THERE BE SPOILERS HERE.

The first thing we learn about Cade Muñoz is that he loves horror movies. His family thinks it's a weird obsession, but Cade sees his life as a kind of horror movie — especially when he finds himself working on a horse ranch in the middle of rural Texas. Welcome to Northranger, an LGBTQAI+ graphic novel written by Rey Terciero and illustrated by Bre Indigo.

Although Cade, a city boy with no farm experience whatsoever, initially has a miserable time on the Tyler Ranch, one thing gives him hope — the owner's youngest son and fellow horror aficionado, Henry Tyler. Cade's more than a little attracted to Henry, but has difficulty figuring out if Henry feels similarly.  Certainly the rural community in which Henry was raised doesn't seem particularly welcoming to queer people — or people of color! When some men in a convenience store hurl racist epithets at Cade, Henry launches into a rage.

"I hate small-minded folks," he tells Cade. "Can't believe there are still bigots in this day and age. Hating people 'cause of what? The color of their skin, what God they worship, who they love..."

​​Okay, so Henry's gay-friendly — but is he gay? The longer Cade knows Henry, the more obvious it becomes that the older boy is hiding some secrets beyond his sexuality. The skeletons in the Tyler family closet really begin to rattle when Cade's invited to the clan's lakeshore home known as Northranger. Rumors about a series of mysterious deaths — including Henry's mom — help amp up a boy who already sees the world through a horror movie lens. How and why did all these people die? Why is one wing of Northranger off limits? Why is Henry so angry all the time — to the point where he beats the shit out of his older brother in a parking lot?

As the book progresses, so do Cade's feelings for Henry and his resulting paranoia over what Henry's not telling him. But is it all real... or just Cade's fantasy life running wild?

Northranger is a thoughtful, well produced story. It doesn't necessarily say anything new or different about homophobia, but seen through Cade's eyes the book provides some interesting parallels between the horror movie genre and how many LGBTQAI+ people must view their lives. The ending is also a clever twist on how horror movie plots are often filled with misdirection and red herrings. This one's definitely worth a read!

PURCHASE>>

​RELATED: LGBTQ YA  | Pride on the Big Screen  |  Quinton's Curious Mind Book Series  |  ​Swoony Vampires and Gay Love in the Greek Islands

Next month, The Joker takes his unique brand of madness and mayhem on a world tour, with Joker: The World, a 184-page hardcover anthology. 

Like DC’s bestselling and critically acclaimed Batman: The World, this can’t-miss anthology will feature Joker stories by creative teams representing 13 different countries, including renowned storytellers such as Geoff Johns, Satoshi Miyagawa, David Rubin, German Peralta, Alvaro Fong Varela, Jason Fabok, and others. With stories tailored to the authentic style, tone, and cultural sensibilities of different nations around the world, Joker: The World highlights how DC’s most popular super-villain has inspired chaos on a global scale. 

What does The Joker do when on holiday in Spain? How has he inspired others to follow in his footsteps, creating Joker duplicates in Germany and Turkey? How does a Joker in Cameroon find inspiration? Only the top writers and artists from each country can provide the answers, in unique stories celebrating one of the most compelling characters in pop culture. 

PREORDER FOR SEPTEMBER 17, 2024, SHIP DATE  >>

RELATED: Batman Collection  |  Comics Collections  |  Nightwing Collection

Before Watchmen, Alan Moore made his debut in the U.S. comic book industry with the revitalization of the horror comic book The Swamp Thing. His deconstruction of the classic monster stretched the creative boundaries of the medium and became one of the most spectacular series in comic book history. With modern-day issues explored against a backdrop of horror, The Swamp Thing stories became commentaries on environmental, political, and social issues, unflinching in their relevance. 

Created out of the Swamp by a freak accident, Swamp Thing is an elemental creature who uses the forces of nature and wisdom of the plant kingdom to fight the polluted world's self-destruction. Alan Moore took the Swamp Thing to new heights in the 1980s with his unique narrative approach. His provocative and groundbreaking writing, combined with masterly artwork by some of the medium's top artists, made Swamp Thing one of the great comics of the late twentieth century. 

The first volume begins with the story "The Anatomy Lesson," a haunting origin story that reshapes Swamp Thing mythology with terrifying revelations that begin a journey of discovery and adventure that will take him across the stars and beyond. 

In this second volume, The Swamp Thing says goodbye to the illusion of his own humanity after learning that he is 100% plant, meets a crew of benevolent alien invaders inspired by the classic comic strip Pogo (also set in the swamp), and consummates his relationship with Abigail Arcane as only he could. 

The third volume is brimming with visceral horrors including underwater vampires, a werewolf with an unusual curse, the hideous madman called Nukeface. Best of all, this volume features the comics debut of John Constantine, Hellblazer, who launches Swamp Thing on a voyage of self-discovery that will take him from the darkest corners of America to the roots of his own long-hidden heritage. 

Volume four brings Swamp Thing's quest for self-discovery with the mystic John Constantine to its shattering conclusion. A harbinger of doom has been released with the sole charge of waking an evil beyond comprehension, and Swamp Thing, John Constantine, Deadman, The Phantom Stranger, Etrigan the Demon, The Spectre and other masters of the occult must unite against the dark forces that threaten to eradicate Heaven's light. 

The fifth volume begins as Swamp Thing returns from his sojourn to hell, only to learn that his girlfriend Abby is being persecuted for their "unnatural relations." When she skips town for Gotham City, he follows and runs afoul of Batman, Lex Luthor, and the Gotham City Police Department. 

The sixth and final volume collects Moore's entire run, reprinting issues #57-64 and features the classic stories "Loving the Alien" and All Flesh is Grass."

PURCHASE: All the groundbreaking Saga of the Swamp Thing graphic novels by Alan Moore, the writer of Watchmen and V for Vendetta, in a gorgeous slipcase box set!

The Merc with the Mouth is the biggest movie in theaters right now. If you can't get enough of Deadpool, well, don't worry... There are plenty of books about him and his, uh, antics.

For example, what if everything you thought was funny about Deadpool was actually just disturbing?

What if Deadpool decided to kill everyone and everything that makes up the Marvel Universe? What if he actually pulled it off? Would that be FUN for you?

​The Merc with a Mouth takes a turn for the twisted in a horror comic like no other!

PURCHASE>>

RELATED: Comics Collections 

Earthdivers is a graphic novel series written by Stephen Graham Jones that takes a horrific, dark-fantasy look at some alternate realities on the North American continent.  The Butterfly Effect wrecks havoc on time and space when five Indigenous outcasts discover of a time portal in a hidden cave and set out to fix the past to save the future. Storylines cover a plot to kill Christopher Columbus, to battling vicious Ice Age mega-fauna, to hijacking the United States Declaration of Independence.

RELATED: Comics Collections  |  Fantasy YA  |  Science Fiction YA