Read These Monster Comics Before Creature Commandos

Since the earliest days of comics, monsters have been a fixture of the medium, with the upcoming DCU series Creature Commandos being a testament to their enduring popularity. Whether it was zombies, Solomon Grundy, or the mossy hero Heap, creatures of all shapes and sizes have brought out the best creativity the business has to offer. Through the adventures and horror of these monsters, writers and artists have crafted tales of empathy, fear, action and more, leaving a lasting impact on readers.

Monsters offer an unlikely versatility and range to comics, whether they’re adapted from literature or created as unique creatures for the comic page. From legends like vampires and werewolves to mutated swamp monsters and even dinosaurs, these creatures provide a sense of dark adventure, great threats and a vehicle for socially-conscious storytelling. Heroes, villains and everything in between make up the rich history of comic book monsters. James Gunn’s Creature Commandos will serve as a great reminder of the entertainment value these monstrosities offer audiences.

10 Adventure Into Fear Housed Some Great Marvel Horror

1970-1975, 31 Issues

The Bronze Age was an era replete with horror anthologies, and one of the most interesting and important was Marvel’s Adventure Into Fear. This series is notable for, among other things, the introduction of Howard the Duck, the first colored Man-Thing story, and some reprints of old stories, notably featuring work by Jack Kirby. Until he was spun out into his own solo title, this series was the mainstay Man-Thing title, and houses some of his best stories.

Adventure Into Fear (originally titled Fear) covered a range of short horror stories, including the terror of a sentient, malevolent tree, ghostly pirates and alien attackers. With some of the reprinted material including the talents of industry icons like Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby and Gil Kane, it’s a must-read for fans of the early days of comic book monsters. The title even functioned as Morbius’ own book in the final issues.

9 The Monster Of Frankenstein Adapted Mary Shelley’s Classic

1973-1975, 18 Issues

One of the strengths of Marvel Comics, especially as it pertains to monsters, is how creatively public domain characters have been reimagined to fit Earth-616. One of the best examples of this can be found in The Monster of Frankenstein, which altered the creation of the eponymous creature of science for Bronze Age Marvel. Here, the creature is found frozen and awakened in the present day.

The Monster of Frankenstein follows the creature as he travels in solitude, though he befriends a range of fellow outcasts along his journey. Also tacking on foes like evil sorcerers, giant spiders, descendants of Victor Frankenstein and more, the series focuses on the humanity of one of literature’s most compelling monsters. In classic Marvel fashion, the series even throws in Count Dracula for good measure, as the creature saves humans from the vampire’s bloodlust.

8 Kamandi Combines Science Fiction And Creature Feature

1972-1978, 59 Issues

One of Jack Kirby’s more obscure creations, Kamandi: The Last Boy On Earth tells the story of a lone human boy in a world ravaged by disaster and populated by humanoid animals. From the Tiger Empire in the east to the sea-faring leopard pirates and gorilla warriors, Kamandi’s travels across the new America are perilous. Along the way, he teams up with Tiger Prince Tuftan, Doctor Canus, a dog-man, and Ben Boxer, a human scientist and astronaut who offers his help.

Kamandi doesn’t just feature talking animal races, but also monstrous mutations of everything from insects to sea life. Locations like Monster Lake are self-explanatory, and the combined threat posed by the various civilizations, mutated menaces and sea monsters make the future of Kamandi almost inhospitable for humans. When considering the likes of the bat-men, even the intelligent species on the planet’s surface can be full-blown horror.

7 Ka-Zar The Savage Follows Marvel’s Analog Of Tarzan

1981-1984, 34 Issues

Both Marvel and DC have demonstrated a penchant for creating their own, often superior, analogs of pre-existing figures from literature and older comics. One of the first of these characters ever created by Marvel was Ka-Zar, a clear analog of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan. During Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s X-Men series, the character was reinvented as Kevin Plunder, a boy marooned in the Savage Land, where his parents died, and he was raised by the saber-toothed tiger, Zabu.

Ka-Zar’s adventures range from fighting the monsters of the Savage Land to his journeys into civilization, including a brush with the Man-Thing during Adventures Into Fear. In his own titles, fans were given a classic jungle-based action book, replete with giant snakes, winged sharks and even dinosaurs. A land preserved in Antarctica by aliens, the Savage Land houses an array of terrifying, intelligent and treacherous creatures, and the hero’s stories are at their best when set there. The series Ka-Zar the Savage remains a fan-favorite for the character.

6 Werewolf By Night Follows A Savage Superhero

1972-1977, 43 Issues

Werewolf By Night follows the story of Jack Russell, the modern descendant of an ancient clan of lycanthropes with a history of battling Dracula. After Russell takes possession of the Darkhold, he gains the unwanted attention of a variety of mystical and supernatural characters, beginning with his capture at the hands of Mark Cephalos. From there, he escapes and continues his double life as a mage by day and, as the series states, werewolf by night.

Werewolf By Night follows Jack Russell in his adventures and battles against a series of monsters and organizations, all of whom are interested in the host of magical artifacts he possesses, such as the Bloodstone. As the series that introduced Moon Knight, the book holds a special place in Marvel history, and is full of creature feature fun.

5 Man-Thing Blends Horror With Fantasy

1974-1974, 22 Issues

Man-Thing follows the story of Ted Sallis, a scientist transformed into a mossy swamp creature following an attack by AIM, which results in the man falling into the swamp while on fire. After returning as the monster readers know and love, he seeks revenge on the men responsible, and is cast into a life of solitude in the muck of the Everglades. Beginning in a short story in Savage Tales, the hero continued his adventures under comics icon Steve Gerber, who had the character take on prejudice, mysticism and more.

Man-Thing would later become the Guardian of the Nexus of Realities, a portal that connects various planes of existence, through which he experienced fantastical adventures. While dwelling in his swamp, the hero fights off demons, such as the Nether-Spawn, witches, and the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. The series ranges from stories that channel the dark fantasy of Robert E. Howard to old-school monster horror, and it only got better when Howard the Duck came along.

4 Weird War Tales Gave The World The Creature Commandos

1971-1983, 124 Issues

Currently slated for an upcoming DCU animated series, the Creature Commandos found their start in DC’s Weird War Tales. True to its name, the series follows an array of sci-fi and horror-themed war stories, ranging from Nazi gorilla soldiers to World War III warnings. However, the best thing to spin out of the series was the Creature Commandos, a team of unlikely heroes composed of monsters, both classics and new concepts. In their adventures, these heroes took on the machinations of the Nazis, though they have since been reinvented for different settings and times.

The Creature Commandos have included members such as Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolf Man and a vampire, often broadening out to include other classic Universal monsters. In many ways, the series is a sort of Addams Family meets superheroes, creatively adapting the stuff of nightmares into an elite military unit.Weird War Tales remains a great anthology for fans of war stories, creature features and science fiction alike, with the Creature Commandos remaining the title’s best legacy. The team has since formed into the Agents of S.H.A.D.E.

3 Tomb Of Dracula Put A Fun Spin On Bram Stoker’s Villain

1972-1979, 70 Issues

Count Dracula is perhaps the most famous monster ever created for entertainment. He stands as an icon of true evil, and is the de facto king of vampire fiction. Under Marvel, the villain was given his own series, Tomb of Dracula, which follows the unintentional awakening of the bloodthirsty count by Frank Drake. When the monster walks the Earth once more, Drake feels compelled to set things right, especially as the creature leaves Transylvania and seeks a new bride.

Tomb of Dracula follows the horror of its titular villain as he travels the world and takes on a variety of Marvel heroes, eventually leading to the debut of Blade the Vampire Hunter. The series was one of the few compelling titles dedicated to the adventures of a villain, though he did occasionally team up with his vampire hunter enemies. The series belongs as much to its mysterious monster as his heroic foes.

2 Swamp Thing Is A Monster With Heart

1972-1976, 24 Issues

First introduced in House of Secrets #92 by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing received his first solo book in 1972, with Wein and Wrightson fleshing out his origins. Although Alan Moore would later revise this series’ lore, the initial run followed the creation of the monster when Alec Holland and his wife, Linda, are attacked while working on a bio-restorative formula. In a blaze caused by a pair of henchmen working for the enigmatic “Mister E,” a burning Holland falls into the nearby swamp, with the formula transforming him into the creature.

The 1972 Swamp Thing run is something of a monster-based odyssey, as it follows Holland as he’s transported by mysterious creatures called “UnMen” to Eastern Europe. There, he meets the magician, Arcane, who attempts to take the monstrous body for himself. After defying the dark mage, Holland begins his long journey back to Louisiana. During his travels, he encounters Batman, a werewolf, a Lovecraftian being and much more, with the series playing up Holland’s undying humanity and quest for justice. Alan Moore’s later run is a great read for fans of Gothic and supernatural horror, but the original series is pure creature feature.

1 The Incredible Hulk Masterfully Borrows The Tale Of Jekyll And Hyde

1962-2009, 380 Issues

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Incredible Hulk quickly became one of Marvel’s most recognizable heroes, as well as a symbol of the company’s style of superhero. When Bruce Banner is exposed to gamma radiation, it causes him to morph into the Hulk whenever he’s angry, with the concept being a clear analog for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde. As the series progressed, the monster started to take more of the spotlight, with some eras focusing almost entirely on Hulk.

When it comes to finding a fun monster comic, it’s hard to do better than The Incredible Hulk, which didn’t just fixate on the green behemoth, but also showcased other Marvel monsters. From crossovers with Man-Thing and the introduction of Wolverine to the hero’s brawls with the Wendigo and Abomination, the series remains iconic for good reason. Peter David’s run, which lasted from 1987 to 1998, remains a fan-favorite, especially for its dedication to action. In many of Hulk’s subsequent books, such as the Maestro trilogy and Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s current run, fans have been treated to a non-stop onslaught of epic monster action.