It's October which means it's the season of scares and the time of terror. It's Halloween and even comic book readers can celebrate the festive season by delving into the dark corners of the Multiverse. The DC Multiverse is filled with terrifying villains and monsters that go bump in the night.
This has led to the creation of terrifying DC stories over the years. With Halloween just on the horizon, there are plenty of horror-centric stories, graphic novels, and series to choose from. Which ones are the best? What sends chills down the spines of readers? DC fans beware, they're in for a scare.
10 Saga Of The Swamp Thing
Written by Alan Moore. Illustrated by Stephen R. Bissette, and John Totleben
Starting off with one of the first horror characters from DC: Swamp Thing. Specifically, the run by legendary comic book writer Alan Moore who reshaped the Swamp Thing universe into something almost Stephen King-like.
Mixing supernatural, science, and drama together made for arguably Swamp Thing's best incarnation. Moore's saga was so famous that it acted as the main inspiration for the prematurely canceled Swamp Thing series on DC Universe.
9 DCeased
Written by Tom Taylor, penciled by Trevor Hairsine, and inked by Stefano Guadiano.
Imagine if the DC universe was victim to a zombie virus. If that setup doesn't hook a reader, what will? From the writer of the Injustice series, DCeased is a six-part miniseries focusing on a corrupted Anti-Life Equation that reanimates the dead. Obviously, chaos ensues as the Justice League deals with this crisis.
For those expecting a fun superhero romp with generic undead zombies will be shocked. DCeased goes for a George A. Romero zombie plague with plenty of dark story beats as well as gore. Viewer discretion is advised.
8 Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
Written by Grant Morrison, and illustrated by Dave McKean.
The story that partially influenced the Arkham Asylum video game. Sounds like a fun adventure through Batman's villain roster, right? Wrong. Try a twisted and disturbing deconstruction of the Batman mythos as a psychological horror/thriller.
The main draw for horror fans to Arkham Asylum is the visuals. While Grant Morrison's writing is top-notch here, Dave McKean's artwork shines in creating a Clive Barker-esque atmosphere and a world that's as much fascinating as it is terrifying.
7 Neil Gaiman's The Sandman
Written by Neil Gaiman, with art by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson, Shawn McManus, Marc Hempel, Bryan Talbot, and Michael Zulli. Lettering by Todd Klein. Covers by Dave McKean.
What happens when genius writer Neil Gaiman decides to reboot a Golden Age character for modern readers? It results in one of the most imaginative and unique comic book series ever written: The Sandman.
The Sandman's universe is filled with intriguing yet dark stories that easily enchant the readers. To make things even better, there are also a lot of scary and downright disturbing events as well. Deities, monsters, the horrors of humanity, it's all depicted in dark yet beautiful ways. It's difficult to describe without spoiling so just check it out.
6 Gotham By Gaslight
Written by Brian Augustyn. Art by Mike Mignola. Inks by P. Craig Russell.
One of the most revolutionary Elseworld stories ever written, Gotham By Gaslight focuses on an alternate universe. It's Victorian-era Gotham City and Jack the Ripper is on the loose. Enter: Batman, the dark and mysterious vigilante to stop him.
For those wanting a slower, murder mystery in the same vein as Sherlock Holmes novels? This is the story for them. It nails the dark and gothic atmosphere of the period thanks to genius writing combined with art from Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. Gotham By Gaslight also received an equally satisfying animated adaptation in 2018.
5 Hellblazer
Created by Alan Moore and Stephen R. Bissette. Written by Peter Milligan. Art by John Ridgway, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Stefano Landini. Cover art by Simon Bisley.
John Constantine is not your typical kind exorcist a la Max Von Sydow. Constantine is a sassy, rude, and downright mean-spirited individual; yet somehow, readers can't help but love him. Hellblazer is the many chronicles of John Constantine and his everlasting battles with the forces of Hell and Heaven.
The demons and supernatural monsters he tends to make enemies with are gruesome. Constantine may be a part of the larger DC universe but it is far from the standard superhero affair. Constantine himself is more akin to an anti-hero and the stories can get disturbing.
4 The Long Halloween
Written by Jeph Loeb. Art by Tim Sale.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that The Long Halloween would appear on here; it's in the title after all. The Long Halloween ditches comic book antics and style for a dark, neo-noir thriller focusing on Batman investigating murders.
There's plenty of twists and turns that we dare not spoil. However, The Long Halloween provides ominous visuals, disturbing villains, and one of the best mysteries involving the Caped Crusader.
3 Blackest Night
Written by Geoff Johns. Penciled by Ivan Reis.
How does one become a Black Lantern? By dying and be resurrected as a powerful undead warrior ready to destroy anything in sight. That's right, before DCeased, there was another terrifying zombie story. Less gore this time around but Blackest Night still delivers on scary visuals and concepts.
Seeing Black Hand and Nekron transform iconic DC characters into undead monsters is awesome to see. There's plenty of action, horror, and epicness to keep everyone entertained. This turns Blackest Night into one of the most iconic Green Lantern storylines.
2 American Vampire
Created by Scott Snyder. Art by Rafael Albuquerque.
No connection to the DC Multiverse of heroes but the story is under DC Vertigo and DC's Black Label. American Vampire depicts the evolution of vampires through decades of American history. Obviously, it's a vampire story so there's plenty of dark material to see.
To make things even better, the stories are written by acclaimed Batman writer Scott Snyder and horror master himself: Stephen King. It's impossible to go wrong there. The characters are great, the mythos is intriguing, and it feels like a proper return for vampires.
1 Batman: Nosferatu
Written by Jean-Marc Lofficier, and Randy Lofficier. Art by Ted McKeever.
There's plenty of scary stories out there but none hold a candle to Batman: Nosferatu. It depicts a version of Bruce Wayne who is captured by a Dr. Arkham and a monster known as the Laughing Man. Bruce is transformed into a nosferatu and sent back into the city.
What follows is a chilling and jaw-dropping vampire story that does not hold back. Everything is cold and bleak, making the descent into a nosferatu disturbing for viewers in many ways. This is the ultimate horror story for the DC Multiverse and is one of the best Elseworld stories out there.