Every October, a lot of horror titles get a quick look and then get closed three pages in. This list isn't about those. We went looking for the horror series GlobalComix readers actually commit to: the ones they're saving to their shelves to come back to, cross-checked against what's trending and climbing fastest on the platform right now.
What came out is a great mix: a legendary occult monster-hunter, a Batman who's scarier than the Joker, plague-era zombies, cosmic body horror, a true-crime murder thriller and an indie manga-style series that's rising faster than almost anything else on the site. For each pick you'll get why it's worth your October, the kind of horror it delivers, and how you can read it: free, included with GlobalComix Gold, or by buying the collection.
1. Hellboy
Horror notes: supernatural, occult, folk horror, monsters
How to read: Mixed. 16 books are included with Gold, including the early Hellboy volumes. The Hellboy Omnibus volumes are collection unlock only.
If you only read one horror comic this Halloween, make it Hellboy. It's the one horror series that's both heavily shelved and trending on GlobalComix right now, and it's easy to see why. Mike Mignola's demon-born paranormal investigator punches his way through witches, ghouls, Nazi occultists and ancient things that should have stayed buried, and the stories feel like old folk tales told by someone who loves monsters a little too much.
The library here is deep, and a brand-new collection, Hellboy Universe: The Secret Histories Volume 2, just landed. New to the series? Hellboy Universe Essentials: Hellboy is a friendly place to start before you go deeper. Want your folk horror extra grim? Hellboy: The Crooked Man & The Return of Effie Kolb, with art by Richard Corben, is a perfect October night.
2. The Batman Who Laughs
Horror notes: psychological, superhero horror, dread, twisted doppelgangers
How to read: Mixed. Volume 1 is included with Gold. The Deluxe Edition and single issues #1-7 are collection unlock only.
The Batman Who Laughs is one of the most-shelved books on GlobalComix, and it's the pick for superhero fans who want to see Gotham City get genuinely scary. Written by Scott Snyder, it pits Bruce Wayne against a version of himself from the Dark Multiverse: a Batman who was infected by the Joker and kept every bit of his genius. It's less about fistfights and more about the creeping fear that the worst version of you knows every move you'll make. The story is finished, so you can binge it start to end.
3. Kill All Evil
Horror notes: eldritch, supernatural, monsters, gore, occult
How to read: Free. Both issues are always free to read.
This is the indie breakout of the season. Kill All Evil by Polluxery is one of the fastest-rising titles on the whole platform, and it's the manga-and-manhwa-style pick on this list. The premise: Maud, a young orphan, survives an eldritch incident at her orphanage and comes out of it with a new body. The art mixes manga energy with a Western comics feel, and that opening, with an orphanage burning under a double moon, grabs you fast.
There are only two issues so far, so this is the rare chance to get in early on a creator you'll want to follow. Start with the Pilot.
4. Pestilence
Horror notes: zombies, historical horror, gore, religious conspiracy
How to read: Included with Gold. All six issues.
What if the Black Death wasn't a plague at all? Pestilence, from writer Frank Tieri and artist Oleg Okunev, sends a squad of crusader enforcers from the Church's secret arm into 14th-century Europe, where the dead aren't staying dead and the Church would very much like nobody to find out. The book itself promises violence, gore and mayhem, and it delivers from the first few pages. Six issues, all included with Gold: a perfect one-night October binge for zombie fans.
5. Event Horizon: Dark Descent
Horror notes: cosmic horror, body horror, gore, sci-fi horror
How to read: Included with Gold. Issues #1-5 and Volume 1.
Fans of the cult-classic film, this one's for you. Event Horizon: Dark Descent, by Christian Ward and Tristan Jones, returns to the universe of the ship that went somewhere it shouldn't have and came back wrong. Tristan Jones's art is the draw here: reviewers at AIPT called it writhing, fleshy and grotesque, and it's the kind of imagery that sticks with you after you close the tab. It's rated 17+ for good reason.
6. Killer Influences
Horror notes: murder, serial killer, crime thriller, dark satire
How to read: Included with Gold. All three issues.
If your October comfort watch is a true-crime documentary, Killer Influences is going to hit. Melvin wants to be one of the most infamous serial killers ever, but he's so efficient and methodical that nobody has connected his crimes. Nobody except Kylie, a struggling small-town reporter and wannabe true-crime influencer, who offers him a deal: she'll give him the brand he wants while she makes herself famous. It's a murder thriller with a sharp, darkly funny edge, and IGN described it as a satire of true-crime podcast culture. It's also rising fast on GlobalComix, and the full three-issue run is ready to binge. Start with issue #1.
Pick your scare
- Want it free? Start with Kill All Evil.
- Have Gold? Pestilence, Event Horizon: Dark Descent and Killer Influences are fully included, and so are 16 Hellboy books and The Batman Who Laughs Volume 1.
- Want the deluxe shelf? The Hellboy Omnibus volumes and The Batman Who Laughs Deluxe Edition are available as collection unlocks.
Happy haunting, and keep a light on.