Halloween is a kid-favorite holiday, and publishers play to that with middle-grade graphic novels that mix in as much humor as horror and more intense young adult titles that don’t go quite as far as their adult counterparts. Here’s a look at some upcoming middle-grade and YA graphic novels, as well as two kid-friendly Halloween-themed comics, that are all due out before Halloween 2024.
Middle-Grade Graphic Novels
Two middle-schoolers go searching for a buried treasure and discover it is guarded by ghosts in Heebie Jeebies, by Matthew Erman and Shelby Criswell, published by Papercutz. More funny than scary, Heebie Jeebies is rated for ages 7-12 and is set to be released on September 17 as a paperback with an MSRP of $14.99.
R. L. Stine is returning to comics in a new set of Goosebumps graphic novels from Graphix. The first one, The Haunted Mask, is adapted by Maddie Gonzalez from Stine’s original chapter book and features a girl whose scary Halloween mask won’t come off, threatening to turn her into a literal monster. Graphix published four Goosebumps graphic novels in the mid-00s, and IDW Publishing published Goosebumps comics and graphic novels as well (see “Comic Series Will Give Readers ‘Goosebumps’“). The Haunted Mask, rated for ages 8-12, will be released on September 3 as a paperback with an MSRP of $12.99 and a hardcover with an MSRP of $24.99.
Taxi Ghost, by Sophie Escabesse (creator of the Witches of Brooklyn series) stars a girl who gets two things at once: Her first period and the ability to see ghosts. Turns out she comes from a long line of mediums, but neither her sister nor her mother has the power, and her grandmother, who does have it, wants nothing to do with the ghosts. These are friendly ghosts, though, and they are also allies in the fight her grandmother has launched to stop developers from ruining their neighborhood. Set in snowy Montreal, and filled with ghosts and human characters that are funny and charming, this story is rated for ages 8-12 and will be published on September 3 by Random House Graphic in two formats, a paperback with an MSRP of $13.99 and a hardcover with an MSRP of $21.99.
Shock City creator Aaron Alexovich includes a letter at the end of the book explaining how the story, about a shy boy and his exuberant monster friend, grew out of his own childhood fears, and how horror helped him conquer his anxiety. Alexovich, an artist for the Invader Zim and Avatar: The Last Airbender comics, has a cartoony style with a Nickelodeon vibe. Published by Viking, Shock City is rated for ages 8-12 and will go on sale on September 10, paperback only, with an MSRP of $13.99.
Hellaween: Spellbent, by Moss Lawton, is the second book in a series about a witch-in-training who breaks into a magical realm to be with her two best friends, a vampire and a werewolf, and befriends another witch who helps her navigate this new world. Drawn in a spiky, cartoony style the Hellaween graphic novels, published by Razorbill and rated for ages 10-14, are more suspenseful (and funny) than scary. Hellaween: Spellbent was just released on August 20 in two formats, a paperback with an MSRP of $13.99 and a hardcover with an MSRP of $23.99.
Image Comics is collecting Jill Thompson’s stylish and whimsical Scary Godmother comics, together with some new ones, in the 552-page paperback Scary Godmother Compendium (see “‘Scary Godmother’ Returns“), which is due out on October 15. That’s perfect timing for these comics, which feature a little girl, Hannah Marie, and her Scary Godmother, who lives on the Fright Side with her monster friends. The book doesn’t have a specific age rating because it is truly an all-ages title, enjoyable for young children and adults alike. MSRP is $39.99.
Young Adult Graphic Novels
A Haunted Girl, written by Ethan Sacks and his daughter Naomi Sacks with art by Marco Lorenzana, is the story of a teenage girl who is fighting two kinds of demons: Her own depression and the ghosts who keep popping up and pursuing her, while a boy with blazing red eyes eggs her on toward a confrontation with the Goddess of Death herself. Cleo has just gotten out of a mental hospital and is gingerly negotiating her return to school and life with her adoptive father, but the ghosts just won’t leave her alone, until she finds the inner strength to fight back, with help from those who care for her. The graphic novel, rated for ages 12+, was published by Image in June and has an MSRP of $14.99.
The Five Nights at Freddy’s graphic novels, based on the game by Scott Cawthon and published by Graphix, are phenomenal sellers, appearing in the Kids’ Top 20 month after month. The newest volume, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Fazbear Fights – Graphic Novel Collection Vol. 5, brings together three novella-length comics set in the creepiest pizza restaurant ever. This volume, like the others, is rated for ages 12+; it will go on sale on September 3 as a paperback with an MSRP of $14.99 and a hardcover with an MSRP of $24.99.
The Terrifying Tales of Vivian Vance, by Josh Ulrich, is a teen-detective story with a supernatural twist. Teenage sleuth Vivian Vance grew up hearing stories about the monsters that kidnap children who don’t go to bed on when they are supposed to. She dismissed the story as a myth cooked up by exhausted parents, but then a case takes her face to face with the monsters and their victims. There’s a whiff of Lovecraft and Veronica Mars to this graphic novel, which will be published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on October 8 in two formats, a paperback with an MSRP of $17.99 and a hardcover with an MSRP of $24.99. The book is rated 12+.
One-Shot Comics
Once Upon a Grubb, by Neo Edmund and Walter Carzon, is a one-shot comic, priced at $6.00, published by Sandy King Carpenter’s Storm Kids imprint. The story of Grubb a big-hearted troll who yearns to be a human child, is a standalone story and also a prequel to The Grimms Town Terror Tales graphic novel series, where he is a main character. Street date is October 2.
Another one-shot is Dynamite Entertainment’s Powerpuff Girls Halloween Special, by Amanda Diebert and Cat Staggs, in which the trio fight off an array of villains and Buttercup hides out in a haunted hotel to write a horror comic. Release date is October 23, and MSRP is $5.99.
For more Horror Week 2024 coverage, click here.
Source: ICV2
