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Horror comics are comics (including comic books, graphic novels and manga) dealing with the horror genre. The area reached a peak in the period after the Second World War but had crashed by the mid-fifties. In recent years horror comics have made a comeback, drawing on horror films, as well as influencing them and other media.
[edit] Early daysStephen Bissette presents a five-part lecture series on horror comics, called "Journeys Into Fear." In it he identifies 12th Century Japanese ghost scrolls, which are national treasures,[1][2] and the 16th Century Mixtec codices as early ancestors and traces the genre from its roots in Winsor McCay's work, like Dream of the Rarebit Fiend.[3][4] [edit] Early American horror comicsMain article: Horror comics in the United States, 1947–1954 The genre got into problems with the hysteria stirred up by the publication of Seduction of the Innocent, leading to the formation of the Comics Code Authority. Warren Publishing continued the horror tradition in the mid 1960s. Magazines published by Warren include After Hours, Creepy, Eerie, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Help!, and Vampirella. As Warren published their material in magazine format, the comics code did not apply to them. Archie Goodwin served as line editor for two years, from 1965 to 1967, leaving after the company re-located. [edit] ReturnIn 1971 the Code was updated:
Following the change in the rules Marvel would return to publishing horror with Morbius, the Living Vampire in 1971 (not, as was thought, a title aimed to get around the Code),[6] followed by the introduction of Dracula (1972) and Blade (1973) in the pages of Tomb of Dracula. This opened the flodgates for more horror titles and Steve Gerber, in particular, would provide notable mid-seventies runs on Man-Thing, Son of Satan and Tales of the Zombie. Although DC had continued publishing mystery and suspense comics throughout the period the Code was full inforce, they also began releasing horror titles in the early seventies, like Ghost (1971), Secrets of Sinister House (1972) and Secrets of Haunted House (1975). [edit] Resurgence[edit] Modern American horror comicsDC Comics largely split their horror titles off in the late 1980s into Vertigo, their mature line, thanks to the success of Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing which span-off their flagship ongoing series Hellblazer, starring occult detective John Constantine. A number of other horror titles carried on at Vertigo like Deadman, House of Mystery and Haunted Tank or were given a horror spin or an update like Kid Eternity and Jonah Hex. One of the early successes at Vertigo was Neil Gaiman's Sandman reworked a number of DC's old horror characters and added fantasy to the mix and this dark fantasy feel would be carried on by spin-offs and crossovers, like The Books of Magic, Trenchcoat Brigade and the Children's Crusade, as well as unrelated titles such as Fables and Crossing Midnight. They also published more conventional horror, like vampires in Bite Club or Vamps, and they published their own horror anthology Flinch. Marvel Comics have a large stable of horror comics titles, like Ghost Rider and Blade, which have been drawn together in the Midnight Sons, a group that crossed over with the Marvel Zombies series in Marvel Zombies 4. Marvel's adult imprint MAX has also provided a venue for reinterpretations of Marvel horror characters where more violence can be used, leading to the Dead of Night mini-series based on Devil-Slayer,[7][8] Werewolf by Night[9] and Man-Thing,[10] as well as a reworking of Zombie[11] and Hellstorm: Son of Satan.[12][13] Richard Corben has also been writing Haunt of Horror, a number of series based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.[14] At Image Comics Robert Kirkman has created The Walking Dead. The smaller American publishers have also published a number of successful horror comics franchises. Steve Niles predominantly writes horror comics and his 30 Days of Night has spawned a range of mini-series released by IDW Publishing.[15] At Dark Horse Mike Mignola has been working on Hellboy and has created a large fictional universe with spin-off titles like BPRD and Lobster Johnson.[16] [edit] Modern British horror comicsIn the post-war period horror comics arrived in Britain, largely based on reprints of the American material. This led similar protests that led to the Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act, which was introduced in 1955 and saw the reprints disappear from the newsagents shelves.[17] In the early seventies there were a couple of horror comics, Shiver and Shake and Monster Fun, but these were also humour titles pitched at younger children. It was only during the boom in British comics in the late seventies and early eighties that there were horror comics pitched at older boys and girls, Scream and Misty, respectively. Whether it was fears over the content or the difficult financial times in the mid-eighties, Scream! stopped publishing in 1985 with only two of its stories being merged with the Eagle. After the collapse in comics the only mainstream venue is 2000 AD which has featured stories like Chiaroscuro and Cradlegrave, as well as those drawing on the Cthulhu Mythos for Necronauts and Caballistics, Inc.. The British small press also publishes horror comics, like the anthology Something Wicked. [edit] Horror manga
Junji Ito is one of the more prolific mangaka in the horror, writing Tomie, Uzumaki and Gyo. [edit] Other mediaHorror comics have been heavily influenced by other media, especially film, and have in return, more recently influenced films. Comics have formed part of the media franchise for popular horror movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Halloween and Army of Darkness. They have also been adapted horror video games, like Silent Hill. Horror comics have also been sources for horror films like 30 Days of Night, Hellboy and Blade. Horror manga, like other manga, have been the basis for adaptations into films and TV, especially the work of Junji Ito which led to the film Uzumaki They have also been a venue for failed horror films, including the horror film crossover Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, allowed series to continue as happened with Buffy Season Eight and offered a chance to provide prequels or fill in gaps between films, like Saw: Rebirth and 28 Days Later: The Aftermath, respectively. [edit] See also[edit] Notes
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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