The Best Horror Comic Books You MIGHT Find!

The Best Horror Comic Books to Look For in Collections

We have spent our entire careers chasing down old horror comics in collections.

While there are hundreds of really expensive horror comics:

• Eight different horror comics of the 1950s which have sold for more than $100K
• Many pre-Code horror comics can be worth thousands
• Many cool and expensive EC horror comics from 1948-55

The odds of you finding those in random places are pretty long against. Even if you do find them, they aren't likely to be in mint condition.

We've rounded up ten types of horror comics you have a really good chance of discovering "in the wild".

Maybe you'll stumble across some while hunting down comic collections to buy and sell, or while looking through your Uncle Charlie's house after he passes.

If you find any of these, or others like them, then get in touch. We will value them for you FREE. We also buy old horror comic books for cash.

Ten of the Best Horror Comic Books You Could Find Out There

1) Walking Dead Comic Book #2

Published in 2003, The Walking Dead comic series became a hit TV show by AMC.

Fans of the show piled in to back issues of this Image Comics series, driving prices to the moon.

When the series started on Halloween 2010, this comic was worth $300 in 9.8 shape. Now copies are selling for $1,500.

The gap between issue #1 and #2 has closed, as collectors realize that issue #2 is quite tough to find, as #1 issues are printed in higher numbers when new comics are launched. It will still show up in collections though.

Got a copy of this book? Have it appraised today.

2) Spider-Man Horror Comics

Spider-Man, the most popular comic book hero, might not be the first character you think of to appear in the best horror comic books. But he fought many horror monsters over the years. These appearances often turn up in collections.

Morbius, the Living Vampire, made his debut in Amazing Spider-Man #101. This is one of the most expensive and obvious horror books from the Spider-Man run.

Man-Wolf first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #124, with the story finishing with his origin in #125. Pictured is a later issue.

There are numerous other examples, including The Fly, Silvermane, Hydro-Man, Ghost Rider and Frankenstein's Monster.

The good news is that many of these horror comics will turn up in collections you could find. Click here to see all the Spider-Man horror comic books.

3) 1970s DC Horror Comics

There were two big explosions in horror comics publishing.

The 1950s craze, which ended when the Comics Code Authority stopped the madness;

And 1970s horror comics, when Marvel and especially DC doubled down on the horror genre.

Vampires, werewolves, mummies, Frankenstein's monster... They all appeared in many of the mainstream series, such as the X-Men, or in standalone series of their own.

There are dozens of DC horror comics. Many of them are goofy, like Strange Sports Stories and Ghost Castle. Others, like Demon or Swamp Thing, are awesome. These best horror comic books often turn up in old collections.

4) Sandman by Neil Gaiman

There are multiple Sandman characters throughout comic book history. As well as the well-known Spider-Man villain, the Sandman of the Golden Age first appeared in Adventure Comics #40.

DC Comics published another version of Sandman in the 1970s. Drawn by Jack Kirby, the short-lived series failed to catch on.

Finally in the 1980s, Neil Gaiman reimagined Sandman. It was an exceptional comic book series, and it's no surprise that it was adapted (after many false starts!) into a TV series.

Quite expensive in high grade, nonetheless the Sandman series shows up in plenty of 1980s and 90s collections. Comic books were well protected by collectors by this era, so they tend to be in very good shape when you do find them.

The key issues are #1 (first Sandman), #4 (1st Lucifer Morningstar) and #8 (1st Death). There is an Editorial variant of #8 which is very valuable, but I have never seen one in the wild. They are rare.

5) Resident Evil (Marvel Comics and Wildstorm)

There are several series of Resident Evil comics, based on the CapCom video game franchise of the same name which also became a TV series.

The Marvel Comics one-shot Resident Evil #1 of 1996 is worth decent money in any condition above 9.0, from $100-300.

The DC Wildstorm/Image #1 is not as valuable, but still a great find in high grade, from $50 to $150.

Click to have yours appraised if you find one.

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6) The Crow #1-4 (1989, Caliber Press)

The Crow is most famous for the sad death of Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee) on set of the movie production in 1993.

The movie was based on the comic books created by J. O'Barr. This four-issue run is a must-own for collectors of Copper Age comic books.

Even if you find one without spine stress or other marks on the all-black covers, when you take them out of the bags they will probably have fingerprints all over them. Use cotton gloves when you handle them.

Send us pics and we will value them for you.

7) Atlas Horror Comics of the 1950s

Completing a collection of Atlas Horror and suspense comics would be a huge undertaking.

Titles included:

• Astonishing
• Journey into Mystery (which became a hero title famously with Journey into Mystery #83, the introduction of Thor)
• Marvel Tales v1
• Menace
• Mystery Tales
• Mystic
• Spellbound
• Strange Tales
• Suspense
• Tales of Suspense (which introduced Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #39)
• Tales to Astonish
• Uncanny Tales
• Venus

Comics published after the Comics Code Authority started are far less collectible, because they tend to have very tame content.

If you find old Atlas Comics, though, they will always change hands easily. Get in touch for a free appraisal if you are feeling overwhelmed.

8) Hellblazer / John Constantine

Hellblazer, aka John Constantine, is a long-running series by Vertigo/DC.

The first issue is worth decent money, but his first appearance in Swamp Thing #37 is the one to have.

Later Hellblazer issues aren't really valuable.

Click to have yours appraised.

9) Pre-Hero Marvel Horror Comics

There was a period between the end of the pre-Code horror comics and the Marvel Age of comics (which began with Fantastic Four #1 in 1961) when Marvel published a lot of monster-style comics.

Some of these were effectively tryouts for later superhero books.

Others, like Tales to Astonish #13 and #27, created actual heroes. Groot in TTA #13 and Hank Pym (the man in the anthill) in TTA #27.

We've chosen to focus on lesser-known issues to illustrate the concept. These are worth from $50-200 each depending on condition.

You can ask us for help with a free appraisal anytime.

10) Archie Horror Comics

There are no "real" horror books featuring Archie, until you get to Afterlife with Archie in 2013.

What DID get published were loads and loads of hilarious "horror" comics, featuring classic monsters like vampires, witches, mummies, Frankenstein's monster and so on.

There were a few lkey issue Archie horror comics, including Archie's Madhouse #22, 1st Sabrina the teenage witch, and Pep Comics #155, which features a Catwoman-style "cat person" on the cover.

Bear in mind that Archie comics are not usually worth much once you get past the early 1950s. But they are still worth asking about.

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