Both the horror genre and Comics medium are viewed as somewhat disreputable. How much of this is due to their shared roots in the counterculture is a subject of scholarly debate. Regardless, it cannot be denied that some fine art has been created within the niche of horror comics.
The origins of horror comics can be traced back to the pulps of the 1920s and 1930s. Magazines like Weird Tales and Eerie Stories gave rise to illustrated adaptations of the same thrillers. While not intended for children, these comics would nonetheless find themselves on the same newsstands as funny pages and superheroes.
This would eventually lead to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority and the death of horror comics for a generation of readers. The revised Code of 1971 allowed for creatures like vampires and werewolves to be utilized for the first time in decades. This led to a Renaissance for the genre, with Dracula himself starring in a Marvel Comics series for several years. Five decades later, horror is once again one of the most popular genres in modern comics.
Best Horror Comics as of 2025
Modern readers are spoiled for choice when it comes to quality horror comics. There is a lot to choose from, ranging from collected editions of old classics to new modern masterpieces. With that in mind, the following list focuses more on the American side of the comic industry. A different list will focus upon Manga with a horror theme.
The EC Archives: Tales from the Crypt Volume 1
In the years following World War II, EC Comics rose to become the biggest publisher in American comics. Originally founded as Educational Comics, publisher William Gaines rebranded the company as Entertaining Comics. The new EC published a wide variety of books, but their horror titles were easily their most popular.
EC’s three biggest series were Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, and The Haunt of Fear. The books shared the same anthology format, with a creepy host character (or GhouLunatic) introducing and concluding each story. However, the hosts would make appearances in one another’s books and the letters columns hinted at a professional rivalry between them.
While all EC Comics’ horror comics had an influence on both the genre and medium, it is Tales from the Crypt that had the longest lasting legacy. It inspired a 1972 movie, a seven season HBO series, and a kid-friendly cartoon, Tales from the Cryptkeeper. The original comics are now being reprinted by Dark Horse Books in trade paperback format.
Halloween Man
Solomon Hitch was your average wannabe pulp writer, until he became a meal for a vampire. Luckily, Solomon was found by a drunken necromancer, who gave him the power of the sequel. Like any good horror movie villain, Solomon keeps coming back from the dead, no matter how much abuse his undead body takes.
As Halloween Man, Solomon protects his hometown of Solar City, Texas, from all the weird horrors the mainstream superheroes consider beneath them. Armed with a blessed shovel, and assisted by his scientist/model girlfriend Lucy, Solomon fights a never-ending battle against evil. It’s a thankless job, but someone has to do it.
The brainchild of writer Drew Edwards, Halloween Man is one of the most eclectic independent comics around. While nominally a superhero book, Solomon’s adventures lean more heavily upon the horror roots of his concept. Indeed, Solomon is cut from the same cloth as the Fantastic Four’s Thing and Doom Patrol’s Robotman in terms of his heroism. He’s a monster, but he is on our side, with his undead flesh holding a heart of gold. The series is also notable for featuring some of the earliest professional work of artists like Nicola Scott and David Baldeon.
Hellblazer: Rise and Fall
While he wasn’t the first occult detective by a longshot, John Constantine did set the standard for those that followed. With his trademark trenchcoat and Silk Cut cigarettes, Constantine cuts a fine figure. He’s someone you want on your side when there’s a magical mystery at hand, but you’d be well advised to keep him at a distance. Bad things tend to happen to his friends as often as to his enemies.
There’s a host of great Constantine comics, including most of his solo horror series Hellblazer. However, when it comes to summing up all that John is in a single simple story, there’s none finer than Hellblazer: Rise and Fall. Written by Tom Taylor, with art by Darick Robertson, Rise and Fall is unapologetically political and offensive. Much like John Constantine himself.
The plot finds billionaires dying mysteriously, falling to their death, naked except for a pair of angel wings. Normally, dead toffs isn’t something John Constantine would worry about. However, a childhood friend is the lead detective on the case. What’s more, the whole thing may tie into the first spell John ever cast as a would-be wizard. This leaves him reluctantly playing the hero… for a given value of hero.
Infidel
Horror has always been used to explore real world issues through related themes. The past few years have seen movies like Get Out and shows like Lovecraft Country explore racism through the lens of horror. Infidel does the same thing, tackling both racial and religious prejudice within the frame of a classic haunted house story.
The story centers around Aisha, a Muslim American woman who has just moved into a new apartment. She deals with a good deal of casual bigotry from her neighbors, due to a previous tenant being a would-be bomber who accidentally blew up himself and several innocent neighbors. She also finds herself being attacked by the ghosts of those tenants, who have come to blame all Muslims for their deaths.
While treading familiar ground, Infidel is notable for its execution and imagery. Artist Aaron Campbell is widely regarded as one of the best horror artists working in American comics today and Infidel is a fine showcase for his style. Infidel is also notable as the first comic scripted by writer Pornsak Pichetshote.
The Walking Dead
When discussing horror comics in the 21st century, it is impossible not to talk about The Walking Dead. Running for 193 issues from 2003 to 2019, it was originally envisioned as a direct sequel to Night of the Living Dead set in the 1960s. However, writer Robert Kirkman was persuaded to do something set in the modern day. He did, however, resist trying to put a more comic-style spin on the genre, despite pitching the idea that the zombie plague was caused by aliens to sell the book.
While not terribly innovative compared to other zombie horror stories, The Walking Dead is nonetheless notable. It is easily one of the most successful comic book to television adaptations ever, inspiring a larger multimedia franchise of games and novels. It also helped to further cement the idea in American culture that it was possible to tell stories for adults using the comic book medium.
How we chose the Best Horror Comics
This list of the best horror comics considered several criteria. Historical significance was a factor, as it was important to show a variety of comics from over the past century. However, there was also an effort to pick more obscure, independent works that deserved to be highlighted. Finally, titles and series were chosen that are still in print and readily available.
