With the haunting Halloween season upon us, many Marvel fans can turn to comics when looking to scratch that frightful itch and indulge in the best spooktacular comics from Marvel. Certainly, erudite fans know that the House of Ideas contains one of the most comprehensive caches of haunting stories, ready to sate their thirst for the macabre and monstrous.
Therefore, with three-plus decades of literary training, I’ve meticulously identified the crème de la crème of Marvel’s Hallow heap. These terrifyingly spooktacular reads pay homage to Halloween’s traditional elements and celebrate the ghoulishly delightful melding of Marvel and the things that go bump in the night.
In this utterly spooktacular read, Marvel’s resident vampire slayer extraordinaire goes toe-to-toe with his most bitter rival, the lord of the Vampires, Dracula. Teaming up with a ragtag team of vampire hunters featuring Noah Van Helsing and Divinity Drake, Blade must guide the team deep into Castle Dracula on a suicide mission to prevent his divine ascension.
Arguably the best story featuring these two perennial foes, Tomb offers a detailed history of vampiric lore in Marvel. Notably, the foreboding, ominous tone feels perfectly set amongst the betrayals and twists in this Halloween must-read spotlighting Marvel’s nosferatu and the heroes that oppose them.
A gritty, visceral tale starring everyone’s favorite crazy canuck, Giant-Size Wolverine shows one of Marvel’s scrappiest heroes in a dire spot. After barely surviving a battle with a Hydra robot, a strange young girl finds Wolverine near death. As she provides him with medical aid, the townsfolk and Hydra gather to attack the “alien” and finish the job.
Appropriately titled ‘House of Blood and Sorrow,’ this macabre read nails the ominous, desolate feel. Lastly, with a lone dark house among acres of farmland and monsters abound, Giant-Size Wolverine is a most spooktacular Marvel comic worth the read this Halloween season.
A dreadful host of horrific one-shots, Legion of Monsters takes readers into the darkest parts of the human psyche, creatively melded with these iconic Marvel monsters. In particular, these stories depict the tragedy of monstrous afflictions and how these tortured souls balance humanity against the natural order that bore them.
By artistically tackling issues such as drug addiction, zealotry, and the eternal battle of love versus hate, Legion of Monsters challenges the traditional view of monsters, yielding realizations that haunt the imagination more than the monsters themselves.
Hulk Monster-Size Special (2008)
A menacing, monster-filled one-shot, Hulk Monster-Size Special features the gamma goliath Hulk locking horns with a cadre of horrific hellions. In this spooktacular must-read, Hulk will test his strength against Frankenstein, savagery against Werewolf by Night, and wits against Dracula in a monstrous throwdown for the ages.
This shockingly succinct voyage into Marvel’s monster world is delivered imaginatively through a proficient collaboration, including award-winning Hulk vet Peter David. As a result, each admission presents a meaningful story, deftly paired with prose and pencils, marking this collection as a Halloween best.
The Punisher: Franken-Castle (2010)
No Halloween must-read list would be complete without deference to Mary Shelley’s iconic patchwork monster. Indeed, in Marvel’s unique take on Shelley’s timeless classic, fans witness the monstrous Franken-Castle. This mash-up of the Punisher Frank Castle and Frankenstein is born when Morbius finds Frank eviscerated following the events of the must-read arc ‘Dark Reign’ and “saves” him.
Introducing a scary twist on these literary creations and creatively hinting at adages like judging a book by its cover, the talented team of Remender and Moore craft a noteworthy Halloween entry. Undoubtedly, Franken-Castle is a blood-soaked cult classic that emphatically stamps its place among the most spooktacular Marvel comics.
A terrifying trek into the Carpathian mountains, Dracula follows solicitor Jonathan Harker as he travels to Transylvania and encounters the mysterious Count Dracula. While lodging within his castle, Harker unearths dreadful secrets about his sinister host, leading to a cross-continental race to save his betrothed and thwart Dracula’s evil forever.
Here, comic vets Thomas and Giordano strike the mark in this captivating adaptation of Stoker’s timeless horror epic. Colored for the first time, this engaging take on Vlad Țepeș perfectly encapsulates the count’s undying evil with flowing prose and art. The result is a haunting read that forgoes the novel format, instead using easier-to-digest comic panels and yielding a Halloween chef-d’oeuvre.
Doing the iconic monster justice and representing just what the doctor ordered for legions of hungry fans, the Marvel Zomnibus features the ravenous events from Earth-2149. This Earth, known as Planet Z, was overtaken by a zombie virus that slowly infected the entire planet, turning hero and villain alike into voracious undead.
After running out of food, the zombified heroes form the Galacti collective, traveling throughout the universe, devouring planet by planet. Complete with fan faves as zombies, multiversal shenanigans, and an all-encompassing, unsatiable hunger for living flesh, the Zomnibus offers anything a comics fan could want for a haunting good time.
Taking the emerald behemoth back to his monstrous roots is the Eisner-nominated run, The Immortal Hulk. This certifiable bordello of blood centers around the premise that the Hulk is immortal, forever rising after sunset and ready to SMASH any unlucky enough to draw his ire.
Filled with insightful dialogue and introducing the terrifying One Below All, this entry brings the monster lurking beneath the surface to vivid realization. Undoubtedly, with its prevailing undead themes and pulpy noir art, the Immortal Hulk is a treat for Marvel fans this Halloween season.
A frightful tale showcasing two of Marvel’s cinematic Halloween characters, Werewolf by Night feels right at home as a spooktacular must-read. The tale picks up with Jack Russell and the scarlet-haired monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone infiltrating the castle of Doktor Nekromantik, an archfiend and dark sorcerer plaguing the populous with his dark ambitions.
Ultimately, they must work together to survive Nekromantik’s ghoulish creations, the demonic spirit Khabarian, and their natures in this haunting read. In particular, the savvy art choice sets the tone, paying homage to the character’s cinematic beginnings and acknowledging the colorful additions Marvel has made along the way.
Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood (2023)
Capitalizing on fan reception from the widely popular Marvel Zomnibus comics, Marvel returns to the title in the goriest of fashions with Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood. This trichromatic trek back into the aftermath of another Earth, ravaged by a necromantic virus, takes a more focused approach than its predecessor, focusing on the zombie plague’s direct impact on Marvel’s heroes.
Featuring a host of Marvel’s elite, like Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the First Steps family, the Fantastic Four, Black, White & Blood depicts the extreme toll the descent of civilization takes on its most ardent defenders. Whether you’re looking for a battle of Egyptian deities and their undead avatars or a S.H.I.E.L.D. battle for the ages, this gorefest is perfectly apropos for this haunting season.
Published: Oct 28, 2024 05:24 am