 40th Anniversary Edition by Mark Verheiden and John Bolton

"The Evil Dead: 40th Anniversary Edition hardcover is Finnegan Simon’s pick this year. Finn (who lives with Dark Horse editor Philip Simon) enjoys reading this Sam Raimi-approved expansion on the film every year before he watches the original again. The Evil Dead: 40th Anniversary Edition is an expansion, rather than an adaptation, because it includes officially-approved extra scenes that weren’t in the movie. Writer Mark Verheiden was able to think up extra material that Sam Raimi approved, and the entire graphic novel with extra scenes is painted by John Bolton. How does Ash’s dumb friend Scotty turn demonic after rushing into the forest? You’ll see the evil stuff that goes down there! It’s scary! Another scene shows doomed humans making out—even scarier! And in some bonus afterword text, Mark Verheiden writes about his process working on this story and also how this graphic novel ties into his work as showrunner on the TV show Ash vs Evil Dead more than a decade later!" --Finnegan Simon with Philip Simon, Senior Editor

Criminal Macabre/Count Crowley: From the Pit They Came by Steve Niles, David Dastmalchian, Lukas Ketner, Lauren Affe, and Frank Cvetkovic

"I devoured this double monster-hunter feature, and I think you should, too. Not only does this one-shot bring together two fangtastic characters, but it also unites two terrifyingly talented writers: David Dastmalchian and Steve Niles. For horror fans, it doesn't get much better than this.

Featuring the ghoulishly great art team of Lukas Ketner (artist), Lauren Affe (colors), and Frank Cvetkovic (letters) from the Count Crowley comics, this story pairs the hardboiled Detective Cal McDonald with amateur monster hunter Jerri Bartman. They seek to stop a creature amidst the wonderfully weird setting of… a fan convention!

Whether you're new to Count Crowley or Criminal Macabre, or a longtime fan of either (or both), this is a fun read for any fans of horror with a healthy dose of humor and nostalgia.

I also can't help but recommend the other recent/ongoing comics:

Count Crowley: Amateur Midnight Monster Hunter
(series 2, with issue #4 out Nov. 2!)

Dead Mall by Adam Cesare, David Stoll, and Justin Birch

"I love Adam Cesare's Clown in a Cornfield, so when I heard he was coming out with a new horror comic series from Dark Horse, you know I was checking every day to see if we had a PDF ready so that I could read it early! And Dead Mall does NOT disappoint! A mall, even abandoned, would be one of the last places I would find scary or think is haunted or full of strange creatures. Sure, mannequins in the dark would be a bit creepy, but the creatures David hides in between them are so much worse! But the most terrifying part? Well, no spoilers, but that last two page spread makes my claustrophobia itch. Grave Encounters in a mall anyone?

Seriously, don't skip this one, especially because it's out the week before Halloween!--Kaitlyn, PR/SM Associate