Halloween: The Gathering Week Two

For another week of this spooky season, I have some more horror comic book recommendations for you! I hope that last week’s suggestions helped get you into the Halloween spirit and I hope that this week’s do so even more. Last week’s comics were humorous, classic, fun, and easy to sit back and read. But this week, I’ve got two that are definitely more spooky and a little more disturbing. 

Wytches Vol. 1:

When I think about my favorite subgenres of horror, I don’t usually immediately think of stories about witches as one of them. But after revisiting the first volume of Wytches, I realized how many movies and books about witches I truly do love. I think the idea of evil witches is so frightening because a person who has supernatural abilities to cause you long-term harm is extremely threatening. I think the idea of good witches is fun because it is kind of appealing to have those powers or to have someone on our side with those powers. 

Anyway, Wytches isn’t really about the stereotypical witches that we imagine when we hear the word. Wytches, a series by the acclaimed comic book writer Scott Snyder, is about tall horrifying witches who stay very loyal to deals that they make. As you might have guessed, those deals involve humans handing over loved ones to these bizarre creatures. 

This first volume collects the first and only six issues that we have of Wytches so far and these six issues are full of quality storytelling. One of my favorite things is when media from the horror genre add a convincing and strong emotional narrative while being able to remain scary. Wytches is probably one of the best examples of this exact thing. 

Firstly, Wytches’ writing and artwork makes it a terrifying comic. It is so scary because the entire story’s tone is nightmarish by being full of ambiguity and dreadfulness. So much of this story leaves my mind running in circles trying to make sense of it but it never lags behind with it’s mysteriousness. The artwork plays a very important part in this by being full of disturbing illustrations and they are made even more ominous with the constant random splatter on top of the panels. It is such a creative and interesting way to add a creepy and cryptic layer to every page.

Secondly, the emotional aspect of the story bewitched me just as much as the scary situations did. The entire concept of Sailor and her relationship with her father made the plot extremely tense because I wanted them to be safe for the sake of their relationship alone. Scott Snyder is a fantastic writer and everyone knows that, but if you needed to prove to someone that he can write a page-turner with a lot of depth, Wytches is a perfect example.

Wytches is maybe one of the best comics to spend some time with if you want to get yourself spooked this Halloween season. It has the perfect ingredients to throw into a cauldron and stir to create an thick eerie atmosphere. 

Come Into Me #1-3:

If you haven’t heard of the series Come Into Me it sadly wouldn’t surprise me. This series has released two issues so far (and a third issue with a release date of TBD) and each time one of them came out, I was astonished that I didn’t see it get a lot of attention. I am here to spread the word that Come Into Me is a dark and fascinating body horror comic book series that you should be reading. I don’t want to tell you too much about Come Into Me’s story because I think that this series will best be experienced with fresh eyes. I do want to tell you some things about what makes this series so damn great.

Above, I spoke a lot about how well Wytches set a creepy tone in it’s storytelling. Come Into Me’s storytelling sets a tone that I can only really describe as “dark.” Yes, the subject matter is dark and yes, the art and dialogue are dark, but there is just something else there while reading these issues that make the atmosphere so hopeless and it is quite impressive how the writers, Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson, are able to create such a dismal story. 

I think this is another amazing addition to your Halloween season comic book reading. It is bizarre, somber, and creepy enough to make you want to sit in the dark and soak up the spookiness that is in the air this season. Catch up on the first two issues and be on the lookout for the third issue. Also, check out my review of the upcoming third issue here.

Again, I hope these recommendations bring you misery as you enjoy this spooky season. So turn off the lights, turn on your flashlight, dive under your blankets, and then dive into these horror comic books. And after you do, face your fear, get from under the covers, turn on the lights, and with trembling hands let me know know what you thought of these suggestions at @nathankoffler.