Our Favorite Monster Heroes: Something Spooky Halloween Edition
by Tony Thornley
Happy Halloween! It’s the scariest day of the year, and that means we’re reading and watching some of our favorite horror stories.
If you’re not a big horror fan though, there are plenty of spooky superhero stories that are much more mild than The Walking Dead, DC Vs. Vampires or Marvel Zombies. So as a starting point for those, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite monster heroes!
Vampire Batman
Look, you can’t deny that vampires- particularly Dracula — aren’t heavily in Batman’s DNA. So in the Elseworlds one-shot Batman/Dracula: Red Rain creators Doug Moench and Kelley Jones put the two icons at odds. And how did the story end? With Batman himself being turned into an undead creature of the night. The creative team returned for two more stories of this terrifying vision of the Dark Knight and it’s still one of the greatest Batman stories ever.
Cap-Wolf
Look, sometimes you just need a concept that’s dumb fun. And that is Cap-Wolf. Both Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson have been transformed into werewolves as Cap (Steve both in the main series and for a Halloween themed limited series). It’s a really dumb concept that I really kind of love.
Man-Spider
Meanwhile, Peter Parker’s monstrous transformation isn’t nearly as fun. When super-science went out of control in the original Amazing Spider-Man #100-101, Peter mutated further into Man-Spider. The transformation has happened a few times since, but it’s not as common as you might think- happening only twice more in the Earth-616 continuity.
The Bride
It’s tough to pick between the different monsters in the Creature Commandos. If I had to go just by comics, I would absolutely pick Frankenstein, based on both his Seven Soldiers limited series and his New 52 series from Jeff Lemire and team. But Creature Commandos on HBO Max did so much to elevate The Bride that I have to pick her. Plus her design rules, no matter the universe.
Godzilla
Sometimes he’s a heroic figure. Sometimes he’s villainous. Sometimes he’s a force of nature. But he’s the King of Monsters. How could I not include him?
The Demon
Even without his creative pedigree, Etrigan the Demon is one of DC’s greatest magical heroes. But when you consider that he was created by Jack Kirby and his most famous run besides Kirby’s is from Garth Ennis and John McCrea, how could I not include him, too?
Werewolf By Night
Jack Russell’s long running series was the launching point for one of the most distinct eras of Marvel, alongside Tomb of Dracula. Basically being the Hulk but supernatural, it was impossible not to include him, especially with his recent Disney+ special pushing him into the spotlight.
Klarion The Witch Boy
Klarion is an anti-hero on his best days, but there’s no way I wasn’t going to include that weird little freak on this list. He’s never not fun to have around, and he has an amazing design. He’s got to be here.
Elsa Bloodstone
I debated between Elsa and John Constantine in this spot. Elsa edged out that right bastard by being more of a hero, and her family curse of the Bloodstone making her much more monstrous. Plus, she’s much more fun than Constantine, and kicks much more ass. Let’s get her back in the forefront Marvel.
Swamp Thing
I never vibed with Swamp Thing until recently, but man I like the guy. He’s the ultimate monster hero to- a muck monster turned warrior king and avatar of nature? There’s no denying that’s rad as hell.
