5 Horror Comics From the 2000's You May Have Missed

Take a visit to your local comic shop, and you’ll see dozens and dozens of iterations of Batman, Spider-Man, and X-Men titles. These books take up so much shelf space that there often isn’t much room left for other genres. But if superheroes aren’t exactly your thing, and you like your comics a little darker, don’t despair; there are plenty of great horror comics and graphic novels out there, they can just be a bit more difficult to find.

The last few years have seen some excellent works in the realm of horror comics from some of the top writers and artists in the business
Here are the five recent horror comics you may have missed:



5. Revival

An ongoing Image comic which began in July of 2012, Revival takes place in a small town in Wisconsin where the dead have come back to life. These aren’t your typical zombies, though; they look just like regular people. A major difference with the ‘revivals’, however, is that they are much stronger than normal humans.

The main character of the book is Dana Cypress, a local cop tasked with keeping up with the murder and mayhem of the recently deceased. Revival has a a creepy noir-ish vibe created by writer Tim Seeley and artist Mike Norton.





4. The Wake

In this ten issue Vertigo limited series, started in May of 2013, writer Scott Snyder has some nice tricks up his sleeve. The main character of the first five issues is a marine biologist named Dr. Lee Archer, who is part of a oceanographic expedition attacked by bizarre creatures hidden in the murky depths of the ocean. The second half of the series fast forwards 200 years to a world ravaged by a massive storm, and still terrorized by sea monsters. The two timelines eventually merge with a plot-line that will keep you guessing up to the final pages. The Wake, much like Snyder’s other work (which we’ll discuss later in this list), is very cinematic, and the sketchy nature of artist Sean Murphy’s panels adds to this feeling. If you enjoy a bit of adventure mixed with your horror, you’ll like this one.





3. House of Mystery

This Vertigo title was the brainchild of Matthew Sturges (writer of Jack of Fables) and Bill Willingham (creator of the brilliant Fables series). A reimagining of an old Tales From the Crypt style DC book of the same name published in the 1970s, House of Mystery is about a group of people, and various creatures, trapped in a huge mansion. With no way to get out, and no form of entertainment, the inhabitants of the house share stories in exchange for food and drink.

The ongoing narrative covers current events in the house, and the tales told by the book’s characters serve as short stories illustrated by guest artists. Sturges and Willingham know how to craft a good mystery, and this one ran 44 issues from 2008 to 2011.





2. Neonomicon

Alan Moore is arguably the most respected man in the comic industry. He’s a legend who created such comic masterworks as Watchmen and V for Vendetta. At times he has delved into horror as well, with his brilliant run on Swamp Thing in the ‘80s, and his original graphic novel about Jack the Ripper, From Hell.

In 2010, he returned to the world of horror with Neonomicon, and it is very, very horrific indeed. With, Neonomicon, the first comic to win the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel, Moore delves into the world of H.P. Lovecraft as so many other writers have before. The book focuses on a pair of FBI agents investigating a series of copycat murders. Moore wanted to explore some of the sexual aspects that Lovecraft could only hint at in his works. Over the course of the four issue limited series, published by Avatar Press, Moore does that and more (no pun intended). Be warned; this is a very disturbing comic with depictions of extreme gore and explicit sex (including monster on human). Though not as complex a narrative as Watchmen, it’s still well written, and the detailed artwork by Jacen Burrows serves as nice complement to Moore’s words. Read this if you’re looking for something to get under your skin.





1. Wytches 

Scott Snyder is arguably the current king of comic book horror; his American Vampire just missed making this list, and Wytches lands the #1 spot. When the story of Wytches begins, the young Rock family has just moved to a new town. They were forced to flee their hometown when daughter Sailor was accused of murder after a classmate who bullied her went missing. Unfortunately, the family’s secret follows them, and they discover that the town itself has even darker secrets in store. The less you know about the plot going into this one, the better. All you need to know is this; you’ll be hard pressed to find a film released in the last few years which is as frightening as this comic.

Snyder does an exceptional job of ratcheting up tension and ending each issue on a cliffhanger, and the pencils by Jock and colors by Matt Hollingsworth are beautifully grungy. The movie rights to this one have already been sold, with Brad Pitt involved as a producer. With the right people involved, Wytches would make a fantastic film. Someone needs to get this book in the hands of True Detective director Cary Fukunaga, who recently left the big screen adaptation of It.