Halloween Picks: 3 Horror Comics to Binge

It's almost Halloween, you've got one free night, and sleep can wait.

If you're in the mood for something spooky, here are three horror comics you can finish in a single sitting. Each one is creepy in a completely different way: one has talking severed heads, one has a cozy little animal town with a killer in it, and one has a supernatural serial killer crashing a Day of the Dead festival. Grab a snack, turn the lights down, and pick your nightmare.

1. Basketful of Heads

By Joe Hill and Leomacs, with colors by Dave Stewart (DC / Hill House Comics) | Ages 17+

A young woman stuck on an island town during a storm gets her hands on an old Viking axe. Anything that axe takes the head off of... keeps talking. The heads don't stop. They argue. They beg. They have opinions. Honestly, some people just don't know when to shut up.

This is Joe Hill doing what he does best: a tight, nasty thriller with a mean sense of humor running underneath. Leomacs makes the quiet end-of-summer island feel cozy right up until it doesn't, and Dave Stewart's colors get darker as the storm rolls in. The first issue came out in Halloween week back in 2019, so it's pretty much made for this time of year. Go in as blind as you can, because the twists are half the fun.

The whole story is in one collected edition, so it really is a one-night read: start Basketful of Heads here, or see the series page.

 

2. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees

By Patrick Horvath (IDW) | Ages 17+

Cute animals. A cozy little town. Gorgeous, soft watercolor art that looks like it belongs in a picture book.

That's Miss Strong, the friendly bear who runs the hardware store. She says good morning to the kids at the crosswalk, and everyone in town loves her.

She's also a serial killer.

Yeah. That escalated quickly.

The real trouble starts when someone else starts killing people in her town, and Miss Strong has to deal with it before anyone takes a closer look at her. Horvath plays the storybook art against what's actually going on, and that gap gets more unsettling with every page. It's one of those books people can't stop recommending, and it's already popping up in Reddit horror threads this October. Don't let the bunnies fool you: the 17+ rating is real.

Start Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, Vol. 1, or see the series page.

 

3. Day of the Dead Girl

Written by A.J. Mendez and Aimee Garcia, art by Belén Culebras (Magma Comix) | Ages 13+

A skeptical coroner and her witch-coven mother have to team up to stop a supernatural serial killer before a Day of the Dead festival turns into an absolute bloodbath.

Family bonding! How wholesome!

Belén Culebras fills every page with marigolds, candlelight and sugar skulls, which makes it even better when things go dark. It's four issues long, a little lighter than the other two picks, and the bickering between a mom who believes in everything and a daughter who believes in nothing is half the charm. If you want spooky and funny without going full gore, this is the one for tonight.

Start Day of the Dead Girl #1, or see the series page.

Pick your nightmare

All three are included with GlobalComix Gold, so you can read the whole stack tonight. Start with the talking heads if you want laughs with your gore, the killer bear if you want something that gets under your skin, or the Day of the Dead festival if you want a mother-daughter monster hunt.

Then turn down the lights and ruin your sleep schedule. Happy Halloween.