It's time to get in the spooky spirit with this year's Dark Horse's Spooky Staff Picks! The Halloween season wouldn't be complete without some creepy books and comics, so Dark Horse staff members have prepped some of their favorite new books and comics to inspire your reading this season.
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 2025
Into the Unbeing Part Two by Zac Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Jim Campbell
"This Halloween, ghosts, goblins, and ghouls will cower in fear at the greatest terror of them all… global warming!
Into the Unbeing follows four climate scientists as they make an alarming discovery in the Australian outback: a gargantuan corpse buried up to its neck in the desert sands! Compelled by scientific curiosity (or perhaps some malevolent force), the team descends into the giant’s cavernous innards. What they find there is a Cronenbergian landscape full of bizarre, twisted lifeforms. Could the secret to humanity’s coexistence with Mother Nature be hidden somewhere down here? Perhaps, though any answers will be hard to find and even harder to escape with! The environment itself seems intent on keeping the scientists trapped in their humungous host…
This horrifying adventure in cosmic body horror is written by the acclaimed Zac Thompson (Marvellous X-Men, Cemetery Kids Don’t Die) and illustrated by Eisner-award winning artist Hayden Sherman (Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns). Sherman’s bizarre designs, psychedelic colors, and one-of-a-kind layouts render Thompson’s mind-bending script equally beautiful and grotesque. Part two of this epic story has been collected in a trade paperback and is arriving in stores this October! "—Joseph Cavanagh, Assistant Editor
FML by Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez, Cris Peter, and Clayton Cowles
"FML is an ongoing series that I LOVE, and it is especially close to my heart because it is set here in Portland. It's a spooky, sweet, and thrilling portrait of a family dealing with a global pandemic, supernatural surprises, but also the haunting echoes of a murder from the past—all brought to the surface at the same time as a metal festival and a true crime convention. I am patiently awaiting the final issues which will be on-sale this Winter!"—Paige Brayton, International Licensing Manager 
Harrow County by Cullen Bunn, Tyler Crook, Carla Speed McNeil, Hannah Lavender, and Jenn Manley Lee
"Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook team up for one of my favorite horror comics stories, ever! If you are looking for a spooky tale for October, it would be hard to find anything better than Harrow County, where a charming, rural southern county hides something nefarious under the surface. Witchcraft, haints of all manner and sizes, family secrets, and supernatural forces are all buried in Harrow County, just begging to be uncovered.
Did you know you can get the entire run of Harrow County in one hardcover book? That’s all 32 single issues coming out to over 1000 pages of Southern Gothic horror. It’s also an oversized book, measuring about 10 x 15 inches. Perfect to admire Tyler Crook’s amazingly gruesome watercolor artwork. The book has black gilded edges, which is peak goth when it comes to book treatments. This imposingly massive hardcover comes with a special slipcase that’s designed to look like a dresser drawer. A special drawer that holds unspeakable horrors. Steel yourself before you look inside!
If you are looking for a more budget-friendly version, you can pick up The Complete Harrow County Compendium as a trade paperback omnibus that comes out at the end of October, just in time for Halloween!"—Arc Mission, Digital Sales Manager
H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space by Gou Tanabe
"Who knew that something as simple as a color could bring so much chaos upon unsuspecting onlookers? As well as the reader, of course -- I went into this volume expecting some horror, but some of the panels drawn by the masterful Gou Tanabe really brought out the creepy, spooky vibes that anyone can enjoy. But don't stare at the color for too long... or you too might become entranced!"—Will Woodward, Social Media Associate 
Our Brilliant Ruin: Horror at Crane Mansion by Cullen Bunn, Christopher Mitten, Piky Hamilton, and Frank Cvetkovic
"Our Brilliant Ruin: Horror at Crane Mansion has it all: fancy parties, horrific monsters, a gory murder or three, doomed love--and at the center of it all, a sharp-witted detective and her untested but determined sidekick. When the leaves turn gold and the evenings take on a chill, I love to settle down and read about the horrible fall of a privileged socialite family. Our Brilliant Ruin: Horror at Crane Mansion delivers in the best possible ways. With this gruesome read, you've got yourself a Halloween treat!"—Jenny Bingham-Blenk, Editor
Purgatory Funeral Cakes Volume 1 by Sanho
"My Spooky Staff Pick for 2025 is Purgatory Funeral Cakes! It’s a gentle and cozy look at death and what comes next. Purgatory native Margot visits the living world to bake funeral cakes for the recently deceased. In volume one she caters to two clients: A mystery novel writer and volunteer who bonded with a terminally ill hospital patient, and the daughter of a vampire whose mother recently passed. If you’re looking for something to warm you up after the other chilling tales recommended here, look no further! In stores November 18!"—Rose Weitz, Editor
Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands by Cavan Scott, Soo Lee, and Comicraft
"A galaxy far, far away gets its own true Bogeyman. Created by Cavan Scott and designed by Iain McCaig and Francesco Francavilla, you can’t get a better celebration of the spooky season than Star Wars: Tales from The Nightlands. From a stray curse in the canon of Cavan’s scripts, to a precision placement of 'Beware the Nightlander!' at a bygone convention, to the glorious comics page brought to life by incredible artists Soo Lee, Vincenzo Riccardi and Robert Hack, this new villain of Star Wars is the perfect scary story for Star Wars fans of all ages. Keep your despair in check and your lightsaber close as the creeping, lurking feeling of being watched washes over you like a lingering nightmare, for if you’re not careful the Nightlander will feed, and feed deeply until you too are under their control and their monstrous hunger is sated."—Spencer Cushing, Editor
The Last of Us: Part I and II Scripts by Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross
"Joel and Ellie, Ellie and Riley, Ellie vs. Abbie… Amazing characters on a haunting, harrowing journey that tests their humanity and examines the consequences of violence. It's all set in a terrifying world where an insidious infection makes hideous, deformed creatures of almost any person it touches. These collected scripts for the original video game saga offer no short supply of thrills!"—Ian Tucker, Editor
Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons: The Rise of Hellfire by Jody Houser, Eric Campbell, Diego Galindo, Diana Sousa, and Nate Piekos
"Satanic Panic! Head back to Hawkins, Indiana and spend more time with Eddie Munson, if you dare to defy the demonizing stereotypes. See how he was first lured into Dungeons & Dragons, how this seductive game gave him a way to fight villains and horrors, and revealed how he will do what's right and save others, even those who may not deserve it.
This collection is out just ahead of Halloween and as we get ready for the final season of Stranger Things. It’s for anyone who wants to know what it’s like to be in the Hellfire Club, to fight evils and battle stereotypes alongside unlikely friends, and to discover how youths of Hawkins found inspiration to fight the real demons in their lives. May we all know an Eddie, who will rise above hate, keep fighting when others would quit, sacrifice himself to save others, no matter what, and do it all in the most epic, metal way possible."—Cara O'Neil, Vice President of Marketing
Let This One Be a Devil by James Tynion IV, Steve Foxe, Piotr Kowalski, Brad Simpson, and Tom Napolitano
"As someone who loves the Jersey Devil, it feels like a no-brainer to pick Let This One Be a Devil! It's the first story in a new series about Cryptid encounters and follows a young scholar named Henry Naughton as he investigates what's really haunting the Pine Barrens. Is it really New Jersey's own bi-pedal creature with the head of a horse or goat (depending on who you ask), a forked tail, and leathery bat-like wings? Or is it something else? Either way, with a team like this, it's a fun and spooky time! "—Kaitlyn Nash, Publicist
And a few more rapid fire recommendations!
For kids and young adults:
Small Town Spirits by Zack Keller, Gabriele Bagnoli, Valerio Olloro, and Frank Cvetkovic
The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos by James Tynion IV, Tate Brombal, Isaac Goohart, Miquel Muerto, and Aditya Bidikar
- LGBTQ+ horror-hero coming-of-age series that follows teenage mad scientist Christopher Chaos as he finds himself in a world of monsters, heroes, and a cult of hunters out to kill them all.
Plants vs. Zombies by Paul Tobin and others
- The confusing-yet-brilliant inventor known as Crazy Dave helps his niece, Patrice, and young adventurer Nate Timely fend off several fun-dead neighborhood invasions! Follow Crazy Dave and his dedicated, gifted plants, as they confront Zomboss and his hordes of clueless zombies!.
Stranger Things: Tales from Hawkins 2 by Derek Fridolfs, Sunando C, Bradley Clayton, Mack Chater, Vincenzo Riccardi, Dan Jackson, and Nate Piekos
- A dark, moody, and menacing horror/crime tale.
Young Hellboy by Mike Mignola, Tom Sniegoski, Craig Rosseau, Dave Stewart, and Clem Robins
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Pulp adventures with a young Hellboy.
- A year and a half after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Ghostbusters are officially back in business and headed to where it all began: New York City!
- Follow Crazy Dave, Patrice, Nate, and their dedicated, gifted plants, as they confront Zomboss and his hordes of clueless zombies!
For adults:
- Russia, 1961. Nine students die tragically under mysterious circumstances that will come to be known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident. To this day, the true cause of their deaths remains unknown, although some theorize the blame lies with visitors from beyond the stars...
- When a centuries-old land feud escalates into the supernatural, when two warring families threaten a low-country apocalypse, only cowboy arcanist Avery Belle can unearth the truth.
- New folklore-inspired tales abound in this new anthology of fantasy stories written and drawn Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.
- Books by the celebrated Grand Prix at Angoulême recipient and Eisner Award Hall of Famer republished with new material
- When a giant monster attacks a city and swallows a bus full of civilians, Sara, a chef with big dreams, finds herself trapped in the belly of the beast—literally.
- Two serial killers discover they are within reach of the state record for kills and enter a terrible competition to see who gets there first.
- Amber has carried the question of her past for years. With no memory of her childhood haunted by chronic pain, she assumes it’s amnesia—until a strange man claiming to have answers appears. And a story much darker, stranger, and more otherworldly begins to take shape.
- A brand-new meta-horror story that's Cabin in the Woods meets Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.
- Award-winning horror writing and filmmaking team David Ian McKendry and Rebekah McKendry team up with Eisner-nominated artist Tyler Jenkins in this quirky and gruesome comedy horror graphic novel about a scenic desert, an eccentric town, and demons from Hell.
- The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Dracula, this stylish neo-noir horror graphic novel will sink its teeth into you and leave you infatuated. Forever.
- Inspired by the gothic novel that started a genre, this queer vampire murder mystery series is a mesmerizing tale of identity, obsession and fateful family secrets
Horror Manga
Gou Tanabe's Adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft Mob Psycho 100 by ONE- Follows a psychic boy named Shigeo whose powers threaten to break free unless he represses his emotions.
- Fuses gothic horror, violent action, and dark humor into a tumultuous tornado of terror.
- Guts the Black Swordsman relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death...or vengeance.
- A fictionalization of the true life of Charles-Henri Sanson, the "Gentleman of Paris," who performed nearly three thousand executions in 18th century France.
- Five spiritualist students form the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, carrying out the last wishes of their cadaverous clients, so their souls can move on.
Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In by Joe Bob Briggs and Mike Norton
- Cult genre film host Joe Bob Briggs' collection of wisecracking takes on drive-in movies and redneck life is finally back in print!
- Something terrible has happened. For forty days she was tortured by five men and left for dead--but she will get her revenge on each and every one of them. An event that takes her on a strange and violent supernatural path of payback through bizarre encounters with ex-hitmen, sadistic art enthusiasts, and literal devils.
- While the town sleeps, evil rises. A war is fought for soul of Pacific City by monsters, human and supernatural. But some of the monsters are on our side. The Nocturnals, led by Doc Horror, his daughter Evening, and their band of misfit vigilantes, are all that stand against an eldritch criminal underworld.
- Delve into the lore of the band Ghost with Sister Imperator’s mysterious origins.
Dracula Book 2: The Brides by Mat Wagner, Kelley Jones, Rob Leigh, Jose Villarrubia
- This 120-page volume dives deeper into the story of Dracula’s brides, and the lives and horrors they faced before they married the ultimate evil.
Jumpscare by Cullen Bunn, Danny Luckert, and Jim Campbell
- Horror fan turned vigilante Jumpscare can conjure any gore-soaked weapon from any gore-soaked movie she's watched. Using this power, she's become a force for good in Empire City...and the world's most popular superhero!
The Goon: Them That Don't Stay Dead by Eric Powell
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Eric Powell’s award-winning crime pulp series that combines pulp horror, crime drama, and a twisted sense of humor.