DC Comics may be known best for superheroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman but the publisher doesn’t shy away from straight-up horror either. Case in point, the DC has revealed an A-list cast of creators who are contributing stories for the DC Horror Presents line in October, just in time for the Halloween seasons. That list includes the likes of Late Night with the Devil star David Dastmalchian and Dragula creators The Boulet Brothers.
Announced as part of DC’s solicitations for October 2024 (via AIPT), the publisher announced two different books; DC Horror Presents: Creature Commandos and DC Horror Presents…#1. The former will be written by Dastmalchian with artwork by Jesus Harvas, as well as main cover art by Tirso. Charlie Adlard and the legendary Jim Lee also provided variant covers. Perhaps not coincidentally, Warner Bros. and DC have a Creature Commandos animated series on the way later this year as well. As for what to expect from the comic? The synopsis reads as follows:
“This is the Creature Unit, a team of misfits assembled by a mad…ly talented scientist for a dangerous military mission. In this brand-new era of Creature Commandos penned by Count Crowley creator David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad and Late Night with the Devil), the claws are out, fangs are bared, and blood is spilled—lots of it!”
Now, let’s talk about DC Horror Presents…#1. This is an anthology that features stories from Dastmalchian, The Boulet Brothers and Leah Kilpatrick. Various artists have put their stamp on this one, with a main cover by Tyler Crook. We’ve got cover art for both books for you to check out below. This one will feature several variant covers by the likes of Francesco Francavilla, Dave Johnson and Charlie Adlard. While DC isn’t revealing much by way of specifics, here’s how they describe the book:
“Bones crunching, worms munching, blood spattering…these are a few of our favorite things! From some of the most dark and cunning minds in horror comes DC Horror Presents…a new collection of gruesome tales set in the DCU. With stories penned by some of our favorite names in horror, this anthology will have die-hard horror fans quaking with fear!”
Dastmalchian is no stranger to the DC universe. As an actor, he appeared in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008, before moving to the small screen for roles on Gotham and The Flash. More recently, he portrayed Polka Dot Man in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in 2021. This also isn’t the first time that DC has brought horror icons into the fold. Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell penned a Sgt. Rock series under the DC Horror Presents banner in 2022. More horror in mainstream comics can’t possibly be a bad thing.
DC Horror Presents: Creature Commandos hits shelves on October 2, with DC Horror Presents…#1 set to follow on October 23. For more, read about Good Fiend Films, the production company Dastmalchian launched last year.
