Other than superheroes, one genre has ruled the comic book world. Of course, that genre is horror, and since Halloween is imminent, we thought we’d take this opportunity to pay tribute to some of the greatest horror comics ever published. Now listen, these are just some of the groundbreaking, vitally important horror comics that have scared the feces out of readers for decades. We can probably pick hundreds of colon clenching, testicle shriveling comics to add to our ghoulish list, but these are the thirteen standouts, so don’t send us a severed head if we missed your favorite.

As a visual medium, comics are perfect for horror. From the garish scares of the Golden Age, to the groundbreaking horror of the ’50s with EC Comics, to the gothic ’70s and the experimental ’80s, comic book horror has always had a rabid following and a place right alongside superheroes. Join us as we look at horrors past and relive some of the greatest terrors ever produced by some of the greatest and sickest imaginations in comics.

13. Fatale (2012-2014)

By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

How does one combine classic crime noir, period drama, and Lovecraftian terror into an ongoing comic that not only scares, it fascinates? Read Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Fatale to find out. For years, Brubaker and Phillips crafted some of the greatest crime fiction in comics with their seminal Criminal, but in Fatale, the creative duo proved they can do high octane horror with the same panache they did cops and robbers.