The Sidekick Report – Happy Halloween!

Halloween is just a few days away. Over the last few weeks on The Sidekick Report we have recommended titles belonging to the horror genre. First we looked at the wonderful world of zombies. Then we looked at vampire books that both sucked, and didn’t suck. Today, lets take a look at what we’ll categorize as “Miscellaneous Horror”, or simply, everything else.

Hack/Slash

Cassie Hack has devoted her life to hunting down and killing “Slashers” – evil, undead entities that follow the stereotypical behaviours of horror movie slashers such as Jason, Freddy, or Mike Myers.

Created by Tim Seeley, Hack/Slash is like a cross between “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Scream”. Seeley pokes fun at horror genre clichés, and provides eye candy for male readers in the form of Cassie, the lead character.

Highlights of this series include guest appearances from comic writers Robert Kirkman and Steve Niles (who are quickly killed by a slasher), and an appearance by The Suicide Girls.
 

The Astounding Wolf-Man

Gary Hampton is a successful CEO who is bitten by a werewolf while on vacation. Soon after, his powers begin to manifest. In an interesting twist on an old story, Gary decides to use his evil powers for good, and he enlists the help of a vampire to make it happen.

However, the werewolf is an extremely powerful creature that is difficult to control. While learning to deal with his powers, Gary loses control of his abilities, unintentionally kills some people, joins a superhero team, and loses his job.

This is the story of how an ordinary man deals with an extraordinary situation, which is familiar territory for series writer Robert Kirkman (Walking Dead, Invincible).

Grimm Fairy Tales

Everyone loves fairytales, right? This series of horror comics from Zenescope Entertainment takes our favorite childhood stories and gives them a sick, demented twist.

Fairy tales were meant to teach us a lesson when we were younger. The stories ended with a moral that we could apply to our everyday lives. The case is no different here with “Grimm Fairy Tales”.
Horrifying and creepy adaptations of stories such as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Goldilocks, to name a few, warn readers to change their ways or suffer the consequences.

Again, like “Hack/Slash”, there’s lots of eye candy to be had here. The series has spawned several spinoffs and miniseries, such as “Beyond Wonderland”, focusing on a mentally disturbed and suicidal ‘Alice’, and her substance-abusing daughter Calie.

Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to horror comics. Visit your local comic shop (Such as Stadium Comics!) to get more recommendations. The three titles mentioned today are all current ongoing series, and should be available in both single-issue format and trade paperback/hardcover format.

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a party of some sort. So come by Stadium Comics in Brampton for our “Halloween Scare” on Saturday October 31st. You’ll be able to save up to 50% on Horror trade paperbacks and hardcovers. In addition, the talented artists from Spent Pencils Studio will be on hand to sketch your favorite comic character. Visit www.sidekickcomics.ca/content/events for all the details!

- Kevin

Kevin Hickey and Rob Sinnott are the owners of Stadium Comics in Brampton, Ontario. Check them out on their website at www.sidekickcomics.ca or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stadiumcomics