I'm passionate about ghost stories, classic gothic literature, and horror comics, and I have always felt that October is too short to contain the atmospheric chills and versatility of horror stories. I am also passionate about graphic novels and have worked as a professional illustrator, comic artist, and colorist for 7 years. I love the camp, the fun, and the macabre invoked by Summerween. Now that I have written and published my own cozy, spooky graphic novel, which made both the American Book Association's Indies Introduce List for Summer 2024 and People Magazine's Summerween 2024 Book List, I want to shine the spotlight on other comics with the feeling of October.
This book surprised me a lot. I was expecting a gory, grimdark, good-for-her revenge storyâand it is thatâbut this book is also darkly funny! It gives What We Do in the Shadows vibes, but with demons.
The comic follows a duo of hapless twin siblings who are way over their heads, coming to terms with their demonic heritage, coping with emotionally unavailable parents, and running the family restaurant. I feel it perfectly balances dark comedy and gripping horror in its themes. (CW: gore)
The Night Eaters: She Eats the Nights is the first volume in a graphic novel horror trilogy from author Marjorie Liu and illustrator Sana Takedaâthe creative team behind the New York Times bestselling series Monstress.
NAMED A BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST NAMED A BOOK WE LOVED BY NPR
Chinese American twins Milly and Billy are having a tough time. On top of the multiple failures in their personal and professional lives, theyâre struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Luckily their parents, Ipo and Keon, are in town for their annual visit. Having immigrated fromâŠ
This is a cozy ghost story that explores the anxieties of adolescence and making new friends in a world that moves on way faster than the protagonist is ready for. I found her friendship with the ghost very sweet and compassionate, and it handled heavy topics that many children go through with relative ease.
The comic panels are vibrant and bursting with imagination; it's the comic equivalent of enjoying a brisk autumn day and throwing a small Halloween party with a few friends.
Lora wants to stay a kid forever, and she'll do anything to make that happen . . . including befriending Alexa, the ghost who haunts her house. A middle-grade graphic novel about growing up that's perfect for fans of Ghosts and Making Friends.
Growing up sounds terrible.
No one has time to do anything fun, or play outside, or use their imagination. Everything is suddenly so serious. People are more interested in their looks and what others think about them than having fun adventures. Who wants that?
Not Lora.
After watching her circle of friends seemingly fade away, Lora isâŠ
Edge of the Known World is a near-future love and adventure story about a brilliant young refugee caught in era when genetic screening tests like 23AndMe make it impossible to hide a secret identity. The novel is distributed by Simon & Schuster. It is a USA Today Bestseller and 2024âŠ
This book absolutely horrified me in all the best ways. A âbenevolentâ being ârescuesâ 11 of his human friends from the complete apocalyptic annihilation of the planet, and the journey that ensues is dark.
This comic is full of gut-wrenching, visceral storytelling, genius foreshadowing, stunning artwork, and enough cosmic & existential dread to leave me staring out my window for at least a day or two afterward, but in a good way. (CW: adult themes, nudity, gore, violence)
With Something Is Killing the Children and The Department of Truth, James Tynion IV has changed the face of horror in modern comics now get ready for his most ambitious story yet, alongside his Detective Comics partner Alvaro Martinez Bueno! Eisner Award Winner 2022 - Best New Series. Eisner Award Winner 2023 - Best Writer, James Tynion IV. Eisner Award Winner 2023 - Best Coloring, Jordie Bellaire. Eisner Award Nominee 2023 - Best Continuing Series. Eisner Award Nominee 2023 - Best Penciller/Inker, Alvaro Martinez Bueno. Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter well, they know him a little,âŠ
A hauntingly beautiful anthology of five twisted fairytales that, to me, felt like stepping into a pastoral Twilight Zone and stayed in my mind for days after the final page. Carrollâs artwork is eerie and subtle, and the limited color palette turns scenes of the mundane into a visual nightmare.
The stories are well-paced and spooky, and in my opinion, best read during a dark summer thunderstorm.
October 1962. Recently turned 21, France Leighton travels to Luxor, Egypt, taking with her two legaciesâan antique cello and an emerald ring. Instead of the archaeological adventure she expects, she gets a lecherous dig director, hidden agendas, and an enigmatic nuclear physicist.
This book is a frenetic, funny, and fast-paced horror comedy that's reminiscent of Invader Zim with the humor and the art style, and itâs tons of fun! I loved the dynamic character poses and expressions, and the visual gags caused many laugh-out-loud moments for me. The zany ensemble cast of various Halloween creatures is pure high-octane magical chaos.
Perfect for fans of Wednesday, Hooky, Monster High, and anyone in need of a wickedly good laugh, this graphic novel follows an aspiring witch and her two best friends as they try to have a fun-filled Halloween . . . while also dealing with a pair of neighborhood do-gooders hell-bent on vanquishing evil.
Learning to become a witch is hella difficult! Luckily, Gwen can always count on her two best friends in the whole world for help. Except Sloane and Miles arenât exactly from this world. Theyâre from the Hallowlands, a monstrous realm, which they can only leave as theâŠ
Dorian Leith can see ghosts. Not only that, he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It's a gift that's made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he's partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance.
Then, one day, the key to Death's Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he's the only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it is too late. If they can't move on, they'll soon be consumed by a ghostly rot that has begun to plague them.
It's 1915, twenty years after the Martian invasion chronicled in the War of the Worlds failed. The aliens left behind advanced technology and weapons, and now humanity is on the brink of a catastrophic war. Caught in the middle of the chaos are two unlikely heroes: Emil Zimmerman, a youngâŠ
Misanthropic psychologist Dr. Grace Park is placed on the Deucalion, a survey ship headed to an icy planet in an unexplored galaxy. Her purpose is to observe the thirteen human crew members aboard the shipâall specialists in their own fieldsâas they assess the colonization potential of the planet, Eos. ButâŠ