The 10 Best New Horror Comics Released in 2026

Originally published October 30, 2026. This article covers the best new horror comic books of 2026. Check out our Spooktacular event page for even more spooky news and fun!

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Each year, I delight in bringing readers a list of the best horror comics currently on the shelves at your local shop (see 2025, 2024). Horror stories in comics are rarely limited to just October anymore, with the genre experiencing a huge resurgence in 2026 both with original, creator-owned works and licensed properties.

Many ongoing smash-hits continue to dominate the list of top horror books — just look at the return of Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, the extensive anthology Hello Darkness, and the meteoric popularity of the Slaughter-verse family of books. While there are some spinoffs included here, this year’s list is going to focus primarily on the newest horror titles launched in 2026. They’ll chill your staple-bound spine at any time of the year, so call up your local comic shop and put these titles on your pull list.

• Exquisite Corpses: Rascal Randy
• Murder Podcast
• Dead Teenagers
• Absolute Green Arrow
• Boom Studios’ Hellraiser Oneshots
• Smile: For the Camera
• Bleeding Hearts
• Operation: Iron Coffin
• Odin
• The Patron

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Exquisite Corpses: Rascal Randy

• Publisher: Image Comics/Tiny Onion
• Writer: Tyler Boss
• Artist: Dylan Burnett

Exquisite Corpses was one of last year’s biggest horror books, continuing its reign well into 2026 with a pulse-pounding conclusion to its first season. Now, the team at Tiny Onion is giving several creative teams the chance to dig deeper into the mythos of fan-favorite killers like the Fox Mask Killer, the Lone Gunman, and most notably, Rascal Randy.

The murderous rabbit mascot still remains an incredibly mysterious figure, but writer Tyler Boss and artist Dylan Burnett have shed a light on the final killing spree of this bucktoothed bad guy. The series also delves into Rascal Randy’s animated origins, as a beloved cartoon scamp destined for icon status. With horror like Bendy and the Ink Machine and Poppy Playtime being quite popular, this cuddly, killer mascot fits right in. Exquisite Corpses: Rascal Randy keeps readers on their toes and gives even more opportunity to indulge in the sordid history behind this smiling face.

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Murder Podcast

• Publisher: Ignition Press
• Writer: Jeremy Haun
• Artist: Mike Tisserand

Though a newer publisher when compared to others on this list, Ignition Press came out of the gate with a major impact. They achieved this not just through the quality of stories, but for their outreach and information transparency, helping to acquaint new readers with complex (and often scarier than the horror stories) pre-order processes and release windows for comics. One of their biggest successes has been Murder Podcast, the first series they released with a “cold open” issue #0 (and while it technically started in late 2025, the bulk of the series has released in 2026).

The story comes from Jeremy Haun and Mike Tisserand, about a mysterious podcast appearing on listeners’ phones with no warning. The “Dead Sounds” audio broadcast ends up sending all who hear it into a murderous rampage, prompting true crime enthusiasts to investigate the deadly plot — before they end up on the podcast’s kill count!

Haun already has horror pedigree, being one of the co-writers of the body horror crime series The Beauty, which was turned into a live-action series for FX. Murder Podcast examines our cultural fixation with true crime media and the age old question of whether horror movies and stories make people want to turn around and commit murders themselves. As just an early sampling of Ignition’s curation of talent and interesting stories, Murder Podcast stands out and puts this publisher on the map.

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Dead Teenagers

• Publisher: Oni Press
• Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle
• Artist: Caitlyn Yarsky

Fans of the Fear Street films, Totally Killer, and Life is Strange are sure to fall in love with Dead Teenagers from Oni Press. This charismatic, high-energy horror thriller traps five teens in a recurring nightmare, forced to relive prom night in 1997 over and over — and they always die at the end! No matter what they do, their deaths reset the world, forcing them to continue on despite their inevitable fates.

While a book about being caught in never-ending cycles might sound like a recipe for repetitive storytelling, Doyle’s script is clever and anything but predictable. Yarsky’s character design and eye for visual humor also gives Dead Teenagers a compelling edge, as the teens try to escape the horrors holding them hostage — including everything from drunk driving to giant lizards in the school gym. And beneath the concept’s surface lurks an earnest and heartfelt story about trauma and the ways our own perception (as well as the actions of others) can leave us feeling stuck and unable to grow.

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Absolute Green Arrow

• Publisher: DC
• Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote
• Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

Part of the smash-hit Absolute Universe, Absolute Green Arrow turns the classic story of Oliver Queen into one about a serial killer targeting wealthy businessmen. Every victim has been found with a green arrow sticking out of their corpse, and all the suspects have ties to the recently murdered Queen. Protection specialist Dinah Lance (Absolute Black Canary) is on the case, taking the lead in this thrilling urban horror murder mystery.

DC solicited this book as I Know What You Did Last Summer for billionaires, and it lives up to that comparison. In fact, it goes beyond, making a worthy addition to the already stacked roster of Absolute DC books. Absolute Green Arrow is set to be 12 issues in total, with the first 6 issues collected into a trade paperback titled “The Longbow Killer.” We won’t spoil the mystery here, but fans of horror and all of DC’s other Absolute efforts won’t want to miss this one.

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BOOM! Studios’ Hellraiser: Resurrection Oneshots

• Publisher: BOOM! Studios
• Writer: Tini Howard, Sarah Gailey, Mike Costa, Zac Thompson, Nero Villagallos O’Reilly
• Artist: Jenna Cha, Alessio Avallone, Paco Camallonga, Gavin Mitchell, Francesca Ciregia

Earlier this year, BOOM! Studios opened the box, and fans came en masse to check out their newly acquired Hellraiser license. A series of five oneshots, each focused on a different member of the Order of the Gash, was announced with the intent to change the landscape of Leviathan and set the stage for more stories of the Hell Priest (more famously known as Pinhead) and his fellow explorers in the realms of pain and pleasure.

Each of these oneshots is absolutely fascinating, taking place shortly after the events covered by the original film trilogy and recontextualizing the goals and actions of each of the iconic Cenobites (while introducing new flayed faces as well).

• Mike Costa and Paco Camallonga’s New Wounds establishes what’s to come for the newest ongoing series beginning this winter.
• The Onanistic Ritual by Zac Thompson and Gavin Mitchell focuses on a young man with a toxic “alpha male” mindset who becomes obsessed with summoning The Chatterer.
• Tini Howard and Jenna Cha give new voice to the female Cenobite, no longer known as Deep Throat but now called Mother Superior, in The Deep Gospel.
• Nero Villagallos O’Reilly and Francesca Ciregia give detail to the mysterious return of Butterball after his demise in Hellbound: Hellraiser II.
• Finally, Sarah Gailey and Alessio Avallone reshape Pinhead and his new Order in Return of the Priest, setting up for a new miniseries by Gailey and breakout artist Savanna Mayer in Hellraiser: New Parables in 2027.

Fans of the franchise can pick up any and all of these tales of tantalizing torture for a bloody good time this Halloween season.

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Smile: For the Camera

• Publisher: IDW
• Writer: Hannah Rose May
• Artist: Miriana Puglia

IDW has been publishing a wide variety of licensed tie-in stories through the IDW Dark line, all to robust critical success. They even recently announced the acquisition of even more horror properties like M3GAN, The Purge, and Happy Death Day. But before those land on shelves, fans can look for Smile: For the Camera, an extension of the horror series that takes place in the high-stakes world of fashion modeling.

Writer Hannah Rose May (also known for the IDW Dark hit books in the Exorcism At universe) uses her own work experience to craft an unsettling tale set during Fashion Month 2005, where a group of young models find themselves haunted by the Smile demon. External pressure from their industry clashes with the insanity of the entity, creating a downward spiral that’s as glamorous as it is gory.

IDW’s next Smile series, Any Given Smile by writer Stephanie Williams and artist Pablo M. Collar, will tackle the world of football in 1995’s All American League. While issue #1 only just released on September 23, fans won’t want to miss all of these explorations on the Smile mythos.

(As an aside, I think artist Skylar Patridge’s cover for issue #1 is hands-down the best horror cover art of the year.)

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Bleeding Hearts

• Publisher: DC/Vertigo
• Writer: Deniz Camp
• Artist: Stipan Morian

In its original prime, Vertigo was an imprint dedicated to the strange, unusual, and mind-bending. It broke the mold continually, setting itself apart from even parent company DC’s typical super hero books. With the recent relaunch, fans have gotten some new stories from today’s top talent, including Bleeding Hearts, a zombie story with more than just brains.

Bleeding Hearts takes place in a world where zombies took over and humanity collapsed, leaving behind a rich zombie society with its own language and culture. The story follows Mouse-Pokes-Golf-Ball-Through-Hole-In-Head, or Poke for short, whose heart suddenly restarts one day and begins to beat. His changing perception on whether humans are friend or food creates a fun and unique twist on typical apocalypse stories that is really worth reading.

What does it mean to follow your heart when you really aren’t supposed to have one? Shamble on over to your local comic store and catch up on the nearly dozen issues that have already come out.

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Operation: Iron Coffin

• Publisher: IDW
• Writer: Kenny Porter
• Artist: Tyrell Cannon

Operation: Iron Coffin is a rip-roaring historical action horror that dares to ask, “What if Dracula were dropped into the heart of Nazi Germany during World War II in order to help end the conflict?” And it’s awesome. In this book, Dracula has only been recently resurrected, partnered with the British and air-dropped onto a train containing augmented monster soldiers. There are other characters from Bram Stoker’s literary creation as well as original figures that make this story engaging and unexpected.

And while Dracula is the protagonist of Operation: Iron Coffin, he is still as monstrous as ever. Of course, compared to experimental super soldiers and the actions of the Nazis, it’s clear who the hero is. The concept was also done once before in the tabletop RPG Eat the Reich, but Operation: Iron Coffin is wholly unique in its storytelling.

Plus, it was released as three oversized issues through IDW Dark, each only priced $4.99, offering fans a meatier presentation without having to wait long for the full series conclusion. It will hopefully be collected in trade paperback format in the new year!

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Odin

• Publisher: Image Comics/Tiny Onion
• Writer: James Tynion IV, Margueritte Bennett
• Artist: Letizia Cadonici

Odin is one of the most gruesome reading experiences on the stands currently (and that doesn’t include its irregular release schedule and unexpected delays). This folk horror book from writers Tynion and Bennett is a squeamish experience in watching how far someone will go for their work — the subjects just happen to be a morally-flexible journalist and a group of Neo Nazi punks.

As journalist Adela follows a group of misbegotten white supremacists to the frozen expanse of Norway, her beliefs — both in reality and in her own moral superiority — are challenged by horrific, inexplicable happenings that seem to invoke the old Norse gods. Cadonici’s linework is sparing in its overall complexity, but does not skimp on the dread-invoking detail. The overall subject matter of the book is occasionally difficult, but the creative team is immensely competent and offer no easy answers in this totally taboo horror tale. I recommend it for open-minded fans of works like Midsommar and Yellowjackets.

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The Patron

• Publisher: Ignition Press
• Writer: Christian Ward
• Artist: John J. Pearson

It’s long been said that an artist’s work only becomes truly valuable after their demise, because they’ll never make more of it. Just consider the work of Vincent van Gogh, who went unappreciated in his time. The Patron from Ignition Press takes that concept to its furthest, most horrifying conclusions for a truly twisted thriller.

Mr. Cherish is a patron of arts who helps young and emerging artists reach their fullest potential — by murdering them and selling their work at an astronomical profit. But when a new painting signed by his latest victim is mailed to his home, Cherish’s entire operation is threatened. Ward, who has proved his strength both as an artist and now a writer of comics, has crafted a compelling mystery (which, at the time of writing this article, hasn’t concluded) while every panel of Pearson’s sequential work feels like a lavish painting in and of itself.

The Patron stands out as a tight serial killer thriller, perfect for fans of films like American Psycho, Velvet Buzzsaw, and the video game Layers of Fear.

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Of course, many other ongoing horror titles still continue to delight and terrify. You can’t go wrong exploring any of them at your local shop — don’t miss other ongoing comics like Feral, Hello Darkness, and more.

How many of these new horror comics have you already read? Which ones will you be adding to your pull list? Share your picks with other horror fans over at Sideshow Social Network or at side.show/geekgroup. Plus, check out Sideshow’s Spooktacular page for frightfully festive contests, giveaways, reveals, and more!

And, as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!