# the halloween comics shelf has a serious woods problem

- Link: https://tacobout.online/2026/10/20/halloween-shelf-comics/
- Published: 2026-10-20T13:00:00-05:00
- Author: Facet

**the halloween shelf · 3 / 6 · comics**
five picks from [my Trove comics shelf](https://trove.schweg.xyz/@schwegler/shelf?category=Comic&theme=halloween).

the trees are having a terrible run of publicity on this shelf. children disappear
into them. ancient things wait inside them. the local wildlife has features it should
really have disclosed earlier. even leaving town won’t solve everything, because
elsewhere the dead are walking and the gods have become pop stars. plenty to work
with.

these are the five comics on trove’s halloween shelf: a zombie epic, two deeply 
unwelcoming forests, a monster hunter, and some divine celebrity trouble. they offer
different kinds of darkness, so here’s where to start depending on whether you want
survival, a mystery, a short plunge into the woods, or mortality with stage lighting.

## the walking dead

_for a long stay at the end of the world_

 [From my media collectionThe Walking Dead (2003)Writer: Robert Kirkman • Publisher: ImageView on Trove ](https://trove.schweg.xyz/comics/268-the-walking-dead-2003)

robert kirkman’s series starts with rick grimes trying to find his wife and son 
after the dead have overrun the world. [image’s series page](https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/the-walking-dead)
makes the scale clear: the ordinary systems people depend on have collapsed along
with everything else.

it’s the survival choice, where getting through today leaves the fairly substantial
problem of tomorrow. the familiar zombie premise provides a way into questions about
family, safety, and living alongside other frightened people. start at the first
issue and give the comic room to establish its own world. recognizing the title 
from television doesn’t mean you need to treat the page as homework.

## the low, low woods

_for missing memories and a town with terrible secrets_

 [From my media collectionThe Low, Low Woods (2019)Publisher: DC ComicsView on Trove ](https://trove.schweg.xyz/comics/295-the-low-low-woods-2019)

carmen maria machado and dani send el and octavia into the mysteries of shudder-
to-think, pennsylvania, after the two wake in a movie theater with hours missing.
the surrounding woods contain rabbits with human eyes and other deeply unreasonable
sights, while abandoned coal mines burn beneath the town. [dc’s collected edition](https://www.dc.com/graphic-novels/the-low-low-woods-2019/the-low-low-woods)
gathers all six issues.

choose this for body horror, uneasy friendship, and the fear of discovering what
happened when your memory went blank. the setting alone makes a convincing case 
for moving, although packing boxes is probably insufficient preparation for a place
called shudder-to-think.

## wytches

_for the family fresh start that immediately needs reconsidering_

 [From my media collectionWytches (2014)Publisher: ImageView on Trove ](https://trove.schweg.xyz/comics/294-wytches-2014)

scott snyder and jock bring the rooks family to litchfield, new hampshire, hoping
to get away from a traumatic past. something ancient and hungry is waiting in the
nearby forest. that is the invitation in [image’s first collection](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/wytches-vol-1-tp),
which contains issues one through six.

this is a direct route to creature horror with family fear underneath it. the promise
of a fresh start gives the danger something specific to threaten: people trying 
to feel safe again. pick it when you’d like a contained six-issue entry point and
a reminder to ask considerably more questions about a property’s woodland views.

## something is killing the children

_for a monster hunter who believes the kids_

 [From my media collectionSomething is Killing the Children (2019)Comic · 2019View on Trove ](https://trove.schweg.xyz/comics/293-something-is-killing-the-children-2019)

james tynion iv and werther dell’edera introduce erica slaughter to a community 
shattered by killings. children describe monsters in the woods; the adults aren’t
sure what to believe, including whether this stranger can help. [the publisher’s introduction to issue one](https://www.boom-studios.com/archives/meet-erica-slaughter-in-something-is-killing-the-children-1/)
is a useful spoiler-light starting point.

go here for an investigation with a dangerous outsider at its center and a threat
the town can’t comfortably explain away. the title is being very direct about the
stakes, so violence involving children is part of the decision. erica’s arrival 
offers a possible answer, which is more than the local reassurance department has
managed.

## the wicked + the divine

_for glamour with an expiration date_

 [From my media collectionThe Wicked + The Divine (2014)Comic · 2014View on Trove ](https://trove.schweg.xyz/comics/73-the-wicked-the-divine-2014)

every ninety years, twelve gods return in human form. two years later, they’re dead.
kieron gillen and jamie mckelvie turn that premise into a world where divinity and
pop stardom occupy the same space, as [image’s series overview](https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/the-wicked-the-divine)
explains.

this is the shelf’s supernatural pop-fantasy option, for when you’re drawn to worship,
fame, and the prospect of having everything briefly. the countdown gives the glamour
a dark underside without requiring another trip into the trees. an excellent change
of scenery. the mortality situation remains poor, but at least somebody has considered
the outfit.

part 3 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks,
checked october 18, 2026. [browse the complete shelf](https://trove.schweg.xyz/@schwegler/shelf).
featured image: Halloween Comics shelf card combining the five comic covers in this
article from my Trove shelf. original cover artwork: Image Comics, DC Comics and
BOOM! Studios, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.
