View source for Horror comics

{{Short description|Horror comics book}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox comics genre <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
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|image     = Tales from the Crypt 24.jpg
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|caption   = [[EC Comics]]' ''[[Tales from the Crypt (comics)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' #24 (July 1951)<br>Cover art by [[Al Feldstein]]<!--pencils & inks both per GCD-->
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|genre     = [[horror (genre)|horror]]
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|related1  = [[Horror film]]s
|related2  = [[Horror fiction]]
|related3  = [[Horror fiction magazine]]s
|cat       = Horror comics
|subs1     = [[:Category:Vampires in comics|Vampires in comics]]
|subs2     = [[:Category:Werewolf comics|Comics about werewolves]]
|subs3     = [[:Category:Zombies in comics|Zombies in comics]]
|cattop    = y
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'''Horror comics''' are [[comic book]]s, [[graphic novel]]s, black-and-white comics magazines, and [[manga]] focusing on [[horror fiction]]. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the imposition of the self-censorship [[Comics Code Authority]] contributed to the demise of many titles and the toning down of others. Black-and-white horror-comics magazines, which did not fall under the Code, flourished from the mid-1960s through the early 1980s from a variety of publishers. Mainstream American color comic books experienced a horror resurgence in the 1970s, following a loosening of the Code. While the genre has had greater and lesser periods of popularity, it occupies a firm niche in comics as of the 2010s.

Precursors to horror comics include detective and crime comics that incorporated horror motifs into their graphics, and early superhero stories that sometimes included the likes of ghouls and vampires. Individual horror stories  appeared as early as 1940. The first dedicated horror comic books appear to be [[Gilberton (publisher)|Gilberton Publications]]' ''[[Classic Comics]]'' #13 (August 1943), with its full-length adaptation of [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]'', and [[Avon Publications]]' anthology ''[[Eerie (Avon)|Eerie]]'' #1 (January 1947), the first horror comic with original content. The first horror-comics series is the anthology ''[[Adventures into the Unknown]]'', premiering in 1948 from [[American Comics Group]], initially under the imprint B&I Publishing.

==Precursors==
The [[horror fiction|horror]] tradition in sequential-art narrative traces back to at least the 12th-century  [[Heian period]] Japanese [[Emakimono|scroll]] "Gaki Zoshi", or the scroll of [[Hungry ghost#In Japan|hungry ghosts]] (紙本著色餓鬼草紙)<ref>{{cite web| title = Gaki Zoshi (Scroll of hungry ghosts)| publisher = Tokyo National Museum| access-date = 2009-05-20| url = http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?&pageId=E16&processId=02&col_id=A10476&ref=2&Q1=&Q2=&Q3=&Q4=11______4171_&Q5=&F1=&F2=| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160411083540/http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?&pageId=E16&processId=02&col_id=A10476&ref=2&Q1=&Q2=&Q3=&Q4=11______4171_&Q5=&F1=&F2=| archive-date = 2016-04-11| url-status = live}}. .</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gaki-zoshi (Scroll of the Hungry Ghosts) |publisher=Kyoto National Museum |access-date=2009-05-27 |url=http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/syuzou/meihin/kaiga/emaki/item03.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612013425/http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/syuzou/meihin/kaiga/emaki/item03.html |archive-date=2011-06-12 }}. .</ref><ref name=steve>[[Steve Bissette|Bissette, Stephen R.]], and Rupert Bottenberg, [http://www.fantasiafest.com/2005/en/films/film_detail.php?id=98 "Description: ''Stephen R. Bissette's Journeys into Fear''"], [[FanTasia|FantasiaFest.com]], July 16–17, 2005. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110710224033/http://www.fantasiafest.com/2005/en/films/film_detail.php?id=98 WebCitation archive].</ref> and the 16th-century [[Mixtec codices]].<ref name=steve />
[[File:CC No 13 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.jpg|thumb|left|[[Gilberton (publisher)|Gilberton Publications]]' ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (August 1943), possibly the first full-length comic-book horror story]]
In the early 20th-century, [[pulp magazine]]s developed the horror [[genre|subgenre]] "[[weird menace]]", which featured [[Sadomasochism|sadistic]] villains and graphic scenes of [[torture]] and brutality. The first such title, Popular Publications' ''Dime Mystery'', began as a straight [[crime fiction]] magazine but evolved by 1933 under the influence of ''[[Grand Guignol]]'' theater.<ref name = "Haining">{{cite book |last=Haining |first=Peter |title=The Classic Era of American Pulp Magazines |year=2000 |publisher=Prion Books |isbn=1-85375-388-2 }}</ref> Other publishers eventually joined in, though Popular dominated the field with ''Dime Mystery'', ''Horror Stories'', and ''Terror Tales''. While most weird-menace stories were resolved with rational explanations, some involved the supernatural.

After the fledgling medium of comic books became established by the late 1930s, horror-fiction elements began appearing in [[superhero]] stories, with vampires, misshapen creatures, mad scientists and other tropes that bore the influence of the [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] [[horror film]]s of the 1930s and other sources.<ref name=stpvi>Vassallo, Michael J. "The History of Atlas Horror/Fantasy" in ''[[Marvel Masterworks]]: Atlas Era Strange Tales Vol. 1'' ([[Marvel Comics|Marvel Publishing]]: [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], 2007), {{ISBN|978-0-7851-2771-0}}, p. vi</ref>

In 1935, [[National Periodicals]] published the first story of [[Doctor Occult]] by [[Jerry Siegel]] (script) and [[Joe Shuster]] (Art) in ''[[New Fun Comics]]'' # 6, where he confronts Vampire Master. In ''[[Detective Comics]]'' # 31–32, [[Batman]] fights a vampire.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Golden|first1=Christopher|last2=R. Bissette|first2=Stephen|last3=E. Sniegoski|first3=Thomas|title=The Monster Book|date=2000|publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]]|isbn=9780671042592|pages=146}}</ref>

By the mid-1940s, some detective and crime comics had incorporated horror motifs such as spiders and eyeballs into their graphics, and occasionally featured stories adapted from the literary horror tales of [[Edgar Allan Poe]] or other writers, or stories from the pulps and radio programs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Watt-Evans |first=Lawrence |title=The Other Guys |work=The Scream Factory |number=19 |date=Summer 1997 |via=Watt-Evans.com|url=http://www.watt-evans.com/theotherguys.html}}, reprinted as {{cite news|title=The Other Guys: A Gargoyle's-Eye View of the Non-EC Horror Comics of the 1950s |work=[[Alter Ego (magazine)|Alter Ego]] |number=97 |date= October 2010 |pages=3–33}}</ref>{{efn|On pp. 5-7 of Lawrence Watt-Evans' piece, "The Other Guys," the author mentions as examples Et-Es-Go / Continental Magazines' ''Suspense Comics'' #1 (December 1943); Rural Home Publications' ''Mask Comics'' #1 (March 1945); E. Levy / Frank Comunale / [[Charlton Comics]]' ''Yellowjacket Comics'' #6 (December 1945); Baily Publications'  single-issue detective anthology ''Spook Comics'' #1 (1946); and [[Lev Gleason]] / Your Guide Publishing's single-issue humor title ''Spooky Mysteries'' #1 (1946), all of which appeared before the first regularly published horror-comics series, but after the 1940 premiere of [[Dick Briefer]]'s ongoing short feature "[[Frankenstein (Prize Comics)|New Adventures of Frankenstein]]".}} The single-issue [[Harvey Comics]] anthologies ''Front Page Comic Book'' (1945), bearing a cover with a knife-wielding, skeletal ghoul,<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/15441/ ''Front Page Comic Book''] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> and ''Strange Story'' (July 1946),<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/15832/ ''Strange Story''] at the Grand Comics Databsse</ref> introduced writer-artist [[Bob Powell (comics)|Bob Powell]]'s character the Man in Black, an early comic-book example of the type of [[Third-person omniscient narrative|omniscient-observer]] host used in such contemporary [[supernatural]] and suspense [[radio drama]]s as ''[[Inner Sanctum Mysteries|Inner Sanctum]]'', ''[[Suspense (radio program)|Suspense]],'' and ''[[The Whistler (radio series)|The Whistler]]''.{{sfn|Goulart|1986|p=255}}

As cultural historian [[David Hajdu]] notes, comic-book horror: {{cquote|...had its roots in the pulps, where narratives of young women assaulted by 'weird menaces' ... had filled magazines such as ''Terror Tales'' and ''Horror Stories'' for years. Variations on gothic fright had also appeared in several comics{{mdash}}''Suspense Comics'' (which began in 1943), [[Yellowjacket (Charlton Comics)|''Yellowjacket'']] (which included eight horror stories, billed as "Tales of Terror", in its run of ten issues, beginning in 1944), and ''Eerie'' (which had one issue published in 1947).{{sfn|Hajdu|2008|p=141}}}}

==Early American scene==
[[File:Eerie Comics No 1 Avon first version.jpg|alt=Comic book cover shows a bald, robed man moving toward a frightened woman on the floor in a strapless dress. Her hands and feet are bound. Price of the comic is listed as 10 cents.|thumb|[[Avon Publications]]' ''Eerie Comics'' #1 (January 1947). Cover artist unknown.]]
Issue #7 (December 1940) of publisher [[Prize Comics]]' flagship title, ''Prize Comics'', introduced writer-artist [[Dick Briefer]]'s eight-page feature "[[Frankenstein (Prize Comics)|New Adventures of Frankenstein]]", an updated version of novelist [[Mary Shelley]]'s much-adapted [[Frankenstein monster]].<ref>[http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=1155 ''Prize Comics'' #7 (December 1940)] at the [[Grand Comics Database]]</ref> Called  "America's first ongoing comic book series to fall squarely within the [[horror fiction|horror]] genre" by historian [[Don Markstein]],<ref name=don>[http://www.toonopedia.com/franken1.htm Frankenstein (1940)] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]</ref> and "[t]he first real horror series" by horror-comics historian Lawrence Watt-Evans,<ref>Watt-Evans, ''[[Alter Ego (magazine)|Alter Ego]]'', p. 5: "...there were no horror comics as such in the earliest days. The first real horror series seems to have been the 'Frankenstein' series by Dick Briefer, in ''Prize Comics'' ... [which was] a superhero title, featuring the Black Owl, the Green Lama, and the like, except for this one aberration".</ref> the feature ran through ''Prize Comics'' #52 (April 1945)<ref>Indexers Lou Mougin/Tony R. Rose, [http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=4319 ''Prize Comics'' #52 (April 1945)] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> before becoming a humor series and then being revived in horrific form in the series ''Frankenstein'' #18-33 (March 1952 - November 1954).

[[Gilberton (publisher)|Gilberton Publications]]' 60-page ''[[Classic Comics]]'' #12 (June 1943) adapted [[Washington Irving]]'s [[short story]] "[[The Legend of Sleepy Hollow]]" as a backup feature to Irving's "[[Rip Van Winkle]]"<ref name=wattp7>Watt-Evans, ''Alter Ego'', p. 7</ref> in a package titled ''Rip Van Winkle and the Headless Horseman''.<ref>[http://www.comics.org/issue/125441/cover/4/ Cover, ''Classic Comics'' #12] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> The next issue, ''[[Classic Comics]]'' #13 (August 1943), adapted [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s horror [[novella]] ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]'' as the full-length story ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', making it the earliest known dedicated horror comic book.<ref name="Overstreet">Overstreet, Robert M., ed. ''The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (37th edition: Gemstone Publishing / [[Random House|House of Collectibles]] : [[Timonium, Maryland|Timonium]], [[Maryland]] / [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], 2007), {{ISBN|978-0-375-72108-3}}, p. 499. Notation at ''Classic Comics'' #13: "(1st horror comic?)"</ref>

Historian [[Ron Goulart]], making no mention of those earlier literary adaptations, identifies [[Avon Publications]]' ''[[Eerie (Avon)|Eerie]]'' #1, dated January 1947<ref name=gcd-eerie1947>[http://www.comics.org/series/12104/ ''Eerie'' (Avon, 1947 Series)] at the [[Grand Comics Database]]. ''Eerie Comics'' is the title as per its cover logo; per this source, its title in its postal [[Indicia (publishing)|indicia]] [[copyright]] information is simply ''Eerie''. Its January 1947 date appears in the indicia though not on its cover,</ref> and sold in late 1946, as "the first out-and-out horror comic book".{{sfn|Goulart|1986|p=255}} Its cover featured a red-eyed, pointy-eared fiend threatening a [[bondage (BDSM)|rope-bound]], beautiful young woman in a scanty red evening gown, set amid a moonlit ruin. The anthology offered six primarily occult stories involving the likes of a ghost and a zombie.{{sfn|Goulart|1986|p=255}} While all but one writer are unknown — Edward Bellin, who teamed with young artist [[Joe Kubert]] on the nine-page "The Man-Eating Lizards"<ref name=gcd-eerie1947 /> — the artists include [[George Roussos]] and [[Fred Kida]].{{sfn|Goulart|1986|p=255}} After this first issue, the title went dormant, but reappeared in 1951 as ''Eerie'', beginning with a new #1 and running 17 issues (1951 - September  1954).<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/842/ ''Eerie'' (Avon, 1951 Series)] at the Grand Comics Database</ref>

Goulart identifies the long-running ''[[Adventures into the Unknown]]'' (Fall 1948 - August 1967), from [[American Comics Group]], initially under the imprint B&I Publishing,<ref name=adventuresunknown>[http://www.comics.org/series/598/ ''Adventures Into the Unknown'' (American Comics Group, 1948 Series)] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> as "the first continuing-series horror comic".{{sfn|Goulart|1986|p=256}} The first two issues, which included art by [[Fred Guardineer]] and others, featured horror stories of ghosts, werewolves, haunted houses, killer puppets and other supernatural beings and locales. The premiere included a seven-page, abridged adaptation of [[Horace Walpole]]'s seminal [[gothic novel]] ''[[The Castle of Otranto]]'', by an unknown writer and artist [[Al Ulmer]].<ref name=adventuresunknown />

Following the postwar [[crime comics]] vogue spearheaded by publisher [[Lev Gleason]]'s ''[[Crime Does Not Pay (comics)|Crime Does Not Pay]]'', which by 1948 was selling over a million copies a month,<ref>Benton, Mike. ''Crime Comics: The Illustrated History'' (Taylor Publishing Company : [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Texas]], 1993) pp. 19-21</ref> came [[romance comics]], which by 1949 outsold all other genres,<ref>"Love on a Dime", ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', August 22, 1949, p. 41</ref> and horror comics. The same month in which  ''[[Adventures into the Unknown]]'' premiered, the comic-book company [[EC Comics|EC]], which would become the most prominent horror-comics publisher of the 1950s, published its first horror story, "Zombie Terror", by the then relatively unknown writer and artist [[Johnny Craig]], in the superhero comic ''Moon Girl'' #5.<ref>[http://www.comics.org/issue/7034/ ''Moon Girl'' #5] at the Grand Comics Database</ref><ref name=wattp8>Watt-Evans, ''Alter Ego'', p. 8</ref> Almost simultaneously, Trans-World Publications issued its one-and-only comic, the [[one-shot (comics)|one-shot]] ''Mysterious Traveler Comics'' #1 (November 1948), based on the [[Mutual Broadcasting Network]]'s [[The Mysterious Traveler|radio show of that name]] and including amid its crime and [[science-fiction]] stories a reprint of the [[Edgar Allan Poe]] adaptation "[[The Tell Tale Heart]]", reprinted from [[Charlton Comics]]' ''Yellowjacket Comics'' #6.<ref name=wattp8 /><ref>[http://www.comics.org/issue/247809/ ''Mysterious Traveler Comics'' #1] at the Grand Comics Database</ref>  Street and Smith also published two issues of "Ghost Breakers" in late 1948. (ibid GCDB)

The floodgates began to open the following year with the first horror comic from the 1950s' most prolific horror-comics publisher, [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]], the decade's forerunner of [[Marvel Comics]]. While horror had been an element in 1940s [[superhero]] stories from the original predecessor company, [[Timely Comics]], through the war years, "when zombies, vampires, werewolves, and even pythonmen were to be found working for the [[Nazis]] and the Japanese",{{sfn|Goulart|1986|p=256}} the publisher entered the horror arena full-tilt with ''Amazing Mysteries'' #32 (May 1949), continuing the numbering of the defunct superhero series ''[[Sub-Mariner|Sub-Mariner Comics]]'', followed by the superhero anthology ''[[Marvel Mystery Comics]]'' becoming the horror series ''[[Marvel Tales (1949–1957)|Marvel Tales]]'' with #93 (August 1949) and the final two issues of ''[[Captain America Comics]]'' becoming the mostly horror-fiction ''Captain America's Weird Tales'' #74-75 (October 1949 & February 1950) — the latter of which did not contain Captain America at all.<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/237/ ''Captain America Comics''] at the Grand Comics Database</ref><ref name=wattp9>Watt-Evans, ''Alter Ego'', p. 9</ref> Harvey Comics followed suit with its costumed-crimefighter comic ''[[Black Cat (Harvey Comics)|Black Cat]]'' by reformatting it as the horror comic ''Black Cat Mystery'' with issue #30 (August 1951).{{sfn|Goulart|1986|p=255}}<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/469/ ''Black Cat'' (Harvey, Home Comics, Inc. imprint, 1946 Series)]  at the Grand Comics Database. This title would continue through #53 (December 1954), become a [[Western comics|Western]] for three issues, return with #57 (March 1956), then become the supernatural ''Black Cat Mystic'' #58-62 (September  1956 - March 1958)</ref>

==EC Comics and the horror boom==
{{Main | EC Comics}}

Horror comics briefly flourished from this point until the industry's self-imposed censorship board, the Comics Code Authority, was instituted in late 1954. The most influential and enduring horror-comics anthologies of this period, beginning 1950, were the 91 issues of [[EC Comics]]' three series: ''[[The Haunt of Fear]]'', ''[[The Vault of Horror (comics)|The Vault of Horror]]'' and ''The Crypt of Terror'', renamed ''[[Tales from the Crypt (comics)|Tales from the Crypt]]''.<ref name=stpvii />

In 1947, publisher [[William Gaines]] had inherited what was then [[EC Comics#Educational Comics|Educational Comics]] upon the death of his father, [[Maxwell Gaines]]. Three years later, Gaines and editor [[Al Feldstein]] introduced horror in two of the company's [[crime comics]] to test the waters. Finding them successful, the publisher quickly turned them and a [[Western comics|Western]] series into EC's triumvirate of horror. Additionally, the superhero comic ''[[Moon Girl (EC Comics)|Moon Girl]]'', which had become the [[romance comic]] ''A Moon...a Girl...Romance'', became the primarily [[science fiction]] anthology ''Weird Fantasy''.{{sfn|Hajdu|2008|pp=176-178}} For the next four years, sardonic horror hosts the [[Old Witch]], the [[Vault Keeper]] and [[The Crypt Keeper]] introduced stories drawn by such top artists and soon-to-be-famous newcomers as [[Johnny Craig]], [[Reed Crandall]], [[Jack Davis (cartoonist)|Jack Davis]], [[Graham Ingels]] (who signed his work "Ghastly"), [[Jack Kamen]], [[Bernard Krigstein]], [[Harvey Kurtzman]], and [[Wally Wood]].{{sfn|Goulart|1986|pp=256-257}} Feldstein did most of the early scripting, writing a story a day with [[twist ending]]s and poetic justice taken to absurd extremes.

EC's success immediately spawned a host of imitators, such as [[Ziff-Davis]]' and P.L. Publishing's ''Weird Adventures'',<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/15412 ''Weird Adventures'', Ziff-Davis, 1951 Series] and [http://www.comics.org/series/12755/ ''Weird Adventures'', P.L. Publishing, 1951 Series] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> [[St. John Publications]]' ''Weird Horrors'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=12405|title=Weird Horrors}}</ref> [[Key Publications]]' ''Weird Chills'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=1077|title=Weird Chills}}</ref> ''Weird Mysteries''<ref>{{gcdb series|id=939|title=Weird Mysteries}}</ref> and ''Weird Tales of the Future'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=941|title=Weird Tales of the Future}}</ref> [[Comic Media]]'s ''Weird Terror'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=938|title=Weird Terror}}</ref>  Ziff-Davis' ''Weird Thrillers'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=15413|title=Weird Thrillers}}</ref> and [[Star Publications]]' ''Ghostly Weird Stories''.<ref>{{gcdb series|id=946|title=Ghostly Weird Stories, Star Publications <nowiki>[1949-1954]</nowiki>, 1953 Series}}</ref> Others included [[Quality Comics]]' ''Web of Evil'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=880|title=Web of Evil, Quality Comics, 1952 Series}}</ref> [[Ace Comics]]' ''Web of Mystery'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=12402|title=Web of Mystery}}</ref> [[Premier Magazines]]' ''Horror from the Tomb''<ref>{{gcdb series|id=13808|title=Horror from the Tomb}}</ref> [[Harvey Comics]]' ''Tomb of Terror,'' ''Witches Tales,'' and ''Chamber of Chills Magazine'',<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/887/ ''Tomb of Terror''] and [http://www.comics.org/series/806/ ''Witches Tales''] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> [[Avon Comics]]', ''Witchcraft'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=923|title=Witchcraft, Avon, 1952 Series}}</ref> [[Ajax-Farrell Publications]]' ''Fantastic Fears'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=13810|title=Fantastic Fears}}</ref> [[Fawcett Publications]]' ''Worlds of Fear'' and ''This Magazine Is Haunted'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=12460|title=Worlds of Fear}}</ref> [[Charlton Comics]]' ''The Thing'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=14114|title=The Thing}}</ref> and a slew from [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]], including ''Adventures into Weird Worlds'',<ref>{{gcdb series|id=891|title=Adventures into Weird Worlds}}</ref>''Adventures into Terror'',<ref>[http://www.comics.org/series/720/ ''Adventures Into Terror'', Marvel, 1950 Series] and [http://www.comics.org/series/807/ Marvel, 1951 Series] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> ''[[Menace (Atlas Comics)|Menace]]'', ''[[Journey into Mystery]]'', and ''[[Strange Tales]]''. Indeed, from 1949 through comics [[cover-date]]d March 1955, Atlas released 399 issues of 18 horror titles, [[American Comics Group|ACG]] released 123 issues of five horror titles, and Ace Comics, 98 issues of five titles — each more than EC's output.<ref name=stpvii>Vassallo, p. vii {{clarify|date=October 2013}}</ref>

==Backlash==
[[File:BewareNo10.jpg|thumb|''Beware: Chilling Tales of Horror'' number 10 (July 1954). Artwork by [[Frank Frazetta]].]]In the late 1940s, comic books – particularly [[crime comics]]{{sfn|Hajdu|2008|pp=92-94}} – had become the target of mounting public criticism for their content and their potentially harmful effects on children, with "accusations from several fronts [that] charged comic books with contributing to the rising rates of [[juvenile delinquency]]."<ref name=jimv3>{{cite book|last=Vassallo|first=Michael J.|chapter=The History of Atlas Horror/Fantasy:  The Comics Code 1955 (introduction) |title=Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Journey into Mystery|volume= 3 |publisher=Marvel Worldwide |date= 2010 |page= vi (unnumbered)}}</ref>  Many city and county ordinances had banned some publications,<ref>For example, [[Bellingham, Washington|Bellingham]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] in August 1948 passed a binding prohibition against the sale of 50 specific comic-book series ([[Horror comics#CITEREFHajdu2008|Hajdu 2008]], p. 106.); the [[County of Los Angeles]] on September 23, 1948, outlawed the sale of crime comics to minors ([[Horror comics#CITEREFHajdu2008|Hajdu 2008]], p. 107.); and that same year the [[American Municipal Society]] reported that nearly 50 municipalities had "banned the sale of certain comic books". ([[Horror comics#CITEREFHajdu2008|Hajdu 2008]], p. 108)</ref> though these were effectively overturned with a March 29, 1948, [[United States Supreme Court]] ruling that a 64-year-old [[New York State]] law outlawing publications with "pictures and stories of deeds of bloodshed, lust or crime" was unconstitutional.{{sfn|Hajdu|2008|p=95}} Regardless, the uproar increased upon the publication of two articles: "Horror in the Nursery" by [[Judith Crist]], in the March 25, 1948, issue ''[[Collier's Weekly]]'',<ref name=jimv3 /> based upon the symposium "Psychopathology of Comic Books" held a week earlier<ref name=jimv3 /> by [[psychiatrist]]{{sfn|Hajdu|2008|p=98}} [[Fredric Wertham]]; and Wertham's own features "The Comics ... Very Funny!" in the May 29, 1948, issue of ''[[The Saturday Review of Literature]],''{{sfn|Hajdu|2008|p=113}} and a March 19, 1948 symposium called "Psychopathology of Comic Books" which stated that comic books were "abnormally sexually aggressive" and led to crime.<ref>Benton, Mike (1989) ''The comic book in America: an illustrated history'' pg 45</ref><!--need to add material and transition to the following: During this time, a gradual public and governmental backlash against gory and violent crime and horror comics led to the creation of the [[Comics Magazine Association of America]] and its rigidly enforced Comics Code. When distributors refused to handle many EC titles as a result, Gaines ended publication of his three horror and two suspense-drama comics.<ref>Diehl, Digby. ''Tales from the Crypt: The Official Archives'' ([[St. Martin's Press]], : [[New York City]], 1996) p. 94</ref>-->

In response to public pressure and bad press, an [[industry trade group]], the [[Association of Comics Magazine Publishers]] (ACMP) was formed with the intent of prodding the industry to police itself. The Association proved ineffective as few publishers joined and those who did exercised little restraint over the content of their titles.{{sfn|Goulart|1986|pp=161–162, 172–183, 206–217}}

===''Seduction of the Innocent''===
In 1954, Dr. Fredric Wertham published ''[[Seduction of the Innocent]]'', a tome that claimed horror, crime and other comics were a direct cause of [[juvenile delinquency]]. Wertham asserted, largely based on undocumented anecdotes, that reading violent comic books encouraged violent behavior in children.{{sfn|Goulart|1986|pp=161–162, 172–183, 206–217}} Wertham painted a picture of a large and pervasive industry, shrouded in secrecy and masterminded by a few, that operated upon the innocent and defenseless minds of the young. He further suggested the industry strong-armed vendors into accepting their publications and forced artists and writers into producing the content against their will.<ref name="Wright">Wright, Bradford. (2003). ''Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America''. JHU Press. {{ISBN|0-8018-7450-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8018-7450-5}}. 152–153, 161–166.</ref>

Wertham alleged comics stimulated deviant sexual behavior. He noted female breasts in comics protruded in a provocative way and special attention was lavished upon the female genital region.<ref name="Wright" /> A cover by [[Matt Baker (artist)|Matt Baker]] from ''[[Phantom Lady]]'' was reprinted in the book with the caption, "Sexual stimulation by combining 'headlights' with the [[Sadomasochism|sadist's]] dream of tying up a woman".{{sfn|Goulart|1986|pp=161–162, 172–183, 206–217}} Boys interviewed by Wertham said they used comic book images for masturbation purposes, and one young comics reader confessed he wanted to be a sex maniac. Wertham contended comics promoted [[homosexuality]] by pointing to the Batman–Robin relationship and calling it a homosexual wish dream of two men living together. He observed that Robin was often pictured standing with his legs spread and the genital region evident.<ref name="Wright" />

Most alarmingly, Wertham contended that comic books fostered deceitfulness in children, who might read funny animal comics in front of their parents but then turn to horror comics the moment their parents left the room. Wertham warned of suspicious stores and their clandestine back rooms where second hand comics of the worst sort were peddled to children. The language used evoked images of children prowling about gambling dens and whorehouses, and anxious parents felt helpless in the face of such a powerful force as the comics industry. Excerpts from the book were published in ''Ladies' Home Journal'' and ''Reader's Digest'', lending respectability and credibility to Wertham's arguments.<ref name="Wright" />

A 14-page portfolio of panels and covers from across the entire comic book industry displayed murder, torture and sexual titillation for the reader's consideration. The most widely discussed art was that from "Foul Play", a horror story from EC about a dishonest baseball player whose head and intestines are used by his teammates in a game. ''Seduction of the Innocent'' sparked a firestorm of controversy and created alarm in parents, teachers and others interested in the welfare of children; the concerned were galvanized into campaigning for censorship.{{sfn|Goulart|1986|pp=161–162, 172–183, 206–217}}

===Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency===
Public criticism brought matters to a head. In 1954, anti-crime crusader [[Estes Kefauver]] led the [[Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency]]. Dr. Wertham insisted upon appearing before the committee. He first presented a long list of his credentials, and then, in his clipped German accent, spoke with authority on the pernicious influence of comic books upon children. His passionate testimony at the hearings impressed the gathering. Kefauver suggested crime comics indoctrinated children in a way similar to Nazi propaganda. Wertham noted Hitler was a beginner compared to the comics industry.<ref name="Wright" />

[[File:Crime Suspenstories 22.jpg|alt=Cover shows a hand holding a woman's head by the hair; another hand holds a bloody axe over a woman's legs.|thumb|''Crime Suspenstories'' (April/May 1954) was entered as evidence in the Senate hearings.]]

Publisher William Gaines appeared before the committee and vigorously defended his product and the industry. He took full responsibility for the horror genre, claiming he was the first to publish such comics. He insisted that delinquency was the result of the real environment and not fictional reading materials. His defiant demeanor left the committee (which felt the industry was indefensible), astonished.<ref name="Wright" /> He had prepared a statement that read in part, "It would be just as difficult to explain the harmless thrill of a horror story to Dr. Wertham as it would be to explain the sublimity of love to a frigid old maid."{{sfn|Goulart|1986|pp=161–162, 172–183, 206–217}}

''[[Crime Suspenstories]]'', issue 22, April/May 1954, was entered into evidence. The exchange between Gaines and Kefauver led to a front-page story in ''[[The New York Times]]'': {{cquote|He was asked by Senator Estes Kefauver, Democrat of Tennessee, if he considered in "good taste" the cover of his ''Shock SuspenStories'',{{efn|The actual issue in evidence was issue no. 22 of ''Crime SuspenStories'', May, 1954.}} which depicted an axe-wielding man holding aloft the severed head of a blond woman. Mr. Gaines replied: 'Yes, I do{{mdash}}for the cover of a horror comic.'<ref>{{cite news|last=Kihss|first= Peter|title=No Harm in Horror, Comics Issuer Says|work=[[The New York Times]]|date= April 22, 1954|page= 1}}</ref>}}

Though the committee's final report did not blame comics for crime, it recommended that the comics industry tone down its content voluntarily.<ref>Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency: Interim Report of the Committee on the judiciary pursuant to S. Res. 89 and S. Res. 190 (83d Cong. 1st Sess.) - (83d Cong. 2d Sess.): A Part of the Investigation of Juvenile Delinquency in the United States.</ref>

=== Creation of the Comics Code ===

By 1953, nearly a quarter of all comic books published were horror titles.<ref>{{cite web |author=Harris, Franklin |url=http://www.reason.com/news/show/36164.html |title=The Long, Gory Life of EC Comics: Why the Crypt-Keeper Never Dies |work=Reason Magazine |date=June 2005 |access-date=2009-02-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221194545/https://reason.com/2005/06/01/the-long-gory-life-of-ec-comic-2/ |archive-date=2021-12-21}}</ref> In the hearings' immediate aftermath, several publishers revamped their schedules and drastically censored or cancelled many long-running comic series.{{sfn|Goulart|1986|pp=161–162, 172–183, 206–217}}

In September 1954, the [[Comics Magazine Association of America]] (CMAA) and its [[Comics Code Authority]] (CCA) was formed. The Code had many stipulations that made it difficult for horror comics to continue publication, since any that didn't adhere to the Code's guidelines would likely not find distribution. The Code forbade the explicit presentation of "unique details and methods of crime...Scenes of excessive violence...brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gun play, physical agony, gory and gruesome crime...all scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, [[Sadomasochism|sadism]], masochism...Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, or torture".{{sfn|Goulart|1986|pp=161–162, 172–183, 206–217}}

==Perseverance==
As a result of the Congressional hearings, [[DC Comics]] shifted its ongoing horror titles, ''[[House of Mystery]]'' (1951–1987) and ''[[House of Secrets (DC Comics)|House of Secrets]]'' (1956–1966), toward the suspense and mystery genres, often with a science fiction bent. In fact, from 1964 to 1968, ''House of Mystery'' became a mostly superhero title, featuring [[J'onn J'onzz|J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars]] and, later, [[Dial H for Hero]]. Similarly, during this period [[Marvel Comics]] produced the titles ''[[Strange Tales]]'' (1951–1968) and ''[[Journey into Mystery]]'' (1952–1966).  Each company gradually changed from suspense stories toward fantasy, science fiction and monster stories, and then to related superhero characters during the years after the code came into effect.  Charlton Comics' suspense titles, such as Unusual Tales, persisted to the mid-1960s.  ACG titles Adventures into the Unknown and Unknown Worlds thrived during this Silver Age period until the company folded in 1967.

The publishers [[Gilberton (publisher)|Gilberton]], [[Dell Comics]], and [[Gold Key Comics]] did not become signatories to the Comics Code, relying on their reputations as publishers of wholesome comic books.<ref name="TMB">(Golden, Christopher; Stephen Bissette, Thomas E. Sniegoski (2000) ''The Monster Book'' Simon & Schuster)</ref> ''[[Classics Illustrated]]'' had adapted such horror novels as ''Frankenstein'' and ''Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' in comic book form, and quickly issued reprints with new, less gruesome covers. Dell began publishing the licensed [[TV series]] comic book ''[[The Twilight Zone|Twilight Zone]]'' in 1961 and publishing a ''Dracula'' title in 1962 (though only the first issue was horror related; the subsequent issues were part of the super-hero genre revival), followed in 1963 by the new series "Ghost Stories."  Gold Key, in addition to releasing ''Boris Karloff [[Thriller (genre)|Thriller]]'', based on the TV series ''Thriller'' (and retitled ''Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery'' after the show went off the air), bought the ''Twilight Zone'' license from Dell in 1962.<ref name="TMB"/>

In 1965 Gold Key put out three licensed horror-themed comics, two based on the TV horror-comedies ''[[The Addams Family]]'' and ''[[The Munsters]]'', and the other titled ''Ripley's Believe it or Not!'', which had three different subtitles: "True Ghost Stories," "True War Stories" (#1 and #5), and "True Demons & Monsters" (#7, #10, #19, #22, #25, #26, and #29).

[[Warren Publishing]] continued the horror tradition in the mid-1960s, bypassing the Comics Code Authority restrictions by publishing magazine-sized black-and-white horror comics.<ref name="WC1">{{cite book | year=2001 |author1=Roach, David A. |first2=Jon B. |last2=Cooke | title=The Warren Companion|page=37|publisher=Two Morrows Publishing| isbn= 978-1-893905-08-5}}</ref> Under the direction of line editor [[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]], Warren debuted the horror anthologies ''[[Creepy (magazine)|Creepy]]'' (1964–1983) and ''[[Eerie (magazine)|Eerie]]'' (1966–1983), followed by ''[[Vampirella]]'', an anthology with a lead feature starring a sexy young female vampire.

The low-rent Warren imitator [[Eerie Publications]] also jumped into the black-and-white horror magazine business, mixing new material with reprints from pre-[[Comics Code]] horror comics, most notably in its flagship title ''Weird'' (1966–1981), as well as the magazines ''Tales of Voodoo'' (1968–1974), ''Horror Tales'' (1969–1979), ''Tales from the Tomb'' (1969–1975), and ''[[Terror Tales]]'' (1969–1979). [[Stanley Publications]] also published a line of black-and-white horror magazines from 1966 to 1971, including the titles ''Shock'' and ''Chilling Tales of Horror''.

==Resurgence==
A number of supernatural mystery / suspense titles were introduced in the latter half of the 1960s, including [[Charlton Comics]]' ''[[Ghostly Tales]]'', ''[[The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves]]'', and ''[[Ghost Manor (comics)|Ghost Manor]]''; and [[Marvel Comics]]' ''[[Chamber of Darkness]]/[[Monsters on the Prowl]]'' and ''[[Tower of Shadows|Tower of Shadows/Creatures on the Loose]]''. At [[DC Comics]], new ''[[House of Mystery]]'' editor [[Joe Orlando]] returned the title to its horror roots with issue #175 (July/August 1968); a similar transformation was made to ''House of Secrets'' and ''[[The Unexpected (1968 comic book)|The Unexpected]]'' (formerly "[[Tales of the Unexpected (comics)|Tales of the Unexpected]]"), with the company debuting a new title, ''[[The Witching Hour (DC Comics)|The Witching Hour]]''.

In 1971, the Comics Code Authority relaxed some of its longstanding rules regarding horror comics, which opened the door to more possibilities in the genre: {{cquote|Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with, walking dead or torture shall not be used. Vampires, ghouls and werewolves shall be permitted to be used when handled in the classic tradition such as [[Frankenstein]], [[Dracula]], and other high-caliber literary works written by [[Edgar Allan Poe]], [[Saki]], [[Arthur Conan Doyle|Conan Doyle]], and other respected authors whose works are read in schools around the world.<ref name="Newfangles">{{cite journal|first=Maggie |last=Thompson|author-link=Maggie Thompson|title=Crack in the Code|journal=Newfangles|issue=44|date= February 1971}}</ref>}}

Following this, Marvel returned to publishing true horror by first introducing a scientifically created, vampire-like character, ''[[Morbius|Morbius, the Living Vampire]]'',<ref>[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/07/16/comic-book-legends-revealed-216/ Comic Book Legends Revealed #216] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307214405/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/07/16/comic-book-legends-revealed-216/ |date=2016-03-07 }}, [[Comic Book Resources]]</ref> followed by the introduction of [[Dracula (Marvel Comics)|Dracula]] in ''[[Tomb of Dracula]]''. This opened the floodgates for more horror titles, such as the anthology ''[[Supernatural Thrillers]]'', ''[[Werewolf by Night]]'', and two series in which [[Satan]] or a Satan-like lord of [[Hell]] figured, ''[[Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)|Ghost Rider]]'' and the feature "[[Daimon Hellstrom|Son of Satan]]." In addition, following [[Warren Publishing]]'s longtime lead, Marvel's parent company in [[List of magazines released by Marvel Comics in the 1970s|1971 began a black-and-white magazine imprint]], which published a number of horror titles, including ''[[Dracula Lives!]]'', ''[[Monsters Unleashed (comics)|Monsters Unleashed]]'', ''[[Vampire Tales]]'', ''[[Tales of the Zombie]]'', ''[[Haunt of Horror]]'', and ''[[Masters of Terror]]''. Additionally, [[Skywald Publications]] offered the black-and-white horror-comics magazines ''Nightmare'', ''Psycho'', and ''Scream''.

DC during this time continued to publish its existing supernatural fiction and added new horror series such as ''[[Ghosts (comics)|Ghosts]]'', ''[[The Dark Mansion Of Forbidden Love|The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love]]'' (later titled ''Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion''), ''[[Secrets of Haunted House]]'', ''[[Secrets of Sinister House]]'', ''[[Swamp Thing]]'', ''[[Weird Mystery Tales]]'', ''[[Weird War Tales]]'', and ''[[Tales of Ghost Castle]]''. Charlton continued in this vein as well, with ''[[Ghostly Haunts]]'', ''[[Haunted (comics)|Haunted]]'', ''[[Midnight Tales]]'', ''[[Haunted Love]]'', and ''[[Scary Tales (comics)|Scary Tales]]''.

[[Underground comix|Underground cartoonists]], many of them strongly influenced by 1950s [[EC Comics]] like ''[[Tales from the Crypt (comics)|Tales from the Crypt]]'',<ref>Sabin, Roger (1996). "Going underground". ''Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels: A History Of Comic Art''. London, United Kingdom: Phaidon Press. pp. 92; 94–95; 103–107; 110; 111; 116; 119; 124–126; 128. {{ISBN|0-7148-3008-9}}.</ref> also tried their hands at horror. Titles like ''Skull'' ([[Rip Off Press]]/[[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp]], 1970–1972), ''Bogeyman'' ([[Company & Sons]]/[[San Francisco Comic Book Company]], 1969), ''Fantagor'' ([[Richard Corben]], 1970), ''Insect Fear'' ([[Print Mint]], 1970), ''Up From The Deep'' (Rip Off Press, 1971), ''[[Death Rattle (comics)|Death Rattle]]'' ([[Kitchen Sink Press]], 1972), ''Gory Stories'' (Shroud, 1972), ''Deviant Slice'' (Print Mint, 1972) and ''Two-Fisted Zombies'' (Last Gasp, 1973) appeared in the early 1970s.

By the mid-1970s, the horror comics boomlet slowed and various titles were cancelled.  Only a few of the DC titles persevered by the end of the decade, the long-running Gold Key mystery comic series ceased during the early 1980s, and some predominantly-reprint Charlton series managed to survive to the mid-1980s. DC's traditional titles sputtered out during the early 1980s, and its transformed anthology "Elvira's House of Mystery" was the final code-approved traditional anthology title to be produced, lasting only a dozen issues around 1987.  As these and Warren publications disappeared, new titles from the 1980s onward would all be in new formats (i.e. glossy paper, not code-approved) or sporadically produced by small independent companies.

== 1980s and 1990s ==
Beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, independent publishers produced a number of successful horror comics franchises. [[FantaCo Enterprises]] and [[Millennium Publications]] boasted lineups almost exclusively devoted to horror, vampire, and zombie comics. For instance, 1985 saw the revival of Kitchen Sink's ''Death Rattle'', followed a year later by the debut of FantaCo's horror anthology ''[[Gore Shriek]]'', edited by [[Stephen R. Bissette]], who also contributed stories to each issue. Bissette also edited the acclaimed anthology ''[[Taboo (comics)|Taboo]]'', which ran from 1988 to 1995.

In 1982, [[Pacific Comics]] produced two series that, while admittedly inspired by the [[EC Comics]] of the 1950s, foresaw the form that horror comics would take in the coming decades. Printed in color on high-quality paper stock despite a higher cover price, the series ''[[Twisted Tales]]'' and ''[[Alien Worlds]]'' were short-lived and hard-pressed to keep to a regular production schedule, but offered some of the most explicitly brutal and sexual stories yet to be widely distributed in a mainstream ("non-underground") format. Both series eventually moved to [[Eclipse Comics]], which also produced similar titles such as ''The Twisted Tales of [[Bruce Jones (comics)|Bruce Jones]]'' and ''[[Alien Encounters (comics)|Alien Encounters]]'' (which they inherited from Fantaco). Later horror titles from DC's [[Vertigo (DC Comics)|Vertigo]] line had more in common with these Pacific/Eclipse efforts, and more success, than DC's sporadic efforts to revive or maintain the traditional horror comic title (e.g. ''[[Elvira's House of Mystery]]'').  [[Wasteland (DC Comics)]] was a pre-vertigo, non-Code horror series from DC in the late 1980s.

In 1982, DC Comics revived the ''[[Swamp Thing (comic book)|Swamp Thing]]'' series, attempting to capitalize on the summer 1982 release of the [[Wes Craven]] [[Swamp Thing (1982 film)|film of the same name]].<!-- (The revival had actually been originally planned for 1978, but was a victim of the [[DC Implosion]].){{cn}}--> In 1984, Briton [[Alan Moore]] took over the writing chores on the title, and when [[Karen Berger]] became editor, she gave Moore free rein to revamp the title and the character as he saw fit. Moore reconfigured Swamp Thing's origin to make him a true monster as opposed to a human transformed into a monster. Moore's (and artists [[Stephen R. Bissette]] and [[John Totleben]]'s) ''Swamp Thing'' was a critical and commercial success, and in 1988 spun off the ongoing series ''[[Hellblazer]]'', starring [[occult detective]] [[John Constantine]].

In 1993, DC introduced its mature-readers [[Vertigo (DC Comics)|Vertigo]] line, which folded in a number of popular horror titles, including ''Hellblazer'' and ''Swamp Thing''. One of Vertigo's early successes was [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[Sandman (Vertigo)|Sandman]]'', which reworked a number of DC's old horror characters and added fantasy to the mix. A number of other horror titles carried on at Vertigo, like ''[[Deadman (Vertigo)|Deadman]]'', ''[[House of Mystery (Vertigo)|House of Mystery]]'' and ''[[Haunted Tank]]'', or were given a horror spin or an update like ''[[Kid Eternity]]'' and ''[[Jonah Hex]]''.

In the mid-1990s [[Harris Publications]] also revived ''[[Vampirella]]'', and Marvel, after mostly taking the 1980s off, published its "[[Midnight Sons]]" line of horror comics that included such series as a revived ''[[Ghost Rider]]'', ''[[Nightstalkers (comics)|Nightstalkers]]'', ''[[Darkhold|Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins]]'' and ''Midnight Sons Unlimited''.

==Modernity==

===North America===
In addition to its long-running titles carried over from the 1990s, Vertigo published more conventional horror, like vampires in ''[[Bite Club (comics)|Bite Club]]'' (beginning in 2004),<ref>{{cite web|first=Matt |last=Brady |url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=4673 |title=Joining Chaykin & Tischman's Bite Club |publisher=[[Newsarama]] |date=July 19, 2003 |access-date=October 4, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and ''[[Vamps (comics)|Vamps]]''. In addition, from 1999 to 2001 they published their own horror [[comics anthology|anthology]], ''[[Flinch (comics)|Flinch]]''.

At [[Image Comics]], [[Robert Kirkman]] has created ''[[The Walking Dead (comics)|The Walking Dead]]''. [[Steve Niles]] predominantly writes horror comics, and his ''[[30 Days of Night]]'' has spawned a range of mini-series released by [[IDW Publishing]].<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=2795 STEVE NILES WEEK, Day 3: The IDW Books], [[Comic Book Resources]], October 30, 2003</ref> At [[Dark Horse Comics|Dark Horse]], [[Mike Mignola]] has been working on ''[[Hellboy]]'', and has created a large [[fictional universe]] with spin-off titles like ''[[Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense|BPRD]]'' and ''[[Lobster Johnson]]''.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12754 Mignola on Hellboy's Extended Universe], [[Comic Book Resources]] (March 3, 2008).</ref>

There had been also superhero horror comics like with Spawn, Venom, and Ghost Rider.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Marvel produced ''[[Blade (comics)|Blade]]'' and the [[Marvel Zombies (comic book)|Marvel Zombies franchise]]. Marvel's adult imprint [[MAX (comics)|MAX]], introduced in 2001, has also provided a venue for reinterpretations of Marvel horror characters where more violence can be used, leading to the ''[[Dead of Night (comics)|Dead of Night]]'' miniseries based on [[Devil-Slayer]],<ref>Richards, Dave [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=16622 WW Philly: Devil-Slayer Returns in "Dead of Night"], [[Comic Book Resources]], May 31, 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080602-maxs-devil-slayer.html Warren Simons & Brian Keene On Max's Devil-Slayer], [[Newsarama]], June 3, 2008</ref> [[Werewolf by Night]]<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19247 Swierczynski on "Werewolf By Night"], [[Comic Book Resources]], December 19, 2008</ref> and [[Man-Thing]],<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12531 Aguirre-Sacasa talks "Dead of Night featuring Man-Thing"], [[Comic Book Resources]], February 13, 2008</ref> as well as a reworking of ''[[Zombie (MAX)|Zombie]]''<ref>{{cite web |first=Arune |last=Singh |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=7209 |title=Marvel Fanboys: Mike Raichit Talks 'Zombie' |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=June 2, 2006 |access-date=2009-03-11}}</ref> and ''[[Hellstorm: Son of Satan]]''.<ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=7208 Shout at the Devil: Irvine talks "Son of Satan"], [[Comic Book Resources]], June 2, 2006</ref><ref>[http://classic.newsarama.com/WWPhilly06/Marvel/MondoMvl/Alonso_Hellstorm.html WW Philadelphia - Axel Alonso on The Return of Hellstorm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017200950/http://newsarama.com/WWPhilly06/Marvel/MondoMvl/Alonso_Hellstorm.html |date=2007-10-17 }}, [[Newsarama]], June 2, 2006</ref> [[Richard Corben]] has also been writing ''[[Haunt of Horror (MAX)|Haunt of Horror]]'', a number of series based on the work of  [[Edgar Allan Poe]] and [[H.P. Lovecraft]].<ref>[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=150798 Corben and Lovecraft at Marvel in June] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208054457/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=150798 |date=2008-12-08 }}, [[Newsarama]], March 20, 2008</ref>

===Europe===

====Great Britain====
In the post-World War II period, horror comics arrived in Britain, largely based on reprints of American material. This led to protests similar to those in the States. In 1955, the [[Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act 1955|Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act]] was introduced, which led to the horror reprints disappearing from [[news agents]]' shelves.{{sfn|Barker|1992}}

In the early 1970s there were a couple of horror comics — [[IPC Magazines|IPC]]'s ''[[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 1970s and early 1980s that there were horror comics pitched at older boys and girls —IPC/[[Fleetway Publications|Fleetway]]'s ''[[Scream! (comics)|Scream!]]'' and ''[[Misty (comics)|Misty]]'', respectively. Whether it was because of fears over the content, or the difficult financial times in the mid-1980s, ''Scream!'' stopped publishing in 1985, with only two of its stories being merged with the ''[[Eagle (comic)|Eagle]]''.<ref>Jordan, Darren. [http://www.comicbookreview.co.uk/2008/04/scream-eighties-british-horror-comic.html "Scream! the Eighties British Horror comic mystery..."], Comic Book Review (April 17, 2008).</ref> ''[[Lord Horror]]'' also was published.

After the [[Comic book collecting#Bust of the speculator market|comic industry bust]] in the mid-1990s, the only mainstream venue was ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'', which featured stories like ''[[Chiaroscuro (2000 AD)|Chiaroscuro]]'' and ''[[Cradlegrave]]'', as well as those drawing on the [[Cthulhu Mythos]], like ''[[Necronauts]]'' and ''[[Caballistics, Inc.]]''.

The [[British small press comics|British small press]] also publishes horror comics, like the [[comics anthology|anthology]] ''[[Something Wicked (comics)|Something Wicked]]''.

In 2008, the ''[[London Horror Comic]]'' launched, becoming the first full-colour UK horror comic to be shipped worldwide through [[Diamond Comic Distributors]].<ref>Editor, The. [http://www.comicbookbin.com/news1232.html "British Horror Invasion,"] Comic Book Bin (June 22, 2008).</ref>

====Italy====
Starting from the 1960s, up until the early 1980s Italy also saw a number of erotic-horror publications usually featuring female characters. One of the first, in 1964, was ''[[Satanik]]'', by [[Max Bunker]] and [[Magnus (comic artist)|Magnus]], which belonged to the first wave of the so-called [[Fumetti neri|"fumetto nero"]] characters, alongside [[Diabolik]] and [[Kriminal]] (also by Bunker and Magnus). 
Satanik was quickly followed by a flurry of other horror heroines, such as ''[[Jacula]]'', ''[[Sukia]]'', ''[[Yra (vampire)|Yra]]'', ''[[Zora (vampire)|Zora]]'' (all vampiresses), ''[[Ulula (comics)|Ulula]]'' (a werewoman), and others. These erotic-horror comics were mostly published by Ediperiodici and [[Edifumetto]], helmed by publishers/writers [[Giorgio Cavedon]] and [[Renzo Barbieri]], respectively, and were part of the "pocket erotici" editorial craze, also known as "fumetti sexy". These cheap publications featured the talents of both established and buddying Italian comics artists, such as a young [[Milo Manara]] (on ''Zordon''), and featured colourful, gruesome and very effective covers created by commercial illustrators and painters such as [[Alessandro Biffignandi]], [[Fernando Carcupino]], Averardo Ciriello, [[Pino Daeni|Pino D'Angelico]], [[Ferdinando Tacconi]] and [[Emanuele Taglietti]], among others. Some of these publications, like [[Wallestein the Monster]], were briefly published in English and the British publisher [[Korero Press]] has collected many of the original covers in its ongoing ''Sex and Horror'' artbook series.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.koreropress.com/sex-and-horror-the-art-of-emanuele-taglietti/ |title=Sex and Horror: The Art of Emanuele Taglietti |publisher=Korero Press |date=March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.koreropress.com/sex-and-horror-the-art-of-alessandro-biffignandi/ |title=Sex and Horror: The Art of Alessandro Biffignandi |publisher=Korero Press  |date=June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.koreropress.com/sex-and-horror-the-art-of-fernando-carcupino/ |title=Sex and Horror: The Art of Fernando Carcupino |publisher=Korero Press |date=February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://www.koreropress.com/sex-and-horror-volume-4/ |title=Sex and Horror |volume=Four|publisher=Korero Press |date=March 2021}}</ref>
 
Since 2018 Annexia has been publishing one-shots, featuring brand new adventures of ''Ulula'', ''Jakula'', ''Sukia'' and ''Zora'', among others, and in 2020 Editoriale Cosmo has reprinted some of the original stories in their "Classics of Italian Erotica" series.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.editorialecosmo.it/tag-prodotto/i-classici-dellerotismo-italiano/ |title=I classici dell'erotismo italiano |publisher=Editoriale Cosmo |date=2020}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, the genre became again popular, spearheaded by the Italian horror comic series ''[[Dylan Dog]]'', created by veteran comic-writer [[Tiziano Sclavi]], visually defined by cover artist [[Claudio Villa (comics)|Claudio Villa]] and published by [[Sergio Bonelli]]. It has achieved great success, both in its homeland and abroad, with translations in the US (by [[Dark Horse Comics]], with brand new covers by [[Mike Mignola]]), Germany, Spain, Serbia, Croatia, Denmark, Poland, Turkey and India. In the early 1990s, other publishers tried to emulate the success of ''Dylan Dog''. Among them was ACME, which published two monthly horror anthologies titled ''Splatter'' and ''Mostri'', which featured both original stories by promising young Italian artists (such as [[Bruno Brindisi]], [[Roberto De Angelis]] and Luigi Siniscalchi, who later went to work for Bonelli, some of them even on Dylan Dog) and translated material. A selection of stories from the Splatter anthology has been collected and reprinted in two volumes, published in 2017 and 2018 by Editoriale Cosmo.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.editorialecosmo.it/product/product-1234/|title=Splatter 1 – Profeti dall'inferno |publisher=Editoriale Cosmo  |date=July 26, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.editorialecosmo.it/product/product-934/ |title=Splatter 1 – Un pugnale nel cervello |publisher=Editoriale Cosmo |date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>

Among the most recent and noteworthy original horror comics series are ''The Cannibal Family'', created in 2013 by writer Stefano Fantelli and artist Stefano Piccioni and published by Edizioni Inkiostro, and the anthology ''Mostri'', published since 2015 by Bugs Comics, featuring work by young artists and later also established ones, such as Elena Casagrande.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bugscomics.com/prodotto/mostri-9/ |title=Mostri 9 |work=Bugs Comics |date=October 31, 2018}}</ref>

===Japan===
The term "horror" as a genre, only began circulating in Japan in the 1960s in press and everyday language. Prior to this, horror fiction as it may be known was referred to with terms like "mystery", "terror", and "dread".{{sfn| La Marca|2024|p=1}}

According to [[manga]] author and critic [[Yoshihiro Yonezawa]], the first boom of horror manga with the success of the ''Kaiki shōsetsu zenshū''' and the success of the [[British horror cinema|British horror films]] from [[Hammer Films]] which began circulating in Japan and gaining popularity.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=3}} In 1958, the first magazine devoted exclusively to horror and mystery was ''Kaidan'' which appeared at ''[[Kashi-hon]]'' (lending libraries), which had 101 issues published by Tsubame until 1968.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=1}} A sister publication to it, titled ''Ōru kaidan'' also began and lasted 84 volumes. Among the authors to these stories were Shinichi Koga, Hama Shinji, [[Sanpei Shirato]], [[Goseki Kojima]], [[Kazuo Umezu]] and Miki Ibara.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|pp=1-2}} Due to the circulation of these magazines, a growing interest in the supernatural developed, inspired by traditional Japanese ghost stories (''[[kaidan]]'') such as ''[[Yotsuya Kaidan]]'' as well as classical Japanese woodcut prints with themes of Japanese ghosts.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=2}}{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=5}} The stories within these publications fall into two stories set in the [[Tokugawa era]] and those set in the a Tokyo filled with skyscrapers, amidst murders and eerire demonic presences. These stories began circulating with themes of vengesful spirits or ghosts, storied linked to tragic karmic fate, and both original and retelling of ancient ghost stories.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=3}} Stories from around the world began influencing the stories, with narratives being set in the United States and France, as well the appearing of other horrific-traits such as bats, lizard-men, [[Frankenstein's monster]]-like creatures. American writers such as [[H.P. Lovecraft]] was repedeatly paid homage to by Japanese manga authors.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|pp=3-4}}

Following the birth and the weekly magazines, and a new style known as both ''kyofu'' and ''kowai'' manga (terror and scary respectively) began appearing that attracted a younger audience than ''Kaidan'' and ''Oru kaidan'' which appealed to teenagers. These included long series such as ''[[GeGeGe no Kitarō|Hakaba Kitarō]]'' by [[Shigeru Mizuki]] where characters from Japanese folkore coexist with the themes from teenage manga from the period. The popularity of these stories led to similarly styled [[anime]] series ''[[Humanoid Monster Bem]]'' (1968).{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=8}} Throughou the 1960s and 1970s, different publishers continued horror titles in mainstream magazines, without devoting specific publication to them, with titles like ''[[Devilman]]'' (1972). Smaller publishers released Hibari Hit series allowed their authors to complete freedom, in which [[Hideshi Hino]] got his start.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=11}} The influence of these smaller published was felt in late 1980s published magazines such as ''[[Monthly Halloween|Halloween]]'' published from 1986-1995, ''Suspiria'' (1987-2012), and the 1990s with ''Horror M''. As it had in the 1960s and 1970s, the genre returned in magazines aimed at women with young women, with some authors such as Hino and Jiro returning along with newcomers like [[Narumi Kakinouchi]] and [[Kanako Inuki]].{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=12}}

In the 21st century, series based around zombies and the undead appeared with titles like ''[[Highschool of the Dead]]'' and ''[[Junji Ito]]''{{'}}s ''[[Gyo]]''.{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2015|p=369}}

===Styles and themes===
Material in these stories are often drawn from Japanese folkore figures like ''[[yokai]]''.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=4}} This includes several stories involving cats with supernatural powers, cat with metamorphic abilities called ''[[bakeneko]]''. Cat in these comics are often black, and have appeared in several stories through decades such as ''Kin'iro hitomi'' (1960), ''Neko to watashi to haha to buta'' (1968) and ''Bakeneko shojo'' (1982).{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=4}} Like the ''bakeneko'', transformation is another key topic, with many stories of foxes, snakes, or cranes that transofmr into beautiful women for either revenge or to ensnare a man and bring him to ruin. Often, the main character also undergoes inexplicable transformation into an animal or monstrous or hybrid creatures. These traits are key in the manga of Kazuo Umezu, which often cycle among the fear that any human being will stop being themselves and turn into something else, such as ''[[Reptilia (manga)|Reptilia]]'' or often a child will transform into an adult, ill and lacking freedom or autonomy.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=5}}

Among the sub-genres of comics is the ''guro'', meaning grotesque, bizarre, horrific. Horror manga sometimes dedicated an entire page or two to a ''guro'' scene, as unlike films which can have music to play to enhance a narrative, horror manga often had these pages to shock the reader at the exact moment of turning a page.{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=6}} Among the major ''ero-guro'' (erotic grotesque) manga creators was [[Suehiro Maruo]], described by [[Thierry Groensteen]] as "the [[Marquis de Sade|De Sade]] of contemporary manga."{{sfn|La Marca|2024|p=6}}

===Online===
Horror comics are also published on the web, with horror webcomics that include the pioneering work of ''[[Eric Millikin|Eric Monster Millikin]]'', an anthology [[webtoon]], ''Tales of the Unusual'' and Zuda comics ''[[High Moon]]''.

==Video spinoffs==
Comics have formed part of the [[media franchise]] for popular [[horror movie]]s like ''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (comics)|Texas Chainsaw Massacre]]'', ''[[Friday the 13th (comics)|Friday the 13th]]'', ''[[Halloween (comics)|Halloween]]'' and ''[[Army of Darkness (comics)|Army of Darkness]]''. They have also been adapted from [[horror video game]]s, like ''[[Silent Hill (comics)|Silent Hill]]''.

Horror comics have also been sources for horror films, such as ''[[30 Days of Night (film)|30 Days of Night]]'', ''[[Hellboy (2004 film)|Hellboy]]'' and ''[[Blade (franchise)|Blade]]'', and, from horror manga, such films as ''[[Uzumaki (film)|Uzumaki]]'' (2000), ''[[Z ~Zed~]]'' (2014)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-04-09/ring-0/orochi-tsuruta-directs-live-action-film-of-zombie-manga-z|title= Ring 0/Orochi's Tsuruta Directs Live-Action Film of Zombie Manga Z|date= 9 April 2014|access-date= 30 July 2014|work= [[Anime News Network]]}}</ref> and two 1980s movies directed by comics creator [[Hideshi Hino]] adapted from his manga ''[[Guinea Pig (film series)|Guinea Pig]]: Flower of Flesh and Blood'' and ''Guinea Pig: Mermaid in a Manhole''. [[Robert Kirkman]]'s comic-book series ''The Walking Dead'' was adapted in 2010 into [[The Walking Dead (TV series)|an ongoing TV series]] on the AMC cable network.

Some horror films and television programs have had comic-book sequels, such as ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight]]'', as well as [[prequel]]s or interstitial stories, such as ''[[Saw: Rebirth]]'' and ''[[28 Days Later: The Aftermath]]'', respectively.

==Horror hosts==
{{See also|Horror host}}
[[Radio drama]] horror and suspense anthology series devoted to horror and suspense plays, such as "The Sealed Book", ''[[Lights Out (radio show)|Lights Out]]'', ''[[Quiet, Please]]'', ''[[The Whistler (radio series)|The Whistler]]'', and ''[[Inner Sanctum Mysteries]]'', which broadcast from the 1930s–1950s, had sinister "hosts" who introduced and wrapped up the stories. The tradition was introduced into horror comics, many of which were also anthology titles, with many stories in each issue.

[[EC Comics]] utilized the conceit of a character who "hosted" the book, often starring in a framing sequence at the beginning of each issue. The most notorious EC hosts were the "GhouLunatics": [[The Crypt Keeper]], The Old Witch, and [[The Vault-Keeper]]. In the 1960s, Warren came up with the hosts [[Uncle Creepy]] and [[Eerie (magazine)|Cousin Eerie]], and DC followed suit with their hosts [[Cain and Abel (comics)|Cain and Abel]] (as well as such minor hosts as [[Eve (comics)|Eve]], [[Endless (comics)|Destiny]], [[Lucien (comics)|Lucien]], and the [[Mad Mod Witch]]).{{efn|
DC's ''[[Secrets of Haunted House]]'' #44 [January 1982] was a special issue in which horror hosts were being murdered. Abel, Cain, Eve, Lucien, and Squire Shade gather with a group of children for a Halloween party at the Haunted House. A murderer is killing them, though, and the Three Witches are nowhere to be seen.}} Charlton had a large cast of hosts for their horror/suspense titles. Marvel Comics for the most part did not, though the publisher briefly used the characters of [[Digger (Marvel Comics)|Digger]] and Headstone P. Gravely.

The following is a list of hosts from various horror comics titles from over the years.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- "
! Title !! Host !! Publisher !! Publication dates
|-
|''[[Chamber of Darkness]]'' || [[Digger (Marvel Comics)|Digger]]<br />Headstone P. Gravely || Marvel || 1969–1971 (retitled ''[[Monsters on the Prowl]]'' without a host)
|-
|''[[Creepy (magazine)|Creepy]]'' || [[Uncle Creepy]] || Warren || 1964–1983
|-
|''[[Dr. Spektor Presents Spine-Tingling Tales]]'' || [[Doctor Spektor]] || Gold Key || 1975–1976
|-
|''[[Eagle (British comics)|Eagle]]'' || [[The Collector (comic strip)|The Collector]] || IPC Magazines || 1982–?
|-
|''[[Eerie (magazine)|Eerie]]'' || [[Eerie (magazine)|Cousin Eerie]] || Warren || 1966–1983
|-
|''[[Elvira, Mistress of the Dark]]'' || [[Elvira, Mistress of the Dark]] || Claypool Comics || 1993–2007
|-
|''[[Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion]]'' || Charity (1972–1974) || DC || 1971–1974
|-
|''[[Ghosts (comics)|Ghosts]]'' || Squire Shade (1981–1982) || DC || 1971–1982
|-
|''[[Ghost Manor (comics)|Ghost Manor]]'' (2 vols.) || Old Witch (1968–1971)<br />Mr. Bones (1971–1984) || Charlton || 1968–1971 (vol. 1, retitled as ''[[Ghostly Haunts]]'')<br />1971–1984 (vol. 2)
|-
|''[[Ghostly Haunts]]'' || Winnie the Witch || Charlton || 1971–1978
|-
|''[[Ghostly Tales]]'' || Mr. L. Dedd/Mr. I.M. Dedd || Charlton || 1966–1984
|-
|''[[The Haunt of Fear]]'' || The Old Witch || EC || 1950–1954
|-
|''[[Haunted (comics)|Haunted]]'' || Impy<br />Baron Weirwulf (1975–1984) || Charlton || 1971–1984
|-
|''[[The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves]]'' || Dr. M.T. Graves || Charlton || 1967–1986
|-
|''[[House of Mystery]]'' || [[Cain and Abel (comics)|Cain]] (1968–1983)<br />[[Elvira, Mistress of the Dark]] (1986–1987) || DC || 1951–1983, 1986–1987 (titled ''Elvira's House of Mystery''), 2008–present
|-
|''[[House of Secrets (DC Comics)|House of Secrets]]'' || [[Cain and Abel (comics)|Abel]] (1969–1978) || DC || 1956–1978, 1996–1999
|-
|''[[Midnight Tales]]'' || Professor Coffin (a.k.a. The Midnight Philosopher)<br />Arachne Coffin || Charlton || 1972–1976
|-
|''Nightmare''
|
|[[Skywald Publications]]
|1974
|-
|''[[Plop!]]'' || [[Cain and Abel (comics)|Cain]]<br />[[Cain and Abel (comics)|Abel]]<br />[[Eve (comics)|Eve]] || DC || 1973–1976
|-
|''Psycho''
|
|[[Skywald Publications]]
|1974-1975
|-
|''[[Scary Tales (comics)|Scary Tales]]'' || Countess R.H. Von Bludd || Charlton || 1975–1984
|-
|''Scream''
|
|[[Skywald Publications]]
|1974
|-
|''[[Scream! (comics)|Scream!]]'' || Ghastly McNasty<br />The Leper<br />The Night Comer (1986 ''Scream! Summer Special'')<br />Ghoul (1989, ''Scream! Spinechillers Holiday Special'') || IPC || 1984, various specials until 1989
|-
|''[[Secrets of Haunted House]]'' || [[Cain and Abel (comics)|Cain and Abel]]<br />[[List of characters in The Sandman#Eve|Eve]]<br />[[Endless (comics)|Destiny]] (issues #1-7, 9, & 11–39) || DC || 1975–1982
|-
|''[[Secrets of Sinister House]]'' || [[Eve (comics)|Eve]] (issues #6–16) || DC || 1972–1974
|-
| ''[[Strange Cases]]'' in ''[[Judge Dredd Megazine]]'' || Judge Strange<ref>{{comicbookdb|type=character|id=51641|title=Judge Strange}}</ref> || [[Fleetway Publications]] || 1991–1992
|-
| ''[[Tales from the Black Museum]]'' in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' || Henry Dubble<ref>{{comicbookdb|type=character|id=52284|title=Henry Dubble}}</ref> || [[Rebellion Developments]] || 2006–present
|-
|''[[Tales from the Crypt (comics)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' || [[The Crypt Keeper]] || EC || 1950–1955
|-
|''[[Tales of Ghost Castle]]'' || [[Lucien (comics)|Lucien]] || DC || 1975
|-
|''[[The Thing!]]'' || The Thing || Charlton || 1952–1954
|-
|''[[This Magazine is Haunted]]'' || Dr. Death<br />Dr. Haunt || Fawcett, Charlton || 1951–1958
|-
|''[[Tower of Shadows]]'' || [[Digger (Marvel Comics)|Digger]]<br />Headstone P. Gravely || Marvel || 1969–1971 (retitled as ''[[Creatures on the Loose]]'', with no host)
|-
|''[[The Unexpected (1968 comic book)|The Unexpected]]'' || [[Cain and Abel (comics)|Abel]]<br />The Three Witches<br />[[Mad Mod Witch]] (1969–1974) || DC || 1968–1982
|-
|''[[Vampirella]]'' || [[Vampirella]] (1969–1970 as host; afterward as leading character) || Warren<br />Harris Publications/Dynamite Entertainment || 1969–1983<br />1991–present
|-
|''[[The Vault of Horror (comics)|The Vault of Horror]]'' || [[The Vault-Keeper]]<br />Drusilla (1952–1955) || EC || 1950–1955
|-
|''[[Weird Mystery Tales]]'' || Dr. E. Leopold Maas (1972)<br />[[Endless (comics)|Destiny]] (1972–1974)<br />[[Eve (comics)|Eve]] (1973–1975) || DC || 1972–1975
|-
|''[[Weird War Tales]]'' || [[Death (DC Comics)|Death]] || DC || 1971–1983
|-
|''[[The Witching Hour (DC Comics)|The Witching Hour]]'' || The Three Witches || DC || 1969–1978
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Comics|Speculative fiction/Horror}}
*[[Lovecraftian horror comics]]
*[[Racism in horror films]]
*[[Vampire comics]]
*[[Weird West comics]]
*[[Werewolf comics]]
*[[Zombie comics]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==Citations==
<!-- Reference system following [[WP:CITESHORT]] and using {{sfn}} - see article for examples of how to implement this -->
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |title=A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign |last=Barker |first=Martin |year=1992 |publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]] |series=Studies in Popular Culture Series |isbn=0-87805-594-0 |pages=256 }}
*{{cite book |title=Horror Comics: The Illustrated History |last=Benton |first=Mike |year=1992 |publisher=Taylor Publishing |series=Taylor History of Comics |isbn=0-87833-734-2 |pages=147 }}
* {{cite book|title=[[The Anime Encyclopedia]]|edition=3|last1=Clements|first1=Jonathan|last2=McCarthy|first2=Helen|publisher=Stone Bridge Press|ISBN=978-1-61172-018-1|year=2015}}
*{{cite book |title=Great American Comic Books |last=Goulart |first=Ron |author-link=Ron Goulart |publisher=Contemporary Books : [[Chicago, Illinois]] |year=1986 |isbn=0-8092-5045-4 |pages=314 }}
*{{cite book |title=The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America |last=Hajdu |first=David |author-link=David Hajdu |publisher=[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] |year=2008 |page=[https://archive.org/details/tencentplaguegre00hajd/page/464 464] |isbn=978-0-374-18767-5 }}
* {{cite journal|title=Horror Manga: Themes and Stylistics of Japanese Horror Comics|last=La Marca|first=Paolo|journal=[[List of MDPI academic journals|Humanities]]|year=2024|volume=13|issue=8}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* Beaty, Bart. ''Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture''. University Press of Mississippi, 2005. {{ISBN|1-57806-819-3}}.
* ''Juvenile Delinquency (Comic Books) hearings before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee To Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the U.S., Eighty-Third Congress, second session, on April 21, 22, June 4, 1954''. (OCLC Worldcat link to {{OCLC search link|62662186}})
* Nyberg, Ami Kiste. ''Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code'', University Press of Mississippi, 1998. {{ISBN|0-87805-975-X}}.

==External links==
*Sparrow, A. E. [http://anime.ign.com/articles/831/831586p1.html "Top 10 Horror/Thriller Manga"], [[IGN.com]], October 30, 2007. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110505084327/http://anime.ign.com/articles/831/831586p1.html WebCitation archive].
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091027160127/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8580/kefauver.html  1954 Senate Interim Report: Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency].
*[http://www.thecomicbooks.com/1954senatetranscripts.html 1954 Senate Subcommittee Transcripts]

{{horror fiction}}
{{DC Comics Mystery Titles}}
{{Comics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Horror comics| ]]
[[Category:Comics genres]]