Comic Watch’s 10 Favorite Reading Recommendations for Halloween 2020

It’s the week of Halloween and Comic Watch is here to give you all the spooky reading recommendations you need to keep you up all night! Our team got together to give a list of our favorite October readings, in no particular order and from any era, so let’s dive in!

1. THE SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #20 – “It’s a masterpiece of creeping, crawling horror, topped with a descent into madness.” – From Matt MeyerLegendary writer Alan Moore makes his debut on SWAMP THING with this issue wrapping up dangling plot threads from previous writers before diving into his own iconic run in issue #21. This hard-to-find issue puts various supporting characters in place and even features the death of Swamp Thing! By Alan Moore, Dan Day, John Totleben, Tatjana Wood, John Costanza
   
2. THE SANDMAN #6 – “Gaiman is able to convey to the readers the feeling of dread and isolation that the diner occupants feel. The reader is told that the rest of the world is in a similar chaos, but reader feels just as trapped as the occupants.” –  From Kevin Rossi
   Over the course of 24 horrific hours, Dr. Destiny unleashes impossibly dark terror on six unsuspecting people in a small-town diner. Armed with Morpheus’ Dreamstone, Destiny can rearrange time and space and does so to dreadful ends in this eerie, nearly standalone issue. By Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Dave McKean
3. BERNIE WRIGHTSON’S FRANKENSTEIN – “Bernie Wrightson’s illustrated version of Mary Shelley’s infamous gothic novel Frankenstein was first published by Marvel in 1983. Wrightson’s art both compliments and intensifies Shelley’s original story but stands beautifully on its own. Environments are often colossal, even overwhelming, but Wrightson’s art nonetheless always places the tortured relationship between creator and creature front and center. Every image is crammed with exquisite though often grisly detail, brought together by dramatic usage of chiaroscuro. Overall, the book is great a reminder of why Wrightson was (and remains) one of the greats of horror comics.” – From Lillian Hochwender
   Few works by comic-book artists have earned the universal acclaim and reverence that Bernie Wrightson’s illustrated version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein was met with upon its original release in 1983. Twenty-five years later, this magnificent pairing of art and literature is still considered to be one of the greatest achievements made by any artist in the field. By Bernie Wrightson
   
   
4. THE WILDS – “The Wilds is a unique and vibrant take on the standard zombie narrative. Like The Walking Dead, the strength of the book lies in the living characters but in making the zombies beautifully strange rather than grotesque, the book sets itself distinctly apart.” – From Cody White
   After a cataclysmic plague sweeps across America, survivors come together to form citystate-like communities for safety. Daisy Walker is a Runner for The Compound, a mix of post-apocalyptic postal service and black market salvaging operation. It is a Runner’s job to ferry items and people between settlements, and on occasion scavenge through the ruins of the old world. Daisy is the best there is at what she does. Out beyond the settlement walls are innumerable dangers: feral animals, crumbling structures, and Abominations — those that were touched by the plague and became something other. After a decade of surviving, Daisy isn’t phased by any of it — until her lover, another Runner named Heather, goes missing on a job. Desperate to find her, Daisy begins to see that there may be little difference between the world inside the walls and the horrors beyond. From writer Vita Ayala (Bitch Planet: Triple Feature, Wonder Woman Annual) and Emily Pearson (Cult Classic) with colors by Marissa Louise (Spell On Wheels) and covers by Natasha Alterici (Heathen), comes this bold tale of surviving in bleak times. By Vita Ayala, Emily Pearson, Louise, Campbell, Stelladia, Jordan, Shehan, Goodhart, Sevy, Lore

5. ARCHIVAL QUALITY – “Archival Quality (Oni Press, Steenz!, Ivy Noelle Weir, Joamette Gil) is a ghost story and a confessional story around mental illness and psychiatric survivorship, wrapped up in joyful, humane and relatable art.” – From Duna Haller
   
   After losing her job at the library, Celeste Walden starts working at the haunting Logan Museum as an archivist. But the job may not be the second chance she was hoping for, and she finds herself confronting her mental health, her relationships, and before long, her grasp on reality as she begins to dream of a young woman she’s never met, but feels strangely drawn to. Especially after she asks Cel for help… As Cel attempts to learn more about the woman, she begins losing time, misplacing things, passing out—the job is becoming dangerous, but she can’t let go of this mysterious woman. Who is she? Why is she so fixated on Cel? And does Cel have the power to save her when she’s still trying to save herself? By Ivy Noelle Weir, Steenz
6. EVIL ERNIE: GODEATER – “The Godeater is approaching. Heaven and hell will be forever changed unless Evil Ernie can stop the unholy force from ravishing everything in its path and leaving destruction in its wake.” – From Mike Eakins
   
   Something bad is coming, something that could kill Heaven, Hell, and Earth itself: The Godeater. And the only thing standing its way is… Evil Ernie? Justin Jordan, the Harvey Award-winning writer of such horror hits as The Strange Talent of Luther Strode and Shadowman, joins artist sensation Colton Worley to deliver an event so epic in scope, it promises to shake the very foundations of the Chaos! Comics universe! As an added bonus, Evil Ernie: Godeater includes “Last Ditch Bitch”, a short story by Keith Davidsen and Cezar Razek. The lead singer of a Scandinavian Death Metal band becomes an unwitting pawn in Ragnarok, as guest stars Mistress Hel and Chastity go to war! By Keith Davidsen, Justin Jordan, Cezar Razek, Colton Worley
7. DEEP ROOTS – “A killer book, plants rise up to kill pollution. It’s just fantastic with gorgeous art!” – From John Jack
   Roots, once suffocating under cement, tear through the streets of London to throttle buildings. Vegetable homunculi hold up banks with automatic weapons. There is a green and blooming world beyond our own, fighting back against the human pollutant. We will launch a rescue mission to this Otherworld. But it is cruel and unknowable, and should we become tangled in its vines, more than cities will fall. By Dan Watters, Triona Farrell, Val Rodrigues, Aditya Bidikar
8. THE KEEP – “An adaption that was such a great classic cult horror feel to it!” – From Ethan Coney
   The keep had stood empty in the Transylvanian Alps for 500 years. No one knew who built it, or why. But on the eve of WW II, German soldiers move in and awaken something-something hungry… something as merciless as the SS einsatzkommandos accompanying them. Noted horror writer F. Paul Wilson adapts his own New York Times bestselling novel and is joined by Matthew Smith (Hellboy) on art in this, the first installment of the story that the Providence Journal called, ‘A battle between good and evil that staggers the imagination, with an ending as exciting as any horror fan could wish! By F. Paul Wilson, Matthew Dow Smith

    

9. MERCY – “Mirka Andolfo’s words and art have a plan, and that plan is to tell a top-notch horror story and put you into its binds and never let go. Mercy blends dark romance and monster horror making it an addictive page-turner.” – From Mike Eakins
   When the placid mining village of Woodsburgh is disturbed by a series of brutal murders, the settlement is in turmoil. And as the first snow covers the chaos in a white blanket, a mysterious woman in black arrives, eliciting a totally different kind of unrest. But who is Lady Hellaine, really? And what’s her secret agenda?Acclaimed UNNATURAL creator MIRKA ANDOLFO presents a sensual Victorian gothic horror about otherness, damnation, redemption, and what it means to be a monster in a horror tale perfect for fans of Penny Dreadful, Crimson Peak, The Alienist, Parasol Protectorate, and Dark Shadows. By Mirka Andolfo
10. THE PLOT – “A ghostly tale with a classic creature feature mood. It’s beautifully horrific and knows how to grab ahold of you and never let go!” – From Nicholas Osborn
    In order to receive…first you must give. When Chase Blaine’s estranged brother and sister-in-law are murdered, he becomes guardian to McKenzie and Zach, the niece and nephew he hardly knows. Seeking stability for the children, Chase moves his newly formed family to his ancestral home in Cape Augusta—which overlooks a deep, black bogland teeming with family secrets. By Tim Daniel, Michael Moreci, Joshua Hixson, Jim Campbell 

And there you have it! It’s a great time to get under the covers and dive into some spooky reading this year so stay safe and enjoy!