For horror nuts like us who thrive off of suspense, gore, and a good old-fashioned ghost story, there is no better time of the year than Halloween. There’s just something about the chilly fall breeze, the naked trees, the wind that whirls, calling out to the dead. This week is the perfect time to nestle up in your favorite chair by the window with a brand new horror story.

With the ever-increasing number of books coming out between the tie-ins, the
crossovers, and the new series, we’ve got to limit our list of comics for the week somehow. Rather than cramming so many previews down your throat that you barely breathe, I’m going to give you my ten most anticipated books of the week. So feast your eyes on these! Whether you’ve been into comics since you were a young’un, or you’re new to the game, I’m here to help you decide which books to read. Read on for the skinny…

WRITTEN BY: Edgar Allan Poe
ILLUSTRATED BY: Benjamin Lacombe
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $29.95

The Low Down: “A luxurious edition of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s best works, lavishly illustrated with macabre style by Benjamin Lacombe. From The Black Cat and the Tell Tale Heart to The Fall of the House of Usher, along with Charles Baudelaire’s essay on Poe’s life and works. Perfect for Halloween!”

The Feast: If you don’t own the complete works of Poe or at least a compendium, you can’t really call yourself a horror fan. Sure, you could pick one up from a used bookstore for under ten bucks, but this new collection beautifully illustrated by Lacombe, infamous for his gothic and Tim Burton-esque style (if that’s your bag). What better time to pick up some Poe-etics than Halloween week.

WRITTEN BY: Robert Kirkman
ILLUSTRATED BY: Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “’Glenn will soon regret his decision.”

The Feast: Only time will tell if The Walking Dead TV series will be the same without Frank Darabont. In the meantime, keep enjoying the best zombie comic around.

WRITTEN BY: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
ILLUSTRATED BY: Moritat and Jordi Bernet
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “What happens when a psychologist and a sociopath have to work together to track down Gotham City’s first serial killer? They’ll soon find that crime in the big city runs deeper than its foundations, and it’s all mapped out in the mysterious Crime Bible – that is, if they don’t kill each other first.
Plus: No zombie is safe in the Wild West when Lazarus Lane summons the demon known as El Diablo!”

The Feast: A western comic taking place in Gotham city, exploring the societal gravitas of Jack the Ripper’s killings…say no more, you had me at western. Really running with Moore’s idea that Saucy Jack gave birth to the 20th century, All Star Western steps graciously into the shoes of “From Hell”. Gray and Palmiotti are at it again, delivering an incredibly well plotted, Jonah Hex tale proving their command over the comic’s medium.

WRITTEN BY: Peter Milligan
ILLUSTRATED BY: Mikel Janin
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “Madame Xanadu continues guiding the world’s darkest heroes in their struggle against evil. But will John Constantine, Zatanna, Shade the Changing Man and the others join forces in time to defeat the dangerous Enchantress before she destroys the world as we know it.”

The Feast: Issue one proved that Milligan has nearly mastered his unique use of the comic book narrative, and showcased his ability to weave a complex storyline. JLD was the book I was most stoked for when they announced the reboot, and so far it does not disappointed. There hasn’t been much character interaction yet, but I can only imagine how this crew of misfits will gel to become the newest Justice League team.

WRITTEN BY: Billy Majestic
ILLUSTRATED BY: Jordan Joranov, Angel Dimitrov, and Yasen Denev
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $14.99

The Low Down: “Adapting the forthcoming feature film, two backwoods brothers ambush a landing party of extraterrestrial beings on their swampland, killing the males and taking the lone female captive. After months of torturous imprisonment and misconduct, she becomes impregnated by one of the sadistic brothers and dies giving birth to a monstrous, half-alien, half-human, egg-shaped creature with extraterrestrial powers, bent on bloody revenge – HUMPTY DUMPTY! Written by Billy Majestic with blood-curdling art by Jordan Joranov!”

The Feast: This indie book has caused quite the buzz over the past few months, taking off from the upcoming Humpty Dumpty film. If you haven’t heard about it, just read the description above and you’ll understand why this is on our radar. Twisted, grotesque, and violent, this graphic novel puts a very dark twist on the classic fairy tale.

The official release date for this one is quite uncertain, but according to their Facbook page it’s October 31.

WRITTEN BY: Geoff Johns
ILLUSTRATED BY: Ivan Reis and Jow Prado
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “An entire town…devoured! As Aquaman and Mera discover the grisly truth behind a town’s disappearance, the Trench infestation spreads inland! Plus: another gruesome Trench power revealed–and it’s not for the squeamish!”

The Feast: Prior to last month’s debut issue, it was no secret that Aquaman was one of the biggest bitches in the DCU…not anymore. Johns has a certain je ne sais quoi when it comes to reviving “dead” characters, and while many had little faith in an ongoing Aquaman comic, Johns proved them wrong. Stark, real, funny, and smooth, the new Aquaman, so far, is everything a modern superhero should be.

WRITTEN BY: Joshua Hale Fiakov
ILLUSTRATED BY: Sorrentino
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “True love becomes divine hatred between the Queen of Blood and Andrew as her vampires begin their attacks across the country. Their past behind them, they find themselves ready to battle to the death–if those feelings really are all gone. Surrounded by swarms of bloodthirsty vamps, Andrew must confront his immortal beloved in a blood-soaked battle he can’t win.”

The Feast: If I’m going to be completely candid with you fine folks, I’ve gotta say that while many people praised the first issue of I, Vampire, I found it extremely confusing. I had to re-read the issue several times before I understood what was going on. No, I don’t have a problem with complex plot structures, or even having to re-read comics (it’s my job, and it’s awesome). However, I do take issue with the fact that the whole point of the reboot was to appeal to a wider audience, and the first ish of I, Vampire would be utterly incomprehensible for anyone who has never read a comic before. Nonetheless, this is a promising new title.

WRITTEN BY: Brian Azzarello
ILLUSTRATED BY: Eduardo Risso
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “The hulking, lonely loser Orson spends his days collecting scrap metal and dreaming of the startrekking life he was promised. But when he finds himself at the center of a celebrity child kidnapping case, he sees a chance to be a hero–but will his actions only cause more heartbreak?”

The Feast: With this creative team, what else needs to be said?

WRITTEN BY: Joe Hill
ILLUSTRATED BY: Gabriel Rodrigues
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.50

The Low Down: “Chapter Three o ‘The Keepers of the Keys’ – With the Timeshift Key in their hands, the past is an open book to the Locke children. It’s time for answers; it’s time for the truth. And now that Dodge knows where Tyler has been hiding the key to the black door, time is running out…”

The Feast: Sadly, very, very sadly, FOX passed up on the Locke & Key TV adaptation, but it’s not really a surprise given their past failures (yes, I’m still bitter about Firefly). But, not to worry, we’ve still got Joe Hill doing what he does best. Locke & Key is widely considered the finest ongoing horror comic on the stands today, href=”http://www.bloodydisgusting.com/news/comics/1720″>review here, and what better time to get started reading than All Hallows Eve.

WRITTEN BY: Jason Aaron
ILLUSTRATED BY: Chris Bachalo
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $4.99

The Low Down: “Wolverine has taken one half of the X-Men back to Westchester to start over again. SCHISM tore them apart, but can Wolverine lead the new Children of the Atom into the future?”

The Feast: Another new chapter in the life of Wolverine, and this time he’s got a whole crew of young mutants trailing in his wake. It’s about time the X-Men got off to a proper fresh start, and hopefully this “relaunch” of X-Titles and elevate the X-Men to the high status they once held in the mutant world. Schism is over, the X-Men stand divided once again, and now it’s time to, literally, rebuild from the ground up. Anyone looking to get started reading X-Comics should pick this up.

WRITTEN BY: Kurtis J. Wiebe
ILLUSTRATED BY: Riley Rossmo
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50

The Low Down: “’LOST CHILDREN’ The next chapter of the critically acclaimed saga returns and the face of Green Wake has been forever changed. A new threat to the once-quiet shores surfaces when rowboats wash ashore with nothing but fresh blood as a passenger and a new arrival begins a campaign to unite Green Wake’s inhabitants with unknown purpose.”

The Feast: Green Wake is back mothafuckas! The original chapter in the world of Green Wake took the horror comic world by storm, leaving fans crawling on their knees, begging for more. Image really had no choice in the matter but to extend this into a new ongoing series, unless they wanted a mob of angry pitchfork-wielding townspeople at their doorstep. This is one book you absolutely need to be reading. It’s dark, sketchy, scary, elegant, and more mysterious than your wildest imagination. Pick it up.