Halloween falls on a Monday this year, but that doesn’t mean it has to feel like a Monday. Tired of female characters who go into the basement, open the closet door or just generally serve to get their head cut off in new and exciting ways? Check out these comics and get into the season with some strong female characters who kick tons of ass.

Harrow County #1

The first issue functions as a basic short story, with creepy-crawly elements. If you read the first, and enjoy it, then you could read the rest. The art is stylized, with watercolors and ink, but it’s not as moody as, say, Essex County. An example of all the best parts of Dark Horse, Harrow County harkens back to those old-fashioned Halloween stories. This particular one is about a girl who might just also be a witch. The colors are warm but the story is strange, with a constant message of foreboding. If you are a Marvel fan who’s looking for something a bit more seasonal, this would be a perfect piece of spooky farm-lore to read.

Through the Woods, by Emily Carroll

This collection of short stories, which started as an online passion-project (as do all the best indie projects), are some of the weirdest and creepiest I have ever read. The writing is simple, but the amount of plot conveyed in sometimes a dozen or so panels packs a real punch. You can read some of Carroll’s stuff online here.

Sandman: Season of Mists

A little bit dated, “Season of Mists” is perhaps my favorite Sandman collection. Written by the very talented Neil Gaiman, it follows Morpheus (king of dreams) in an awkward family reunion. Soon after, Morpheus must protect the key to hell after Lucifer Morningstar forfeits Hell. This series has probably one of the best sub-plots I’ve ever seen in a book, and I highly recommend it to people who like the more classic horror and paranormal corner of the genre.

Fatale: West of Hell

Lovecraft had to have his space somewhere on this list. This is a project by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, THE noir-comic writers. They’re famous for works with Image on Eisner-winning projects like The Fade-Out, Criminal, and most recently Kill or Be Killed. Fatale is a series about a woman with a real-life “Black Widow” perk from New Vegas, just trying to find a spot in the world where she can belong. Though this is the third volume in the series, I think it’s one of the stronger arcs and an easy pickup point for new readers. This has more of a time travel flair to it than other Fatale volumes, and a very strong ending that involves occultists and the anti-Christ. A beautiful spooky-scary story by an unbeatable team.

Locke & Key, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

Joe Hill is easily one of my favorite thriller writers. The art in Locke and Key isn’t my favorite, but I’ve never been a fan of the vaguely stylistic cartoon stuff (refer to my preview of Cave Carson). Locke and Key has some Lovecraftian elements, but it’s solid thriller. It’s less of an ‘ooohhh scary!’ and more of a dramatic sense of doom. In that way, Joe Hill is much like his father. However, it was would be a mistake to say that Hill in any way stands in his father’s shadow. Locke and Key is a riveting story of a family trying to stay together after tragedy, and how one haunted-ass house might save them or destroy them. If you like the Halloween horror flicks, or a good horror-thriller, this is the comic for you.