WHAT HORROR COMICS WILL 2022 BRING?

There is plenty to look forward to in 2022 in the realm of horror genre comics.

JANUARY

Angel – Boom Studios

Fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer are in luck with a new spinoff resurrecting her love interest into his own ongoing series. Angel #1, expected later this month, will have him moved to Hollywood and started his own crime-drama TV show called Detective TV, while continuing his monster hunting on the side. Writer Christopher Cantwell and illustrator Daniel Bayliss are both excited about the chance to explore the possibilities of the character in a new setting. Cantwell said he “leaped at the chance to honour and celebrate the original series in a fresh way, pulling on some loose threads and weaving new ones.” Bayliss is eager “to represent great action scenes and creepy creatures and demons.”

FEBRUARY

Ghost Rider – Marvel

Written by Benjamin Percy (X Lives of Wolverine) and illustrated by Cory Smith (Conan the Barbarian), the 50th anniversary of his first appearance will herald the return of Johnny Blaze as the titular spirit of vengeance.

According to the official synopsis, by day Johnny has “bloody visions and, by night, he is haunted by horrifying monsters," and “Things are getting worse with every passing moment, and he is beginning to feel like a caged animal. Johnny will have to fight the burning spirit deep within his soul.”

Carnage - Marvel

Continuing with the anniversaries, the popular Spiderman symbiote villain, Carnage, is getting a special one-shot to celebrate 30 years since his original appearance. Carnage Forever #1 is slated for 23rd of Feb, with an ongoing series planned for release in March. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Ram V and Ty Templeton and illustrated by Edgar Salazar, Templeton and other artists, it has been hinted that the symbiote will make “an unexpected bond with a very unexpected kind of character, with all the grisly consequences Carnage fans have come to expect.”

MARCH

Something Is Killing The Children #21 – Boom Studios

Something Is Killing The Children returns with a fresh start for Erica Slaughter. This Eisner Award-nominated horror series will conclude a six month hiatus in March with issue #21. With this brand new story arc it will be a great jumping on point for new readers and a welcome return for existing fans.

One year after the events of Archer's Peak Erica is striking out on her own having cut ties with the House of Slaughter. However this will mean she will be both hunter and hunted as those she has crossed are not known for letting people go so easily.

Blacula – Zombie Love Studios

Set to be released some time in Spring, this three-comic series is being written by Rodney Barnes and illustrated by Jason Shawn Alexander. Barnes, having been a fan of the character since age eight, is looking forward to showing the iconic character go up against his obvious counterpart, Dracula. It will present an interesting power-play since, as Barnes puts it; they are “able to hear the past, to speak to the present. Vampires are manipulative. They have good memories–they know who they were.”

SEPTEMBER

Hollow – Boom Studios

Co-creator of Lumberjanes, Shannon Watters, is making a "queer-teen-love-story meets spooky-goofball-supernatural-caper that my Scooby-Doo-ifed young self had wished existed." Hollow is the story of Isabel "Izzy" Crane, having relocated with her family to Sleepy Hollow and being forced to navigate a new life in a new town, new school, and new social cliques, and if that wasn't enough, directly contend with the ghostly curse that made the town famous.

Human Remains – Vault Comics

Described as the same principle as A Quiet Place, but with emotions, writer Peter Milligan (Hellblazer) and illustrator Sally Cantirino (I Walk With Monsters) will show a world under invasion by monsters that feed on strong emotions.

Stating that the idea behind the story was inspired by the precautions and restrictions people have had to endure due to COVID, Milligan wrote this to explore the process of having to restrict ourselves of qualities that we consider to be what make us essentially human. “A thought struck me: How much can you strip away from what it is to be human before you stop being human?”

And this is only what’s been announced so far. Keep an eye out for further news, leading into March/May.