Three Spooky Comics for Halloween

Can’t wait for Halloween? Looking forward to combing the stores for discount candy? Already planning next year’s costume? If the spooky season is your favorite time of year, Cartoon Sara has three comics that are perfect reading material for your next dark and stormy night.

Scary Godmother

by Jill Thompson

If you’re looking for family-friendly Halloween ambiance, Jill Thompson’s Scary Godmother has exactly what you need. The title character, as her name suggests, is partway between a fairy godmother and a witch. She watches over a young girl named Hannah Marie, helping her to face her fears and enjoy the spooky side of life. The stories range from traditional comics for picture books with some comic book elements. Thompson’s stunning watercolors and fun stories filled with humor and puns appeal to kids an adults alike. There is a somewhat grim storyline in the “Ghoul’s Out for Summer” comic miniseries, but this is generally an all ages series perfect for families who love Halloween.

Both the books and the comics have been collected into a few omnibus versions and a new one is planned for release next year. The first book - simply titled Scary Godmother is a good place to start and the follow-up Revenge of Jimmy is a direct sequel. But for the most part, you can read the stories in whatever order you like.

Hellboy

by Mike Mignola and others

Hellboy is my - and a lot of other people’s - go-to comic when I’m looking for some spooky reading. It’s aimed at an older audience than Scary Godmother, but still more focused on chills and atmosphere than outright horror. Hellboy is a half-human half-demon paranormal investigator, summoned to Earth as an infant by Nazi occultists, but raised by good people. His adventures include encounters with creatures of world folklore, original monsters, and the secrets of his own origins. All of it is grounded by Hellboy’s surprisingly down-to-earth personality and sense of humor. Mignola’s distinctive artwork sets the perfect tone for the stories, though equally talented artists take over later in the run.

Although most of Hellboy has some continuity of story, the first book - Seed of Destruction - has a co-aithor and a writing style that make it somewhat different from the rest of the series. I recommend starting with The Chained Coffin and Others, a collection of short comics that give you a good introduction to Hellboy. If you like what you find there, you can go through the other books in order and check out the numerous spinoffs featuring other characters from Hellboy’s world.

Flinch

by various creators

For sheer scariness, it’s tough to beat Flinch, an anthology of horror comics from DC’s Vertigo imprint published from 1999 to 2001. The short story and anthology formats have long served horror well and Flinch is no exception. Featuring a laundry list of top comics talent, the series covers traditional horror tropes and new ideas alike. With the sheer number of stories and creators in its sixteen issue run, it offers something for every variety of horror fan.

Flinch was collected into two volumes. They were last published several years ago, but remain pretty easy to find and are available on some digital services.