10 Indie Horror Comics That Match Anything From Marvel & DC

When comic book readers want to find the best in horror comics, it is almost always best to look outside of Marvel and DC. While Marvel and DC have some solid horror tales, including some terrifying stories featuring the Hulk, the best of horror comes from indie companies, whether they are from Image Comics, other alternative imprints, or in some cases, from imprints under the Marvel or DC umbrella that are not part of those company’s main comic book lines. While Marvel and DC have some interesting story ideas involving zombies, vampires, and more, the indie horror scene take things that the main companies wouldn’t take a chance on.

Here is a look at the best indie horror comics that rival and often beat anything from Marvel and DC Comics.

10) Ice Cream Man

Ice Cream Man is an anthology horror comic book from Image Comics by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo. The story follows an ice cream man named Rick who possesses dark powers, while his nemesis Caleb (a man in a black cowboy outfit) is always trying to stop him. What makes this series so great is that each issue deals with a different type of horror, and readers never knew what direction the series was going. Add in moments of comedy horror, and with 40 issues, Ice Cream Man has a lot of great horror here for all tastes.

9) Gideon Falls

Gideon Falls is another Image Comics series, this one by Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth) and Andrea Sorrentino. The horror series ran for 27 issues, lasting from 2018 to 2020, and it followed different people in the city of Gideon Falls. It is mainly about a young man obsessed with a conspiracy in the town and an old Catholic priest who becomes intertwined with a mysterious Black Barn, which brings death. The series won two Eisner Awards (one for Best New Series in 2019 and one for Best Coloring in 2020). Thanks to great characters and a solid mystery, this was a fantastic series from start to finish.

8) Black Hole

Black Hole is a horror series that ran for a decade, from 1995 to 2005, from creator Charles Burns. Published first by Kitchen Sink Press and then by Fantagraphics, it follows the world where a sexually transmitted disease ravages grotesque mutations in children. The series, clearly, was a metaphor for adolescence and sexual awakenings, but told in a horrific manner. While it lasted 10 years, it was only 12 issues, but it was a fantastic story that was well worth the wait. There has also been talk of a movie for over two decades with names like Alexandre Aja and Rick Famuyiwa attached.

7) Infidel

Infidel is a horror comic book that deserves a lot more recognition than it gets. From the creative team of Pichetshote Campbell and Villarrubia Powell, Infidel is about a group of people who live in a rundown apartment building where an event from the past haunts the people in the present day. The main character is Aisha, a woman who moves into the building with her daughter to care for her fiancé’s mother, who lives with prejudice in her heart which feeds a monster in the shadows. This is a horror comic built on how prejudice creates monsters that threatens anyone who is different.

6) Wytches

Wytches is an Image Comics series from the all-star team of Scott Snyder (Batman in the New 52) and Jock (The Losers). The series ran from 2014 to 2015, and was six issues long telling the story about a family ostracized from society after a young girl bullying their daughter disappeared and people blamed them for the tragedy. What really makes Wytches stand out is the artwork, as Jock’s line drawings adds to the uneasy nature of the story, so Snyder’s haunting story becomes terrifying thanks to the art. Wytches is also getting an upcoming animated horror series on Prime Video.

5) The Crow

The Crow might be the best of the classic non-Marvel or DC horror comics. Created by James O’Barr, the comic books followed a man who rose from the dead after he and his fiancée were killed by a gang of street thugs after their car breaks down. The comic was made into a brilliant movie with Brandon Lee, and the cause of death was changed there, but the idea remains the same as a mythical crow brings him back to seek vengeance on this senseless murder as he is forced to move past her death and find his true meaning.

4) Harrow County

Harrow County is a Dark Horse Comics horror series by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook that follows a teenage woman who is possibly the reincarnation of a witch named Hester Beck, and she has godlike abilities to change reality as she chooses. She is also able to see and communicate with the monsters and creatures in Harrow County, as she seeks to understand her destiny. The artwork is incredible, here, with Crook using watercolor painting to color the issues, and this makes it unlike anything else produced. There were a total of 32 issues released from 2015 to 2018.

3) Something is Killing the Children

Something is Killing the Children is an ongoing indie horror series that might be one of the most popular horror comics on sale right now. Created by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera, and published by Boom! Studios, this story takes place in a small town in Wisconsin where Erica Slaughter can see monsters that adults can’t see, and it is her job to find and kill the monsters before they can kill the children in the town. However, Erica also has to deal with an organization who is willing to kill regular locals to keep their identity a secret. Something is Killing the Children has been published since 2019 and has won four Eisner Awards, with a movie and TV series oncoming.

2) Locke & Key

Locke & Key is a IDW horror series by Joe Hill (the son of Stephen King) and Gabriel Rodriguez that has an incredible mythology and storyline that delivers on almost every level. The story opens with the Locke family moving to their ancestral home after the murder of their father. However, the Locke children soon discover mysterious keys that open magical realms, while threatening to unleash a demon onto the world. While the comics were made into an entertaining Netflix series, the books are well worth seeking out as they go to places the series never attempted.

1) American Vampire

Yes, American Vampire is a comic book under a DC Comics imprint, but since it is actually published by Vertigo, it wasn’t sold as a DC horror comic. Developed with the creative team of Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, it did move over to the DC Black Label, but the best stories from ten series was when it was pushed out as a Vertigo comic. The series follows Skinner Sweet, a vampire trying to survive as an entire legion of vampires have taken over big business in the country, and Pearl Jones, a young actress who becomes a vampire when Sweet saves her.

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