This week’s Wednesday Comics Reviews looks at the absolutely-packed Scream Halloween Special 2026,and more!Plus, The Prog Report!
Scream! Halloween Special 2026 #1
Creators: Alex Paknadel, Michael Gorman, Oliver Gerlach, Zach Thompson, Zoe Tunnel, Vic Malhotra, Alejandro Aragon, Babs Tarr, Chloe Brailsford, Mattia Monaco, Jason Wordie, JP Jordan, Kyle Fewell, Jonathan Stevenson, Maco, Jodie Troutman
Publisher:Rebellion
SCREAM! Halloween Special 2026 is packed with five stories by five different creative teams that all swing at something different. From vampires to gas station clerks, this book has it all. If you want to embrace more spookiness as we approach Halloween or if you just want some fun storytelling by some incredible creators, add this to your list.
The Dracula File: Real Politik written by Alex Paknadel is a political espionage juggling themes of stalking and paranoia. The supernatural and their infiltration into positions of power are an excellent looming threat given so much more menace by the art of Alejandro Aragón with colors by Jason Wordieand letters byJonathan Stevenson. It’s moody and you can feel the threats lurking around every corner; glowing red eyes are a constant reminder of the bigger threat to society and those who know too much.
All art is political, and I would venture that horror is even moreso. Reflections on the socio-political state of the world (which is horrifying as is) take our unease at what is happening in our lives and dial it up to eleven. In the case of The Thirteenth Floor: Conversational Reality Generation, it’s dialed up to thirteen. Written by Zac Thompson with art by Mattia Monaco and letters by Maco, we see something truly horrifying; an ai landlord. Monaco’s art in black and white pulls you into every emotion, invites you to see the mental deterioration of having ai induced delusions. This story doesn’t even feel that far off from our current reality and I think that’s the real horror; people can’t cope with grief and we grow more socially stunted by nature of having an ai navigate hardship for us, stroke our egos and feed the need for validation. What’s scary in reality is the dependence that so many willingly accept as billionaires, bought politicians, and tech bros force these things into every corner that they can access of our lives, routinely violating our privacy and consent.
Consent is Key by Zoe Tunnell with art by Chloe Brailsford, colors by JP Jordan and letters by Jodie Troutman, reminded me of The Substance but with the reality of financial insecurity instead of penthouse lived superstardom. It’s vibrant and wow do I love the character design of Brailsford here. It lives in the changes that take someone from a real human being to the fantasy and parody that beauty standards force on us. A woman in need of extra cash takes on an experimental technology that uses her sleep time to do work for a shady company, making extra money. The money is good but at what cost? The things she wakes to find aren’t things she’d have consented to, but the devil is always in the details; especially when it comes to legal work.
Speaking of work, The Bog Body by Oliver Gerlach with art by Vic Malhotra and letters by Maco explores workaholism, the toll it takes and boy, do I feel that (outside of the main character being a PhD student.) To fall out of love with work only to have the spark re-lit and throw yourself back into it until it consumes you, until you drown in it; that’s scary as hell. Even scarier is the subtlety in approach here; Malholtra really knows how to punch up a scene, combining strong color and excellent expression work; the last few pages are a doozy!
The final story, Bishop’s End: Lights Out by Michael Gorman with art by Babs Tarr, colors by Kyle Fewell, and letters by Maco is a great bookend with a bit of levity. A gas station clerk hired with the knowledge that there are monsters while she’s on the clock struggles with the duties of her job. Not all businesses are created equal and maybe hordes of monsters as a job responsibility is a sign that this gas station should close permanently.
Halloween is right around the corner and in the spirit of the season, you should definitely go pick this up. Every story is compelling, the art is amazing and I think its worth your time.
Satanic Panic #1
Writer: Matt Miner
Art: Clay McCormack
Colors: Oliver Mertz
Letters: Matt Krotzer
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
As a D&D player and DM in a rural Bible Belt community during the years 1980 to 1990, I can relate to themes presented in the opening issue ofSatanic Panic. The case of a teen into Heavy Metal music and slasher horror films who killed his family in my community at the height of the movement sharpened pushback against all the elements under fire back then. That included tabletop role play gaming, Goth styles, and violent video games.
I was fortunate. When I was confronted by preachers who questioned my involvement in D&D, my explanations of how the game worked and the kinds of adventures we undertook dispelled concerns. An employer who heard of my involvement in RPGs was given a similar explanation of the nature of the game but still considered letting me go after the murder case heightened local concerns. He saw through the hysterics and kept me on in a career that lasted thirty years.
So, I feel able to at least contrast my 1980s panic experiences with the approachMatt Minertakes in his premiere issue. Which is a much darker and dangerous path, perfect for a spooky season narrative. It’s more over the top than my window into real life events of that era, in that the teen social outcast protagonists of the story are fated to plan for the worst and skeptically hope for a slightly less horrible outcome in their dealings with others. They aren’t paranoid; it seems every facet of society, peer pecking order, inflexible authority figures, and church officials really are against them. The bright spot may be that at least some of their parents rally behind the kids, but even that comes in varying shades of gray.
The tale begins when a group of misfit high school students gather for a Dungeons & Dragons game in a local cemetery after sundown. It’s their surefire way of adding atmosphere to their session.
It also makes gamers Nazim, Matt, Sal, and the second Matt easy targets for schoolmate Chad, bully band leader and son of the sheriff. After dark with no witnesses is the perfect stage for their planned misguided mischief of leaving our heroes in need of medical treatment, dental work, and future therapy. Until it’s interrupted by a killer who murders a member of each group, one of Chad’s buds and one of the Matts.
Naturally, the outcast kids get shifted all the blame by the powers that be. Maybe because the suspect’s M.O. falls in line with what the gamer crowd’s interests include, from ritual-speak sacrificial dispatch to sword- or athame-play. When newcomer outcast Terry seeks to join the D&D group despite the heat they’ve come under, the story takes a notable detour from the expected and barrels instead down a dirt access road to destinations unknown.
Minermakes that journey predictable. Expect most of the adults and kids outside the geeky set to be either apathetic or a high-octane mixture of uninformed, rude, and threatening and you’ll find no reason for disappointment. And while certain similarities to the 2024 streaming horror-comedy seriesHysteria!exist,Minerdoesn’t adopt the show’s ambiguous tone of equally possible supernatural versus psychosocial illness causes. He instead guides things right off the rails and into a razor-sharp meat hook for what the hell’s happening in the next installment.
ArtistClay McCormackbrings a grubby style to the illustrations, giving each character an unattractive quality that oozes into their setting. Our protagonists clearly dress for only their own approval like the mavericks they are, while the churlish nature of the popular crowd makes even their designer label apparel a vain futility.
Oliver Mertzdrains all vibrancy from the coloring art for a dull panel progression meant to drive away any possibility of hope. Not just for our heroes, it seems, but the world of the era at large. It foreshadows yet more bad tidings in store for everyone in Butterfly, CA, 1987.
Whether or not hope dangles before the boom’s lowered with the fourth and concluding issue of the miniseries is the only uncertainty. As it stands after the first installment,Satanic Panicreflects the worst components of a dark time. And chooses to show them collected into a perfect storm of paranoia and distrust. True enough in small doses, but personal experience came with a more nuanced veneer. The title’s antagonist forces mince no words. They harbor their ill intent openly, which is a rarity for a world where the sharpest daggers too often hide behind friendly Brutus smiles.
It’s a situation which may change and evolve over coming issues, the outsiders finding more reasonable individuals to believe and defend them. Or opponents more subtle and unexpected. If not, some readers may find the tone too black-and-white. But for others, maybe depending on their experiences during this hysteria, this may be the perfect nightmare fuel for a terrifying Halloween season read.
The Prog Report
2000AD #2504(Rebellion): I always like to recommend that new readers just jump right into reading 2000ADand start reading stories mid-stream, or at least a couple books into their run. And sometimes I like to imagine this reader orienting themselves within the world of Azimuth, a rollicking high-concept sci-fi adventure that runs on puns, continuity, and seemingly no idea being too far of field to make its way into the strip. Which is all a way of saying Azimuthhas quietly established itself as one of my own favorite recurring stories within the pages of The Prog, and this most recent arc (which made fantasticuse of corporate office email speak) is no exception. Azimuthis by writer Dan Abnett,artist Tazio Bettin,colorist Matt Soffe,and letterer Rob Steen. This week’s cover (above) is by Tazio Bettin. As always, you can pick up a digital copy of The Prog here. And it is also now available weekly in US comic shops! —Zack Quaintance
Column edited by Zack Quaintance
Read past entries in the weekly Wednesday Comics reviews series or check-out our other reviews here!
