Twenty years ago, Ringo Award-nominated writer Drew Edwards created Halloween Man as a means of dealing with the sudden death of his twin. To celebrate the two-decade anniversary, ComiXology will release Halloween Man: Beyond October, a special issue by Edwards, colorists Kitty Pierce, Dan Conner, John Sowder, Jason Wilson, Joey Muerto, John Ghoulson and April Guadiana, letters by Guadiana and Muerto and character designs by Paulo Hernandez, Max Young and Andrea Montano.
Halloween Man: Beyond October takes a Nightmare Before Christmas approach to the world, as a cold Halloween night is invaded by Yuletide monsters. These include Frau Perchta, the Christmas Witch, who hopes to rob Halloween Man of his powers and steal the holiday for herself.
CBR has an exclusive first look at Halloween Man: Beyond October, which is slated for release Oct. 14. See the cover and full press release below.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Celebrate 20 years with one of underground comics’ most enduring characters, Halloween Man! The comic created and written by Drew Edwards, offers up a special jam issue Halloween Man: Beyond October which features an amazing roster of up-and-coming and mainstream artists including John Sowder, Jason Wilson, Paulo Hernandez, Evan Quiring, Max Young, John Ghoulson, Andrea Montano, Joey Muerto, and Sergio Calvet, with an introduction by Matt Morrisson, topped off with a real stunner of a cover by Nicola Scott (Birds of Prey, Black Magik)!
Meet Solomon Hitch, the Halloween Man himself -- a misunderstood monster with the power of the horror movie sequel, a heart of gold, and a taste for living flesh -- and his lady love Lucy Chaplin, the world's most glamorous mad scientist. With his friends by his side, he just might smash evil, save the world -- and maybe even save his soul!
In Halloween Man: Beyond October it’s revelations abound as a frosty Halloween night is invaded by folkloric Yuletide monsters. Frau Perchta, the Christmas Witch wants to sink her claws into Halloween, but first she must rob Halloween Man of his supernatural powers! Join us for endings and beginnings in an issue that will delight old fans and inspire new ones!
Drew Edwards began writing Halloween Man as a way to deal with the death of his identical twin, who was killed when a drunk driver struck Drew's car. His twin had just come out as trans and was looking forward to the next steps. Left in the wake, Drew had onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Depression. The inception of Halloween Man became a coping method that helped Drew to come to terms with the guilt and loss, and moreover, to pay homage to his twin through comics, horror, and what could’ve been, by creating a diverse cast of characters.
“After the accident, life without my twin felt unbearable. But telling these weird stories got me out of bed every morning,” said Drew Edwards. “Twenty years later, they still have that power. Crafting the weird world of Halloween Man has become my life’s work and it’s been truly wonderful to see these characters grow beyond a small webcomic into something that thrills thousands of people. And we’re just getting warmed up. I can’t wait for people to see what comes next.”
Halloween Man: Beyond October is slated for release on ComiXology, October 14, 2020.