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It’s almost Halloween, and my TBR and I have been celebrating all month. If you’re not quite as intense of a seasonal reader, though, you may want to pick just one book to read on Halloween that matches the vibes. Horror is an obvious choice, but it’s not the only option: Halloween encompasses silly witchy adventures as well as gory spine-chilling tales. If you only have one day to read it, you’re going to want something short. Graphic novels are perfect for reading in one sitting, and there are so many great Halloween comics to choose from.
Queer horror has exploded in recent years, and so have queer comics. There are so many to choose from! I’ve been reading mostly queer horror and Halloween books all month—because I’m always going to pick the queer book, if that’s an option—and I’m nowhere near the end of my TBR. In fact, one of the comics I read this week inspired this list, because it’s such a fun Halloween romp of a read.
I’ve arranged these queer Halloween comics roughly from lighter, sillier comics at the beginning to darker horror graphic novels near the end, so you can pick your poison depending on your appetite for Halloween scares. This includes some of my favorites as well as recommendations from fellow Book Rioters. Now, let’s get into the books!
Hollow by Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White, and Berenice Nelle
This is the book that inspired this list! It’s a take on “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It follows Izzy, who just moved to Sleepy Hollow and discovers the town is obsessed with the legend. Then she’s visited by the spirit and is forced to admit the local superstitions are true, and her new friend/crush, Vicky Van Tassel, is in danger. Together with another friend, they investigate what’s really happening in Sleepy Hollow. This is such a fun comic from the co-creator of Lumberjanes, and it has a talking jack-o’-lantern! How much more Halloween can you get?
That Full Moon Feeling by Ashley Robin Franklin
This short and sweet queer rom-com takes place over three magical (and semi-disastrous) dates. It’s about a witch and a werewolf and all the messy things they navigate while falling in love…like online dating, monsters, and pesky feelings. If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted pick-me-up in the form of a comic, you can’t go wrong with this one. —Laura Sackton
The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio and Jenn St-Onge
An autistic teen obsessed with aliens and her trans best friend who’s recently gotten into witchcraft investigate the local mystery of the Ojja-Wojja, only to accidentally unleash terror on their small town. I would die for Val, and her friendship with Lanie is so pure and lovely. The story itself and the way they ultimately take down the big bad? Chef’s kiss, chef’s kisses all around. —Rachel Brittain
Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens
When Artie discovers that her mom is a werewolf and she has the same powers, she’s overcome with joy. Being a werewolf is exactly what she thinks she wants. When she joins the community of werewolves that her mom is a part of, she feels she’s found her people. She even has a crush on fellow teen werewolf Maya. However, she soon discovers that werewolves aren’t the only paranormal beings to fight in the forest. —Julia Rittenberg
Brooms by Jasmine Walls and illustrated by Teo DuVall
This queer, witchy graphic novel is set in 1930s Mississippi. Magic is real, but it’s strictly regulated: under a set of racist laws, only some people are allowed to race brooms. Billie Mae and her friends have a broom racing team anyway. They compete in illegal races, dreaming of saving enough money to move to a state where they can race legally. This book has literally everything I love in a graphic novel: a crew of amazing queer characters, super cool world-building that sheds light on historical realities, gorgeous art, and, of course, witches. It’s basically perfect. —Laura Sackton
Eat the Rich by Sarah Gailey, Pius Bak, and Roman Titov
Let’s be honest: if the cover and title appeal to you, you should pick this one up. It’s about Joey, who’s meeting her wealthy boyfriend’s family for the first time and finds out they have an…unusual hobby. This an over-the-top, gruesome, funny, anti-capitalism, queer graphic novel that I enjoyed from beginning to end. Petal, the family’s nanny, steals the show: she wears a “Loud and Queer” tee shirt and assures Joey that yes, she knows how awesome she is.
Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky
This is a satirical graphic novel about a transfeminine person named Sammie who is invited to an old friend’s bachelor party. The party is at El Campo—think Las Vegas turned up to 11 on a floating island. This is a dystopian capitalist world where you can hunt your clone as casual entertainment. There, Sammie seems to be the only one who notices a creepy cult slowly converting all the other members of the party, while everyone else tells them they’re overreacting. Even without the supernatural elements, though, the constant misgendering and micro- and macro-aggressions Sammie experiences are pretty upsetting. Luckily, they are always able to call their wife and queer friends for advice and support. There are plenty of over-the-top elements, but the emotion is grounded, and Sammie felt like a defiant character who refused to be swept up in the cult of cisheteromasculinity around them.
A Guest in the House by E. M. Carroll
I always love E. M. Carroll’s art, and the technicolor dream sequences in this one work especially well. It’s about a woman who begins to see the ghost of her husband’s first wife, who tells her that he murdered her. It’s also such a haunting story of compulsory heteronormativity. But it was that controversial, ambiguous ending that cemented it as one of my all-time favorites, because it made me immediately reread it again from cover to cover the next day, which is not something I think I’ve ever done before with a graphic novel.
Let Me Out by Emmett Nahil and George Williams
As a transgender teen in 1970s New Jersey, Mitchell’s life was already tough. But when the Satanic Panic comes to town, courtesy of an unhinged preacher egged on by a sheriff and a government official with something to hide, he and his friends find themselves hunted by bigots looking for a scapegoat for the town’s recent troubles—and a terrifying supernatural force that’s out for blood. —Eileen Gonzalez
The Low, Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado, DaNi, and Tamra Bonvillain
El and Vee are two queer teens living in the small town of Shudder-To-Think. On the first page, they wake up together in a movie theater missing their memories of the last few hours. Vee wants to let it go, but El is determined to figure out the truth. This isn’t the only weird thing about Shudder-To-Think, though. Flayed bodies appear and attack people. There are strange, mutated deer lurking in the woods. There’s a girl who is a sinkhole. They have a town witch that hasn’t aged since she was a child. At first, these feel like disparate atmospheric horror elements, until everything starts coming together. I recommend looking up the content warnings for this one.
10 New Queer Books Out This Week: October 29, 2024
As a bonus for paid subscribers, here are ten new queer books out this week, including a YA horror novel starring an asexual guy, an F/F omegaverse romance, a sapphic middle grade graphic novel, and more.
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