5 Graphic Novels to Read this Halloween

When I was younger, I loved comic books. I remember my dad taking my brother and me to comic shops and letting us browse. I was partial to anything supernatural and a series called Gotham Gals. I haven’t read any for quite a while, but I want to revisit this pastime as I’ve recently been interested in exploring some graphic novels.

If you’ve read my post about the books I plan to read over the next two months, then you might be wondering how I’m going to read multiple things, maintain a blog, and work my day job. Well, I don’t really have an answer to that, but we’ll see how this goes.

Okay, enough rambling, here is my graphic novel to-read list for the Halloween season:

1. The Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman

As a Gaiman fan, I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t read this well-known series of his. My partner has read most of them and has highly recommended them to me on multiple occasions. I really just need to sit down and immerse myself in the world of Sandman. The series heavily plays with supernatural elements and has Death as a prominent character, making it a nice, thematic read for October.

2. Enigma of the Amigara Fault by Junji Ito

Enigma of the Amigara Fault is a manga by Junji Ito - a well-known horror author. This specific manga is a short story that you can read in one sitting but is guaranteed to haunt you long after you finish. I read it last year around Halloween as per my partner’s request and I will say that it was deeply disturbing (but in a good way?).

It’s not gory or explicit, but there is something unhinged about it. There is a mountain where people-shaped holes mysteriously keep appearing. People who see their body shape feel drawn to it. They feel deeply compelled to enter the hole, but those who do are perpetually lost.

I haven’t read Ito’s other works, but I know that this is merely the tip of the iceberg for his eerie storytelling. If you enjoy this manga, I’d recommend reading Spirals by him as I’ve heard nothing but praise for it. However, I’m still finding the courage to read that one myself.

3. Wytches by Scott Snyder

I believe this one is also sitting in my home because my partner read it a few years back (maybe he should be writing this entry?) and has also suggested it. Wytches follows the story of the Rooks family who has recently relocated to New Hampshire in an attempt to escape their haunting past.

However, their new life isn’t free of misfortune. The daughter, Sailor, comes into contact with the Wytches because she has been pledged to them. She is then haunted by these creatures in addition to the traumatic memories she thought she'd left behind.

4. Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia

I’m particularly interested in this one because of the artwork (it reminds me a bit of Scott Pilgrim) and the punk rock aesthetic. Sacred Heart is a collection of webcomics by Suburbia and follows the story of small-town teenagers in the U.S. Their parents have left on a four-year religious pilgrimage with only a vague promise to return.

The protagonist, Ben Schiller, is busy caring for her little sister, waiting for her parents’ return, and trying to survive adolescence. Sacred Heart is essentially a coming-of-age story with a sinister threat looming in the distance as a reckoning is on its way.

5. Stillwater by Chip Zdarsky and Ramon Perez

Stillwater was released about a year ago and from what I researched, doesn’t have much traction yet. However, I was instantly intrigued after hearing that the author was influenced by Twin Peaks and IT.

Stillwater is a town where no one seems to die. Mortality is a distorted concept as everything in the city limits never age. The citizens must carry on with the knowledge that they’ll live forever.

If you’ve read any of these let me know your opinions and these are indeed a good fit for the Halloween season. If you haven’t, maybe my list will provide you with some interesting reading suggestions. And if you have suggestions yourself that didn’t make it onto the list - let me know in the comments!