It’s Autumn again, that time of year when the nights grow slowly longer and strange fancies waltz along in the mind’s eye. Small wonder that our holiday celebrating the eldritch and eerie falls in this transitional season. Luckily, your favorite Comics and Fantasy store has got you covered if you’re in the mood for the macabre.
Through the Woods
First on our list is Emily Carroll’s Through the Woods. This is a masterful take on fairy tales in the style of the Brothers’ Grimm or Washington Irving. Five tales of odd goings-on in the dark forest designed to haunt your evenings. The art is masterful in setting a tone that sucks you in just as much as the story will. Mind the unquiet dead and beware the wolf.
Recommended for ages 14 and up
Your’s Truly, Jack The Ripper
Next up is Your’s Truly, Jack The Ripper, an adaptation of a story from one of the masters of horror, Robert Bloch.
Robert Bloch is a writer best known for his novel Psycho, about Norman Bates and his dear mother. As a young man, Bloch was mentored by HP Lovecraft, who encouraged his early writing. Robert Bloch was a prolific short story writer, and one of his best is Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper.
An Englishman chases a murderer through WWII-era Chicago. The killer’s methods are remarkably similar to Jack the Ripper, but surely he’s long dead? There are some very interesting twists and turns to this story, and the use of color adds grisly punctuation where it’s needed. This is a tale you won’t soon forget!
Recommended for Mature readers.
The Haunter of the Dark and Other Grotesque Visions
A collection of stories by HP Lovecraft is our next book. The Haunter of the Dark and Other Grotesque Visions, by John Coulthart is easily my favorite entry on this list. Collected within are the title story, The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, and The Great Old Ones. Remember Robert Bloch?
Lovecraft made him the protagonist of The Haunter of the Dark, as Robert Blake. These classics of weird fiction are brought to dramatic life by the amazing pen and ink art throughout that recall HR Giger and Hieronymus Bosch. Haunting and beautiful, it is a must-have for any fan of Lovecraft.
Recommended for Mature readers.
Locke & Key
Lovecraft’s influence has been felt far and wide. Our next book honors that legacy by name checking him. Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son) and Gabriel Rodriguez have created a modern masterpiece with Locke & Key. At it’s core, this is the story of the Locke family and their relationship with their home, Keyhouse, and the surprisingly varied keys that are at once magical and sinister. If you give this ominous and exhilarating series a chance, you will be richly rewarded.
Recommended for Mature readers.
Next Testament
Our final story is by Clive Barker. Known for his Hellraiser stories, Barker deals in phantasmagoric horror. Clive Barker’s Next Testament is a joint effort with Mark Miller with art by Haemi Jang. The story is straightforward and uniquely horrifying: God has returned, and He’s capricious, jealous and vengeful. Wick is a creature claiming to be the God of the Old Testament. His will is absolute and his motivations are terrible.
Before all is said and done, our world will be forever altered by his mercurial, divine will. Say a prayer for humanity and follow along with this mindbending tale of apocalyptic madness.
Recommended for mature readers.
There you have it, folks! A small sample of graphic novels to get you in the mood for thrills and chills. Until next time!
Written by Rob
