Hello, my ghouls, ghosts, and other assorted specters. We are in the thick of Halloween season, with less than a week until that magical day of candy and costumes, spooks and scares! In celebration of the season, I wanted to take you, dear reader, through a number of my favorite graphic novels that fit the occasion for one simple reason: they are gory, gruesome, drenched in enough blood to make Dracula drool, and otherwise feature plenty of insides that just so happen to be on the outside. All of these graphic novels have their merits outside of their crimson-coated cast, with the level of horror varying from title to title. Each title, however, is worth a look for those who don’t mind things getting a little bit bloody in honor of the spooky season. So let’s get started!
This one goes out to all of those among us with green thumbs, or those who can appreciate the appeal of a well-cared-for garden. But what if your garden could grow things much more grisly than the normal tomatoes and peppers? Farmhand asks that very question and centers itself around a discovery of a special form of seed that, when cultivated properly, can grow human body parts viable for implantation. Part of the fun of this Eco-Horror series is seeing all of the ways that the artists can render the fantastical plants that grow all manner of human parts, from ears to lungs to whole limbs. The horror comes in when questions start being asked about the origin of this fantastic breakthrough, and whether the genius behind the breakthrough is sure that this particular miracle is actually from heaven and not somewhere altogether more sinister. The twists and turns of this story are fascinating, and the way the novel builds suspense and tension before it reveals is a sight to behold. So if you’ve got a taste for the green (probably best not to give it an actual taste, I think it’s still cannibalism…) check out Farmhand today!
a
Our next entry on the list is for all of the superhero fans who want something seasonally spooky without venturing too far into uncharted territory. Immortal Hulk is a book that I went into with no expectations that utterly blew me away, and I’m happy to say that it’s a bloody, brilliant work of superhero fiction. The story follows, as you might expect, Bruce Banner in his efforts to deal with his existence as the Incredible Hulk. However, in this series, the dominant Hulk personality (of which there are dozens) is the titular Immortal Hulk, who will revive himself and Bruce Banner at nightfall even if the latter has already been killed. As you can imagine this lends itself to some interesting scenarios that are rife with gore and body horror, even beyond the normal kinds of damage superheroes tend to accumulate. This expertly toys with the ideas of how much damage you can deal, and the many different ways that you can hurt, something that just won’t stay dead, and I’ve enjoyed every step along the way. For both veteran superhero fans and those who are just looking for a super horror this Halloween (there are callbacks and references, but not enough to confuse newcomers), consider taking a look at Immortal Hulk.
I simply couldn’t get through a list of bloody graphic novels without mentioning Chainsaw Man, a breakout hit with manga readers that is enjoying an anime adaptation at this very moment! Chainsaw Man is a story that follows a very simple premise: devils are both real and based on human fears, which give them more or less power based on how afraid humans are of their source fear. Denji, our protagonist, is a down-on-his-luck guy who ends up dying and being transformed into a half-devil through a contract with the Chainsaw Devil. The fact that he does this by chainsaws sprouting from his body and head should give you an idea of what kind of gore level we’ll be dealing with here, but the crazy action and violence is actually counterbalanced by a surprisingly introspective story about what people want out of life and what we’re willing to give up in order to get it. That introspective story just so happens to play out in-between visceral, violent fights with unique and at times grotesque devils ending up on the wrong end of some chainsaws. While not outright horror, Chainsaw Man is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for something violent, fun, and at times thoughtful this season.
Dear reader, do you want a graphic novel that’s going to make you feel deeply concerned for fictional animals? Do you want your fears of bad things happening to the dog in a movie to be realized? If not, you can skip this recommendation with my blessing, because it won’t be for you. For the rest of you who want a book with a high probability of making you feel rough, I can easily recommend Stray Dogs. This story has been compared to a great many other media properties, but without giving too much away I can tell you that it’s a story that features a colorful cast of cartoon strays who slowly realize that something is deeply wrong with the situation they find themselves in. Why has their master adopted all of these dogs? Why can’t any of them remember their lives before being where they are? What happens in the basement that none of them are allowed into on threat of an unspecified but frightening punishment? All of these questions will slowly, horrifyingly come to light, and not all of our colorful canines will make it to the end of this story. While it’s hard to call this a recommendation for animal lovers, it delivers on the visceral gut punch of bad things happening to innocent animals in a way I haven’t encountered before, which scores it some points in my book. So please enjoy Stray Dogs, I’m going to go hug my own dog in the meantime.
My last recommendation today is going to Graveneye, one of the most interesting haunted house stories that I’ve read in a long time. The house in this story is distinctly aware, but the true horror comes from the inhabitants, who just might be even more haunted than the dusty walls and corridors of the stately manor. Graveneye takes us through the life of a stately, gothic home and the dark descent of our principle characters: a lone female hunter, divorced from society and enamored with her work, and the quiet woman who comes to work as a maid for the house, desperate for some escape from a terrible home life. The prose, always from the perspective of the house, is beautiful and purposeful, slowly ratcheting up the tension until it reaches a crescendo. The beautiful illustrations are nearly entirely rendered in black and white, broken only by the occasional splash of crimson that draws our eyes as much as it draws the dark attention of our protagonist. While there are moments in the story with an arguably sensual undertone, this story is about as far from a romance as you can imagine. Graveneye is a story of a predator pretending to be something it isn’t, of desperate people being lured into dangers that they cannot or will not see, and of the house that sees every moment of this tragic, bloody tale. I highly recommend it.
And that’s our list of the spooky, sanguinary spectacles for the season! I hope that something in this article caught your attention, and if not you can also check out a longer list of bloody graphic novels at the link here. Have a happy Halloween!
