I don’t know about you, but my favourite camping memories always involve those somewhat stereotypical sitting around a campfire telling scary stories moments. That may have something to do with my slight obsession with Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? when I was a kid (both of which are on Netflix, at least in Canada, and a great way to start your IGGPPCamp week!) but a camping trip never quite felt complete without telling creepy stories around a fire in the middle of the night. So when fellow iggle NazyMidget suggested I write a post about Comics For…Campfire Stories I couldn’t say no, it was the perfect idea.

So gather ’round the fire campers, and prepare to be scared…

1. Through the Woods – Emily Carroll

Emily Carroll has a knack for telling scary stories. Through the Woods collects five of her most chilling short stories, complete with her uniquely simple yet unsettling illustrations. My choices for best campfire story, are His Face All Red which you can find both in the book and on her website and Out of Skin – two stories guaranteed to send a chill up your spine.

2. Wytches – Scott Snyder & Jock

The Wytches you’ll find in this comic are far from traditional – they’re elusive and deadly, lurking in the depths of the woods awaiting their next pledge.Wytches reads like an urban legend you tell your friends when you’re young (think bloody mary or the hook man); hoping it will keep them on edge for days, even months to come. The story itself is unnerving, the illustrations even more so. Camping in the woods may not be the best place to read this…or maybe it’s the perfect place…

3. Afterlife with Archie – Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Francesco Francavilla

Many of us grew up on Archie comics, but Afterlife with Archie takes Riverdale to a whole new level. If you’re looking for a campfire story to start things off with, this is the one for you. When Jughead’s pup, Hot Dog, dies, Jughead turns to Sabrina to bring him back. The resurrection, of course, has consequences and Hot Dog returns from the dead as a zombie who begins to spread the contagion by biting Jughead. Soon Riverdale is riddled with zombies…

4. Ghosts and Ruins – Ben Catmull

Described by Fantagraphics as:

“A tour of strange and sinister places only the very brave or the very foolish might be tempted to explore, the kind where ghostly apparitions glide by attic windows, crawl across ancient carpets, or leap out at you from darkened doorways.”

Ghosts and Ruins is a collection of illustrated haunted houses and the short tales of those that haunt them and why. The illustrations in this book alone are enough to scare any camper, but the stories that go along with them are sure to keep you up at night.

Let me know what comics you think would be great campfire stories, and until next time…Happy Camping Iggles!