Comics 411: Spookiest Comic Books

 
Welcome back! I’m Steve Gustafson and if you enjoy discussing anything comic book related, you’ve come to the right place. Each week we cover something in the industry and I always enjoy your input in the comment section below.

Previously on…

 
Last time we Graded the X-Men’s Supervillains. Here’s what some of you had to say:

Earpaniac: “I think “evil Superman” in various forms has been done to death. Personally, I’d like to see Cyborg or Batman. As far as X-Men villians, I have to give Magneto an A++, Mr.Sinister an A-, and everyone else is in the B or C Category. Magneto is one of the more perfect villains, as he thinks he’s the hero. And on some level, a lot of people would agree with him. Mr. Sinister has always been #2 for me just because he’s so creepy. plus, his “starting point” is logical and believable. He just takes it 100x too far. Although I’ve always had a soft spot for Juggernaut. It’s a cool name, and if you’re going to specialize in 1 thing, might as well be the best at it. Lol”

DSB: “Arcade was primarily an X-Villain I think. Totally weak, but I always had a soft spot for him.

Magneto is one of those characters like Doom where if the writer took advantage of what he can actually do, he’d be ruling the world in a matter of days. One time Magneto looked at Cyclops and said something like “your blood carries iron. What happens if I make it flow backwards?” That and his ability to pull the adamantium out of Wolverine. Abilities that, as far as I know, have never really been revisited because they’re just TOO powerful for the character.”

Jeremy Thomas: “Some that weren’t mentioned in here and my grades:

Belasco: B-. Great villain for Ilyana, was a HUGE part of her story into becoming the badass, core part of the X-Men line she is today. Not so impactful outside of her.
Mystique: A. Obviously she goes back and forth between villain and hero (who doesn’t?), but in terms of an important adversary for the team she’s absolutely top-tier.
Azazel: F. Fuck the whole Draco arc. Fuck it with a chainsaw.
Bastion: C+. He’s done some cool things over the years, but on the whole he has never been as impactful as he was intended to be.
Orchis: A. Sure they’re new, being only Krakoa era forward, but they’re also one of the biggest threats the X-Men have faced and have consistently been showed as a difficult group to beat. Which brings me to…
Moira: B. A core part of the Krakoa era and I didn’t entirely love her heel turn (some of the plotting was flimsy), but if you can ignore that it was compelling reading.
Dark Phoenix: A+. Short of Magneto and Sinister, this is the best X-Men villain right here.
Sugar Man: D-. Need I explain?
Dark Beast: B+. I loved this guy. All of Beast’s wit and charm, none of Beast’s morals. Frankly, current Beast could stand to have some of his AoA counterpart’s sense of humor.
Stryfe: C+. Listen, he’s awful but I love his ridiculousness. I got nothin’ else on this one.”

Jack-Hammer: “Magneto – A: Yeah, Magneto is always an A when it comes to the X-Men villains. Classically, he’s the yin to Charles Xavier’s yang. Xavier is Martin Luther King, Jr. in that he wants equality and brotherhood between mutants and non-mutants, while Magneto is Malcolm X in that he’s a mutant supremacist who basically feels mutants should be in charge or should have their own world separate from ordinary humans. With Krakoa now being a sovereign mutant nation, Magneto essentially has what he wants, for the most part and for the time being. Factor in Magneto’s charisma, the sheer scope of his powers at their peak, and a genius level intellect in virtually every scientific field, then you have the ultimate villain.
Juggernaut – B: I agree here as Juggernaut is just sheer brute force. He’s not a planner, he’s not out to dominate the world, but he has the raw brute power to be a threat to virtually anyone from gamma irradiated monsters, to mutants, to gods.
Sentinels – A: Sentinels are the physical embodiment of hatred, fear, and intolerance towards mutants. Imagine a Sentinel as a 30+foot tall burning cross in the yard of an African American family.
Sabretooth – B: Again, I agree here. Sabretooth is someone who strikes me as more along the same line as the Spider-Man villain Carnage. He’s not out to take over the world, he’s not out to try and make it better for any particular set of people, he’s more interested in burning the whole thing down. He’s essentially Wolverine but without decency and a moral code of honor. Not that Wolverine is exactly a Boy Scout, but he doesn’t kill for thrills the way Sabretooth does.
Shadow King – C: To me, the Shadow King works better as an antagonist for Charles Xavier. The Shadow King is an extremely powerful telepathic being who lacks the moral compass and decency of Xavier. Even Magneto at his worst has honorable qualities, but not so much with the Shadow King.
Hellfire Club – B: For me, the Hellfire Club peaked during the Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Sagas. Not that they haven’t had good storylines since, but that’s the one that always stuck with me. Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants, if nothing else, at least had a cause whereas the Hellfire Club is out for itself, to gain more power, wealth, and influence rather than the betterment of their kind.
The Brood – C/B: I’m a bit mixed on the Brood. There were aspects taken from the Alien movie and there were elements of the Brood taken and used in the second Alien movie, Aliens. The Brood is a race right out of a horror film, they’re a predatory race feared throughout the Marvel Universe. They’re solid X-Men villains, but they work better when interacting with Wolverine. Wolverine is one of the only beings who has the power to purge himself of a Brood embryo, due to his healing factor, and he’s become a feared and hated enemy throughout the entire Brood race because of that and because of how many he’s slaughtered in battle.
Mojo – D: I can say that I never particularly cared for Mojo. He’s definitely different from the vast majority of X-Men villains, but he never really came across to me as really much of a threat. He’s had the potential to be a threat, but he’s more of a nuisance really.
Nimrod – A: Nimrod is basically the ultimate Sentinel. He’s vastly more powerful and, for all intents and purposes, he’s virtually indestructible. He’s beaten the Juggernaut one on one, which is a feat in and of itself, so you know how much trouble he’s given the X-Men. They evolved him from simply being a robot programmed to hate mutants with the whole Bastian alter ego, which I thought was a nice touch.
Apocalypse – A: Apocalypse is a prime X-Men villain for many of the same reasons as Magneto. He’s a highly charismatic presence, he’s off the charts powerful at his peak, his intellect rivals that of Reed Richards or Doctor Doom, and he’s had an agenda that, in his mind, is the only way for mutants to realize their full potential. Apocalypse has literally seen the rise and fall of the great civilizations of Earth’s past; he’s brought about the fall of some of them.
Mister Sinister – A: While it’s a goofy name, the guy’s flat out creepy. Sinister is science run amok without any shred of morality or restraint. He’s pretty dang powerful in his own right, it’s almost impossible to kill him, and he’s intelligent enough to create weapons that can severely weaken and potentially kill someone like Apocalypse.”

Blue Arrow: “Absolutely criminal not to mention Mystique here. A.

Other than that, good grades.

I have a soft spot for Sauron as well.”

Afronin: “Even though it was only a “monster of the month” (from what I remember), I really liked The Phalanx. Humans who hate mutants so much they willfully contract the technovirus to become monsters with a collective consciousness.

smashadams: “Mags has always been a tweener. The best villian is no doubt Apocalypse. Mags is my favorite character not just villain but depth wise it is •A•. When written properly he is as interesting and dangerous as Thanos is.”

RAWmachine: “Cant even consider the Sentinels “villains” since they are controlled. Only in DOFP did they become “self aware”.

I always thought Proteus was a way under rated and utilized character.

Magneto will always be #1 X-Men antagonist.
Juggernaut has always been my favorite villain. Always knew where he stood”

Captain Mcgloo: “I like Apocalypse for the same reason I kinda dig the Brood. It’s good that every once in a while they have to live up to their tagline. Saving the world just falls on the X-Men’s shoulders and they have to risk their lives to save a world that hates and fears them.

Acolyte Of Glorious La Parka~: “1. Apocalypse
2. Magneto
3. MISTER Sinister
4. – 10. Jobbers”

Zemo x2: “Here are my rankings:
A: Magneto..goes without saying. He is an iconic villain for a reason but unlike you I like the idea of magneto reforming and becoming a good guy if only briefly. It is called character growth something mainstream comics do not understand
A: Sinister. Pure evil mad scientist. Love his design and concept. Wish he was in a movie.
A: Apocalypse. The ultimate evil in the X men franchise.
B+: Juggernaut: Starts off as a one note villain but grows more complex and sympathetic over the years. Nothing fucking flimsy about Cain.
B: Mojo. You obviously haven’t seen enough if moji if you do not consider him a fucking threat.”

El Atomico: “Good to have you back, Gusto!

Great choices here, in the article and in the comments”

Sodas and Fries: “Arcade: C+. He has his gimmick and mostly sticks to it, though Avengers Arena raised his stock a bit I thought

Mystique: A
Dark Beast: B
Cassandra Nova: A-
Callisto: C. I feel like she had her one big story with Storm and has been begging for some relevancy ever since
Vulcan: ??? For someone who’s a Summers brother, I feel like he’s been way out of the spotlight until very recently
Nimrod: B-. He’s OK”

Too many great comments to list! Thank you to everyone who commented last week!

This week we discuss…

Spookiest Comic Books

A 411mania tradition continues! Are you in the mood for scary stories? Are you? As with every October, I like to do several Halloween-themed columns and while some might find it hard to believe that a comic book could give them the chills, I counter that some of these are just as scary as any movie or novel. I suggest reading this at night, under a blanket, with a flashlight.

If you dare.

Thanks to the power of strong storytelling and heavy visuals, comic books can quickly pull you in and leave a lasting impression.

Someone recommended American Vampire to me and it was an incredible read from Scott Snyder with art by Rafael Albuquerque. The book sets up vampires as a population made up of many different secret species, and charts moments of vampire evolution and inter-species conflict throughout history. A fun read with plenty of twists and spookiness to keep you riveted.

If you’re looking for a book to read by candlelight that will make you look over your shoulder every few minutes, grab 30 Days of Night. I recently reread it and it still holds up as one scary book. Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s vampire tale takes place in Barrow, Alaska where the small population experiences 30 days of continual night during the winter. Niles provides perfect pacing and Templesmith’s art gives the book a truly horror-inspired look. The book hits all the beats and the slow build will have you turning the page with dreaded anticipation. I mean…“This is how it’s meant to be. Humans like bottles waiting for their caps to be popped.”

When it comes to a book being masterfully done, we have to talk about Sandman as well. While the series has its darker moments, I enjoy ‘Season of Mists’ during this time of year as Neil Gaiman uses mythical figures from around the world in a way that makes them familiar. In the story, ten thousand years ago, Morpheus condemned a woman who loved him to Hell. Now the members of his family, The Endless, have convinced him that he needs to return to Hell to rescue his banished love. Lucifer, Hell’s ruler and fallen angel, won’t be making it easy. Sublime and superbly written, read this one outside on a cool night.

Joe Hill, who happens to be the son of Stephen King, and artist Gabriel Rodriguez created a modern horror classic with Locke & Key. This gripping series follows the Locke family’s attempt to rebuild after the father/husband is murdered by a deranged high school student. The family moves in with the deceased father’s brother at the family homestead in Maine and things go from bad to worse when the youngest Locke discovers a doorway with spectral qualities, along with a well that houses someone or something that desperately wants out.

Hellboy was summoned from Hell to Earth as an infant demon by Nazi occultists. He was discovered by the Allied Forces; amongst them, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who formed the United States Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). In time Hellboy grew to be a large, red-skinned man with a tail, filed off horns, cloven hooves for feet, and an over-sized right hand made of stone. His adventures cover many aspects of the occult and while the book isn’t the spookiest out there, several stories linger with you long after you put them down.

A while ago someone suggested I check out Severed. I’ve regretted it ever since! Not because it’s bad but rather it does its job too well! A limited series that’s set in 1916 that can be described as a “historical fairy tale” that has a cannibal boogeyman who takes on various identities to hunt children. Unpredictable, chilling, and terrifying. To say anymore would ruin the fun for you.

Speaking of fun, The Walking Dead should be a no-brainer. No pun intended for you Negan fans. Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore focused on Rick Grimes, a sheriff who is shot in the line of duty and awakens from a coma in the zombie apocalypse. He finds his wife and son, and meets other survivors, gradually taking on the role of leader among a group and later a community. I would say 99% of you know all this and know what happens after but the comic series was excellently written and full of genuine shocks and surprises. Even how they wrapped it up had its own sense of chilling.

You might scratch your head at my inclusion of Afterlife with Archie but give it a try. Depicting a zombie apocalypse that begins in the town of Riverdale in an alternative reality, this series surprised and created some real scares. Unfortunately the series took a dive but the early issues showed great promise.

Another recommendation made to me was Hack/Slash and I’m glad I gave it a read. From the mind of Tim Seeley, the series follows horror victim Cassie Hack as she fights the monsters, known as “slashers”, who prey upon teenagers. The cool hook is these slashers are a mix of original baddies and crossover appearances like Army of Darkness, Vampirella, and Reanimator.

Harvest by A.J. Lieberman and artist Colin Lorimer isn’t a horror series in the classic sense but its subject matter covering black market organ selling is certainly unsettling. A great read that will leave you looking at things a little different. OK, A LOT different.

A friend let me flip through Alan Moore’s Neonomicon but I knew it would cause me nightmares. Read at your own risk! That same friend said I should include Terry Moore’s Rachel Rising on this list. I did some research on it and…whoa. Too much for me. Read at your own risk…if you dare!

Of course I should add in issues of Swamp Thing and Hellblazer. Those should be read any time of the year though. As is Tales from the Crypt. I should throw in Coffin Hill in here as well. Highly overlooked and worthy of your time.

But if I had to pick one book that might be the scariest out there is Garth Ennis’ Crossed. This book crosses the line more than any other comic out there. The simple premise follows survivors dealing with a pandemic (!!!!) that causes its victims to carry out their most evil thoughts. And they get evil. See for yourself but this series isn’t for the faint of heart. Seriously.

I didn’t even touch any Japanese manga, which has plenty of titles that could be added to this list.

How about you, dear reader? What’s your spookiest comic book recommendation for this Halloween season?

That’s all the time I have. See you next week!