1. Flinch (DC/Vertigo) – One of the best horror anthology series I have ever read. It only lasted sixteen issues, but it became a classic in my mind. Unfortunately, FINDING this one is the problem – there were no trade paperbacks published, as far as I can tell…2. Walking Dead (Image) – Most of you know that I have a soft spot in my heart for a good zombie apocalypse story. And this one from Robert Kirkman hasn’t disappointed – except for, y’know, killing off a lot of characters we had grown to love.
3. Tales From The Crypt (EC Comics) – Possibly the most well recognized horror anthology series of all time. I strongly suggest checking out the beautifully reprinted hardbound volumes that have been put out in the last few years.
4. Werewolf By Night (Marvel) – Poor Jack Russell – born to a father who had the werewolf curse and a mother who was a powerful witch. Over the years, Jack learned to control the wolf, and teamed up with many heroes of the Marvel universe – including the first appearance of Moon Knight in issue #29.
5. Ghost Rider (Marvel) – Ah, Johhny Blaze - all he ever wanted was to keep his stepfather alive. So he bargained with Mephisto, his stepfather still died and now you could toast a marshmallow on the kid’s head. (MMMM, demonic marshmallows – sacrilicious!) The kid’s not a good haggler…
6. Swamp Thing (DC/Vertigo) – Don't judge by the movie - the comic was spinning horror yarns for years before the other jolly green giant made it to the screen. And in the second volume of Swamp Thing, we saw the seminal works of writer Alan Moore and artist Stephen Bissette on some of the creepiest tales you’ll ever read. Oh, and this book introduced this fine British fellow from our next entry…
7. Hellblazer (DC/Vertigo) – John Constantine is one of the best comic characters to ever grace a pulpy page – he’s the Johnny Rotten of the occult world. The book has been up and down, storywise, over the years (depending on the writer). But at its best, it was beyond brilliant. The Garth Ennis years were by far the best – I’d suggest the “Dangerous Habits” trade paperback for those of you looking for a starting point.8. Hellboy/B.P.R.D. (Dark Horse) – The big red guy never had an ongoing series, but an heir to a throne in Hell with a soft spot for kitties can do what he likes. His buddies in the BPRD, Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman and Johann Krauss among others, eventually rated their own spin-off sans Hellboy.
9. House of Mystery (DC) – This one started out as a horror anthology. But with the advent of the “Comics Code Authority” in the mid-1950s, supernatural themes were banned topics for comics, so superheroes took the limelight for a while. Luckily, in ’68 EC Comics vet Joe Orlando took over editorial duties and was allowed to bring the book back to its roots.
10. Tomb of Dracula (Marvel) – This is another book that benefited from the Comics Code loosening its collective sphincter about the horror topic. Dracula served as supervillain to many Marvel heroes over the years, but this was his time to shine. Just not in direct daylight.
11. Terror, Inc. (Marvel) – The hitman with the heart of Gold – hope Gold wasn’t using it. You see, Terror looked like a zombie with catfish whiskers, and he could replace any missing “parts” with assorted limbs from his victims. But he never replaced the “I Love Ringo” tattoo – I won’t tell you where he kept that.12. The Goon (Dark Horse) – A muscle-bound mob enforcer (who secretly runs the whole shebang) with a wide-eyed midget sidekick in a town overrun with zombie scum. And did I mention it’s a heap of silly fun? Eric Powell writes and provides art with his signature style.
13. 30 Days Of Night (IDW) – The movie was good, but a bit of a disappointment. You just can’t replicate Ben Templesmith’s artwork in the real world – the distortions, elongations and wonderfully jagged edges work especially well in the realm of vampires. And Steve Niles’ demented storytelling introduced us to the horribly cursed luck of Barrow, Alaska, and the smorgasbord it becomes…
14. Marvel Zombies (Marvel) – First appearing in issues of Ultimate Fantastic Four written by Mark Millar, we were introduced to a parallel Earth where all the Marvel heroes had been turned into zombies. Eventually, zombie maestro Robert Kirkman wrote the first two mini-series focusing on this dark (and oddly amusing) universe. Magneto saves people, Avengers eat people and people…should probably just run.15. Zombie Tales (Boom! Studios) – A horror anthology with my favorite theme!
16. The Astounding Wolf-Man (Image) – Robert Kirkman does it again, this time turning a werewolf into a cursed superhero with a vampire mentor. Fantastic twists and turns make this a new book worth keeping an eye on, 'cause our heroes luck isn't getting any better.
17. Perhapanauts (Dark Horse then Image) – What would happen if you put Bigfoot and a chupacabra through an Evolvo-Ray? Big would get genius-level smart, and Choopie would get…let’s just say he can talk. Put them together with a psychic, a cute-as-a-button ghost and a brooding character in sunglasses with an oh-so-secret past and you have the team lineup for the Perhapanauts. They save the world from inter-dimensional interlopers – and try to keep Choopie out of trouble.18. Proof (Image) – So, Bigfoot leads this team too. But in this reality, he’s named Proof (John Prufrock). He works for a clandestine organization called The Lodge, who seek out Cryptid activity worldwide. They provide sanctuary to most of the creatures, keeping them safe from ignorant humans – and often, keeping people from getting eaten.
19. Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse (IDW) – (Not to be confused with Garth Ennis’ Wormwood on Avatar Press) Ben Templesmith’s Wormwood is a cadaver with a sense of style. But the style depends on the cadaver he’s possessing at the time. You see, he’s a kind of worm that can possess the deceased, residing in their brainpan – and sometimes peeking out through the eye socket. What a cute little bugger. He’s got the crotchety charm of John Constantine and the disgusting look of that brain slug from Star Trak II.
20. Doomed (IDW) – Another great horror anthology, presented in old school black-and-white magazine format – complete with non-glossy, pulp pages. And the painted covers were a beautiful addition.
21. Hack/Slash (Devil’s Due Publishing) – So, you like your horror stories with a little bit of cheesecake shake – who doesn’t? Cassie Hack is a tough little goth cutie who hunts down the things of your nightmares while striking seductive poses. Sounds silly doesn’t it? But the book is loads of fun, and the monster action is nonstop.22. Zombies: Feast (IDW) – This is the first mini-series of IDW’s Zombies franchise. What if the zombie outbreak happened while you were transporting a busload of prisoners? Would you trust them to help you, or would you leave them to rot? You might get more answers than you were looking for in this tale…
23. The Living Corpse (Zenescope Entertainment) – A very cartoonish looking book, but incredibly fun. The corpse is our hero, and we follow his adventures as he guards our world from all sorts of undead evil, only pausing occasionally to nosh on some brains. But I’m sure they’re evil brains…
24. The Demon (DC) – Always a popular villain in the DCU, Jack Kirby created this bastard of rhyme. Bound to the human Jason Blood, the demon Etrigan was originally summoned by Merlin to defend Camelot. He eventually warranted his own series, which ended with a fantastic run by Garth Ennis and John McCrea. Some people couldn’t get past the rhyming dialogue – but I’d pretty much read a rewrite of the phone book if it was done by Ennis, so I’m biased. And let’s not forget that Ennis and McCrea created the loveable/despicable character of Tommy Monaghan in these pages, the title character from the hysterical Hitman series.25. Cal McDonald minis (Dark Horse/IDW) –Cal McDonald is Steve Niles’ American equivalent of John Constantine. Bad suits, equally bad luck, tousled hair and a scent that reeks of day-old vomit - just what you want in an antihero! The character started as a series of shorts from Dark Horse, moved to the big league world of pulp novels, then back to comics with Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery, and has kept his feet rooted in the comics world since. His assorted mini-series eventually pulled up stakes and moved to IDW publishing in recent years.
That's all she wrote for now. Next up: The Halloween soundtrack!
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