Blending two popular genres doesn’t always work, but sci-fi horror gives the green light for two ultra-creative mediums to speed in any direction. Crazy, surreal, and frightening is what it takes to make this list.
15. The Disciples
The ultra-wealthy are colonizing the solar system. When a senator’s daughter runs off to join a cult, three bounty hunters are hired to track her down. Dagmar, Rick, and Jules head off to a moon of Jupiter where the cult unleashes a horrifying entity. This four-issue mini-series didn’t give it enough time to develop into what it deserved. True, the story is a bit lacking; however, the action keeps the pages turning. Horrific tension fills the pages. Then it just kind of ends.
14. Caliban
The mining vessel Caliban is sent on a typical mission to a deep space operation. They encounter an unknown alien ship. It’s pretty quick that they realize that they are being hunted. Sound familiar? Well yeah, it is an Alien ripoff, but the writing is good. There are some interesting twists on the played-out tropes of the genre.
13. Come Into Me
An entrepreneur with an epically high-level god complex sets out on a mission to merge two minds into one body. The shared consciousness causes unforeseen long-term effects. Horror fans will love the gore plastered all over the pages. Fans of storytelling might be left wanting. It is a little hard to follow. Plus, the ending is completely botched. Getting to the end is worth it, though.
12. Predator: Hunters
Survivors of other Predator attacks are recruited for an investigation. A privately funded group recruits Enoch Nakai to help with the investigation in the South Pacific. This time, the hunters become the hunted. Fans of the series will love this series. Others might be left wanting. It is a basic Predator story that puts some fan favorites together to twist the story a bit.
11. Aliens: Dead Orbit
An engineering officer is left alone on a space station after a disastrous accident. Xenomorphs are on the station, and the engineer has to survive with next to no supplies or resources. Again, it’s an IP story that fans of the series will love. This is a typical Alien story that is really well written. It is kind of like a Die Hard version of the story that makes it pretty fun.
10. Plunge
The Derleth went missing in the Arctic 40 years ago. Out of nowhere, an SOS from the ship is picked up. When a salvage crew goes to check out the ship, the crew is all accounted for and alive. They aren’t exactly the same though. This book's writer, Joe Hill, said this is a tribute to Lovecraft and John Carpenter. It is pretty evident from the story. The story still stands up on its own. It will appeal to more than just Lovecraft or Carpenter fans.
9. Outer Darkness
Captain Joshua Rigg is a bit of a bad apple. After facing court-martial, he is given an unenviable Outer Darkness assignment as his last chance. Unfortunately, the Outer Darkness of space is filled with ghosts, demons, and other supernatural beings. This combo of ideas is really fun. It’s like Star Trek played with an Ouija board a little too much. It hurts that the Captain isn’t a likable character. An antihero can be fun, but there isn’t much to like about Rigg.
8. Victor LaValle’s Destroyer
Dr. Baker is a descendant of the original Dr. Frankenstein. Her 12-year-old son was killed by the police. She takes a page out of her ancestor's book and brings him back to life. This retelling/sequel to Frankenstein is a powerful story. It covers some poignant issues in today’s society. The only thing that hurts this story is the lack of depth. A longer run time could have allowed the ideas to flesh out better.
7. Wormwood: Gentle Corpse
An interdimensional worm possesses a corpse and investigates supernatural mysteries. His claims of godhood might be overstated, but he saves the world on a regular basis. This is a strange book in a very good way. It can be disturbingly gross or incredibly funny. It runs the gambit for sci-fi horror fans. It is a very fun read, even if it is a little over the top sometimes.
6. Sentient
A colony ship is attacked in space and all the adults are killed. Now the ship’s AI must find a way to keep all of the kids alive through the perils of space travel. I’m a little biased here because I love Jeff Lemire’s work. This one might not be his best work, but it is still well worth reading. His stories always find a way to create a group's reliance on one another. A group of kids stranded in space is a great way to illustrate this point.
5. The Nice House On The Lake
A group of 10 people are invited to their friend’s lake house. Walter is their host, and these are his favorite people in the world. Despite always being odd, these people were his friends throughout his time on Earth. He’s also an alien who just saved them from the end of the world. There are times throughout this story that make it a bit hard to follow. With so many characters to follow, it can be a challenge. The story makes it worth sorting through all the moving parts.
4. Nameless
Constantine as an astronaut.
With a comet heading towards Earth, an occult expert is hired to save the world. Turns out there was a planet between Mars and Jupiter, and the asteroid belt is what is left. Once they get to the rock of impending doom, they find magical symbols and unleash an ancient horror. This is a super complex story that leaves many people lost. It is amongst the biggest complaints about the book. Once you sort through the non-linear storytelling and complexities, you are left with an amazing story.
3. The Wake
Lee Archer is recruited (more like told) by the Department of Homeland Security to investigate something that was found by a secret underwater oil rig. The marine biologist comes face to face with some kind of unknown species. People love this series way more than I did, so I am once again biased. I tried to get into it a couple of times. It stays high on the list because it is a popular title by Scott Snyder. Things get a little crazy in the second half of the series with a big twist.
2. Spread
A scavenger in a post-apocalyptic world has found a baby that could be the key to saving the world. With some kind of alien killing off humanity, the scavenger has to battle cannibals, aliens, and human factions to protect the baby. This story isn’t exactly original. It does throw in some great characters and twists to freshen up the idea. The artwork also draws you in as it is unique and gruesome.
1. Revival
In a small town in Wisconsin, all the dead come back to life one day. Dana Cypress is a cop who is looking for the killer of her reanimated sister as her small town is quarantined from the rest of the world. This book is way more horror than sci-fi, but the plot is riveting and creative. It continues to evolve through the conclusion. It never misses or dilutes itself with pointless twists. The planning of this thing must have been extensive.