Did you know that at the dawn of the comics boom in America, most comic books didn't focus on a shared universe, but on a shared genre? Even the name “DC” is a relic of that bygone era—it’s short for “Detective Comics,” which before it became a beloved Bat-title was an anthology of…well, you can probably guess. And of these popular anthology genres, horror stood out close to the top. Even back in the ’40s and ’50s, people loved to be scared.
This Halloween, we thought it would be fun to revive that tradition here on DC.com, or the spirit of it, at least. (This is the time of the year for spirits, after all.) No, we're not talking about DC’s annual Halloween Specials—though this year’s is out now and you should go read it right away. Rather, we're imagining what it would be like if comics were still published as genre anthologies and asking ourselves a simple question: what modern-day horror classics should go in a collection of DC’s best horror?
These recommendations run the gamut of subgenres. We've got zombies, we've got ghosts, we've got dreams-becoming-nightmares-becoming-dreams, and everything in between! And best of all, they’re all easily found at your local comic shop or can be read right now on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE. Proceed with caution, however. In most of these books, superheroes are few and far between, which means if you find yourself in danger, you’re on your own!
James Tynion and Álvaro Martínez Bueno’s Nice House on the Lake is one of the newer books on this list, but that doesn't make it any less essential to a Halloween horror collection. Following the story of a strange man who invites a group of people over to—you guessed it—a very nice house on a lake to ride out an even stranger apocalypse, this book is equal parts horror, drama, mystery and thriller. And the best part? It's completely self-contained, meaning you don't need to know anything or have any sort of continuity knowledge to fully understand it.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
There are plenty of great picks when it comes to horrific Batman stories, but one of the most terrifying has to be Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, which combines the devastatingly heady writing of Grant Morrison with the harrowing art of Dave McKean. This book takes the established (and already pretty horrific) lore of Arkham and gives it an even more disturbing twist, taking Batman on a topsy-turvy journey through the asylum after the inmates have taken it over. This one is probably as close as a comic can possibly get to feeling like a nightmare.
Have you ever heard the phrase "botanical horror?" Think stories about rot and the Earth, killer fungus (The Last of Us, anyone?), demonic mold, Poison Ivy's flowers—you know the drill! Swamp Thing, the lurching, vine-covered creature/superhero/elemental force, was on the forefront of this small-but-mighty-frightening horror subgenre. We're going to recommend Alan Moore's run with the character, also known as The Saga of Swamp Thing, for something that is loaded with creepy, unsettling visuals (thanks to the art of Stephen Bissette), mind-expanding plot-turns and some scares you definitely won't see coming.
We get it. Hellblazer is long, but please don't be scared by the number of issues and graphic novels! (It’s what’s inside them that should be making you uneasy.) John Constantine's stories have been sprawling out for decades, true, but that just means you've got plenty to choose from—and, brilliantly, it's very, very difficult to go wrong with any of them. You could start back at the very beginning with the original late ’80s series, or pick up the more recent incarnations and still come away terrified. We recommend checking out Hellblazer if you're a fan of monster-of-the-week style shows and occult mysteries.
Speaking of nightmares, Neil Gaiman’s original Sandman series is full of them—but as far as our imaginary horror anthology goes, we know the story we’d run in it: "24 Hours." In the space of one issue, Gaiman and artist Mike Dringenberg manage to craft a horror story that will have you flinching with each page turn. It's technically part of a larger story arc within The Sandman’s universe, so you certainly could dive into the rest of the series from this point, but you don't have to. In fact, going in blind might even make this whole experience even more chilling.
One of many very, very worthwhile horror books from Joe Hill’s pop-up imprint, Hill House Comics, The Low, Low Woods brings a creeping sort of dread to every page. Mixing in the ominous atmosphere of small-town Appalachia with haunting, surreal mystery, this story is unlike anything else you'll find on this list. What starts as a fairly straightforward mystery steadily lurches into a body horror-filled descent into hidden truths and strange new realities, all centered around the fictional town of Shudder-to-Think, Pennsylvania.
But let’s end this fictional anthology with something a little more splatter-filled, a little less cerebral, and featuring our usual cast of superheroes as you’ve never seen them before. DCeased is exactly what it sounds like: a no-holds-barred end-of-the-world story about an Anti-Life Equation-powered virus running amok on Earth and turning everyone it can into infected zombie-like monsters. Every time you think that the scenario can't possibly get more insane in this story, DCeased can and will find a way to ratchet things up to new levels of madness, gore and feral face-tearing, and we mean that in the best way possible. You think a zombie apocalypse on its own is bad? Imagine it when the zombies have superpowers.
Long live DC horror! Anthologies may have fallen out of favor, but as you see, the genre is still alive and well…and sometimes undead. Happy reading, and happy Halloween!
Mason Downey writes about comics, movies and superhero history for DC.com. Look for more of his work on GameSpot, IGN and Polygon.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Mason Downey and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros., nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
