Summer Chills! The Hottest Horror Reads

By Matthew Klein | July 16 2021 | Graphic Novels

Oh, the horror! Who says Halloween has a lock on the time of year when you should be getting your scare on? You know when it’s a good time to settle in with a tale of terror? Anytime! The sweatier months are perfect to relax by the beach, pool, your AC unit, or under that ceiling fan with a chilling tale or two. Monsters, ghouls, ghosts, haunted houses, and manhunts will thrill you as you find ways to withstand the suffocating heat. Now’s your chance to check out a classic cautionary tale or venture into an undiscovered section of terrifyingly tantalizing stories. Whether your personal cup of poisoned tea is psychological horror, body, zombie, gothic, teen, or even superhero, check out the below list of titles to try. You’ll just die for them (not literally…probably).

Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft
978-1-60010-384-1
Now a Netflix original series! Named a "modern masterpiece" by The A.V. Club, Locke & Key tells a sprawling tale of magic and family, legacy and grief, good and evil. Acclaimed suspense novelist and New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill (The Fireman, Heart-Shaped Box) has created a gripping story of dark fantasy and wonder—with astounding artwork from Gabriel Rodriguez—that, like the doors of Keyhouse, will transform all who open it. The epic begins here: Welcome to Lovecraft. Following their father's gruesome murder in a violent home invasion, the Locke children return to his childhood home of Keyhouse in secluded Lovecraft, Massachusetts. Their mother, Nina, is too trapped in her grief—and a wine bottle—to notice that all in Keyhouse is not what it seems: too many locked doors, too many unanswered questions. Older kids Tyler and Kinsey aren't much better. But not youngest son Bode, who quickly finds a new friend living in an empty well and a new toy, a key, that offers hours of spirited entertainment. But again, all at Keyhouse is not what it seems, and not all doors are meant to be opened. Soon, horrors old and new, real and imagined, will come ravening after the Lockes and the secrets their family holds. Locke & Key, Vol. 1 features an introduction by Robert Crais, author of the bestselling Elvis Cole series of crime novels.
$19.99 US
Aug 18, 2009
Paperback
168 Pages
IDW Publishing

Black Hole
978-0-375-71472-6
“The best graphic novel of the year” (Time) tells the story of a strange plague devastating the lives of teenagers in mid-1970s suburban Seattle, revealing the horrifying nature of high school alienation—the savagery, the cruelty, the relentless anxiety, and the ennui. We learn from the outset that a strange plague has descended upon the area’s teenagers, transmitted by sexual contact. The disease is manifested in any number of ways—from the hideously grotesque to the subtle (and concealable)—but once you’ve got it, that’s it. There’s no turning back.As we inhabit the heads of several key characters—some kids who have it, some who don’t, some who are about to get it—what unfolds isn’t the expected battle to fight the plague, or bring heightened awareness to it , or even to treat it. What we become witness to instead is a fascinating and eerie portrait of the nature of high school alienation itself.And then the murders start.As hypnotically beautiful as it is horrifying, Black Hole transcends its genre by deftly exploring a specific American cultural moment in flux and the kids who are caught in it—back when it wasn’t exactly cool to be a hippie anymore, but Bowie was still just a little too weird.To say nothing of sprouting horns and molting your skin…
$22.00 US
Jan 08, 2008
Paperback
368 Pages
Pantheon

Dissolving Classroom
978-1-942993-85-8
A new collection of horrific tales from the master of Japanese horror manga, Junji Ito. Detailing the depths at which a teen will go to get revenge on the world, Dissolving Classroom is J-Horror at its most beatifully grotesque.
$12.95 US
Jan 31, 2017
Paperback
178 Pages
Vertical Comics

Harrow County Omnibus Volume 1
978-1-5067-1991-7
The first half of the highly acclaimed, Eisner-nominated horror fantasy tale, collected in a value-priced omnibus.
$29.99 US
Jan 26, 2021
Paperback
408 Pages
Dark Horse Books

DCeased
978-1-77950-565-1
THE END IS HERE! 
$19.99 US
Mar 23, 2021
Paperback
232 Pages
DC Comics

Afterlift
978-1-5067-2440-9
2020 EISNER AWARD WINNER FOR BEST DIGITAL SERIES!Ride-share driver Janice Chen has enough to deal with, from annoying passengers to overbearing parents.
$19.99 US
Feb 02, 2021
Paperback
136 Pages
Dark Horse Books

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Two
978-1-4012-2544-5
Comics legend Alan Moore's groundbreaking reimagining of DC's Swamp Thing continues in this softcover edition of SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING BOOK 2
$19.99 US
Oct 02, 2012
Paperback
224 Pages
Vertigo

H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness Volume 1 (Manga)
978-1-5067-1022-8
From adapter and illustrator Gou Tanabe, comes H.P Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. This manga adaptation of some of Lovecraft's best stories is perfect for manga fans and Lovecraft fans alike. With art resembling more of a western comic book, this book lends itself well as a 'gateway' for those who are looking to get into manga!January 25, 1931: an expedition team arrives at a campsite in Antarctica...to find its crew of men and sled dogs strewn and dead. Some are hideously mangled, as if in rage--some have been dissected in a curious and cold-blooded manner. Some are missing. But a still more horrific sight is the star-shaped mound of snow nearby...for under its five points is a grave--and what lies beneath is not human!
$19.99 US
Jul 09, 2019
Paperback
298 Pages
Dark Horse Manga

The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes 30th Anniversary Edition
978-1-4012-8477-0
One of the most popular and critically acclaimed graphic novels of all time, Neil Gaiman's award-winning masterpiece The Sandman set the standard for mature, lyrical fantasy in the modern comics era. Illustrated by an exemplary selection of the medium's most gifted artists, the series is a rich blend of modern and ancient mythology in which contemporary fiction, historical drama, and legend are seamlessly interwoven.
$19.99 US
Oct 30, 2018
Paperback
240 Pages
Vertigo

Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction
978-1-5067-0666-5
The Hellboy saga begins--with over 300 pages drawn by Mignola! For the first time, Hellboy's complete story is presented in chronological order for the ultimate reading experience.
$29.99 US
May 22, 2018
Paperback
368 Pages
Dark Horse Books

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites
978-1-5067-0636-8
This six-time Eisner Award-winning comic book series blending fantasy and humor features the adventures of paranormal pets investigating the horrors of their suburban community. This volume collects the comic-book series Beasts of Burden issues #1-4, the short stories from the Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, the Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, the Dark Horse Book of the Dead, and the Dark Horse Book of Monsters, "Stray," "Unfamiliar," "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie," and "A Dog and His Boy," published by Dark Horse Comics.
$19.99 US
May 22, 2018
Paperback
184 Pages
Dark Horse Books

The Butcher of Paris
978-1-5067-1569-8
In 1944, as Swastikas flew over Paris, one of the most notorious and prolific serial killers in history turned the occupied city into his personal hunting ground.
$19.99 US
Dec 29, 2020
Paperback
112 Pages
Dark Horse Books