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Deadman Tells the Spooky Tales
Tag along with DC's favorite ghost host as he navigates the spooky, strange, and unexplained in this eerie 13-tale anthology!
Have you ever had that feeling that you were being watched? Ever taken a dark shortcut on the way home? Wondered what that thing is that might just be living under your bed? Well, Deadman knows...has always known...and he is here to shed some light on those spine-tingling adventures and the things that go bump in the night.
Written by New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning writer Franco Aureliani and featuring art by some of DC Comics favorite artists, Deadman Tells the (Spooky) Tales is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat through these hair-raising adventures.
Read at your own risk...
Have you ever had that feeling that you were being watched? Ever taken a dark shortcut on the way home? Wondered what that thing is that might just be living under your bed? Well, Deadman knows...has always known...and he is here to shed some light on those spine-tingling adventures and the things that go bump in the night.
Written by New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning writer Franco Aureliani and featuring art by some of DC Comics favorite artists, Deadman Tells the (Spooky) Tales is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat through these hair-raising adventures.
Read at your own risk...
160 pages, Paperback
Published September 27, 2022
7 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Franco
303 books18 followersFranco Aureliani, known professionally as Franco, is an American comic book writer/artist, best known for writing the DC Comics series Tiny Titans, for which he won two Eisner Awards in 2009 and 2011. Tiny Titans also won a Harvey award in 2011. He was also nominated for another Harvey in 2013 for another project from DC Comics, Superman Family Adventures. He and longtime writing partner and friend, Art Baltazar, won their third Eisner in 2014 for the Dark Horse Comics children's series Itty Bitty Hellboy. He also teaches art at Carmel High School.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 1, 2022
The worst of the DC kids books I have read, each story doesn't have enough build up or payoff, and feels juvenile, while the Deadman pages look fairly teenage/too grotesque for little kids. A misfire for all ages.
November 14, 2022
Absolutely didn't work for me. This is meant to be a kid's horror anthology, but this feels incredibly meek and toothless next to stuff like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I don't know if this would have ever gotten a chill out of me, even at age 10. I suspect I would have put it aside, disappointed, and read Tales for the Midnight Hour again. The art is mostly ok, but it's often way too cute for a horror anthology. I really liked the art for the Deadman pages, though. It was very cool, very atmospheric. Speaking of Deadman, this kind of feels like a waste of the character. This version is basically a Cryptkeeper stand in, which doesn't feel right for Boston Brand. If this is your first exposure to the character, which will probably be the case for most readers, you'll come away thinking he's a ghost, maybe. Underwhelming.
November 20, 2022
The scariest part of this anthology is realizing you spent money on a boring terrible nothing book.
December 25, 2025
This seemed to be fairly polarizing, but I liked it. I didn't realize it was aimed at kids at first, but it had a "Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark" vibe. It's a horror anthology with the stories aimed at younger readers. Very eclectic artwork, but well done. Some of the stories were better than others, but most of them had a good, creepy feel to them.
October 14, 2022
Created in 1967 by the legendary Neal Adams, Deadman was a circus performer who was assassinated while performing under the big top. Thanks to a Hindu deity called Rama Kushna, the spirit of Deadman was allowed to linger on Earth in order to discover the identity of his killer. By possessing the body of others, including many a member of the Justice League, Deadman was able to gather the clues to find the identity of the mysterious killer known only as 'The Hook.' But after his murderer was apprehended, for one reason or another, Deadman delayed crossing over to the afterlife to continue bringing evil to justice!
I've read my fair share of Deadman stories over the years. My father had a copy of his first appearance, in the pages of Strange Adventures #205. The visual appeal of a white ghostly face decked in a scarlet red circus performer unitard was enough to draw me in. Sure, with death and ghosts and vengeance, this probably wasn't the stuff for a lad of under the age of 10 to enjoy. But those Deadman stories of my dad's collection were some of my most favorite reads.
So when I learned that Deadman was going to host a graphic novel anthology of creepy tales for young readers, I immediately contacted my favorite LCS to reserve my copy! While over the past 55 years Deadman has teamed up with major characters from the DC Universe, solved some puzzling crimes and even come face-to-face with the creator of the universe himself, the supernatural character has never hosted his own horror title to my knowledge- until now!
Franco, the fan favorite co-creator of such all-ages properties as Tiny Titans and Itty Bitty Hellboy, pens 13 unlucky tales of terror. But as this book was aimed for readers aged 8-12 years old, was this collection of spooky tales all that scary?
The shortcut taken through 'The Cemetery' and the mall-themed story titled 'Mannequins' would qualify in my book as scary. The autumn leaves adventure called 'Fall' was eerie too; if only because two victims of the story's antagonist seem completely forgotten by our heroes.
I loved 'On the Inside'. That psychological thriller was a tiny bit scary. What sold it for me was how it was directly tied into a character from the Batman family of villains. The movie themed 'Inattentive Blindness' and the sleepover at 'The House of Madame Pyka' also had some ties to the DCU and were entertaining scares. However, I would say that they gave me anything but the frights. "The Fisherman' was another story that was highly entertaining yet didn't scare me. However, it had an ending that left me demanding a sequel or a stand alone series!
Franco, especially when he is teamed with his main writing partner Art Baltazar, is known for his humorous stories. And the majority of the remaining stories are more for yuks that screams. However, the humor element is okay with me. Those classic DC horror titles from my youth such as House of Mystery and The Witching Hour were as renown for their bizarre comedy bits just as much as their horrifying stories of ghosts and ghouls.
I've got to confess however, that with both feline themed stories 'The Litterbox' and 'The Neighborhood Cats', I read ahead. Not because I was scared. It was because I didn't want to be shocked with any stories that involved dying or injured kitties. I am happy to say that no gatos were injured in the making of this graphic novel for kiddies!
The most terrifying aspect of this book was the running commentary of the Deadman throughout this anthology. He poses some eerie questions. However, it's the artwork by visual artist Sara Richard that puts the icing on the cake in terms of creepiness. Her images of skeletons and graveyards are chilling. But when she provides anatomy lessons of viscera and sinew as Deadman transports himself throughout the book, I get a tad spooked.
A dozen other artists provide visuals for this book. Derek Charm (Star Wars Adventures) is another fan favorite of mine who contributes to this work. As is fellow North Carolinian, Thomas Boatwright, of whom the Zeke Deadwood: Zombie Lawmaker creator is one of which that I own actual original artwork of! However, I must say that I am a little perturbed that Franco's most famous creative partner, Art Baltazar, is nowhere to be found in this book! I hope the two didn't part ways as collaborators! I love those two when they get together and make comic book memories!
Deadman Tells the Spooky Tales (Another Great Pun Title!) was an entertaining read. I was scrambling to find something appropriate for younger readers to review this week in time for Halloween. I'm so glad my comics shop was able to get a copy yesterday! The horror element as well as Deadman's backstory that involves Eastern religion, including reincarnation might be a little to controversial for some. But if you were a parent, guardian or grandparent who grew up reading the adventures of Deadman, especially the vintages ones, the young readers in your life are going to thrill at this trip through DC's darkest corners.
I've read my fair share of Deadman stories over the years. My father had a copy of his first appearance, in the pages of Strange Adventures #205. The visual appeal of a white ghostly face decked in a scarlet red circus performer unitard was enough to draw me in. Sure, with death and ghosts and vengeance, this probably wasn't the stuff for a lad of under the age of 10 to enjoy. But those Deadman stories of my dad's collection were some of my most favorite reads.
So when I learned that Deadman was going to host a graphic novel anthology of creepy tales for young readers, I immediately contacted my favorite LCS to reserve my copy! While over the past 55 years Deadman has teamed up with major characters from the DC Universe, solved some puzzling crimes and even come face-to-face with the creator of the universe himself, the supernatural character has never hosted his own horror title to my knowledge- until now!
Franco, the fan favorite co-creator of such all-ages properties as Tiny Titans and Itty Bitty Hellboy, pens 13 unlucky tales of terror. But as this book was aimed for readers aged 8-12 years old, was this collection of spooky tales all that scary?
The shortcut taken through 'The Cemetery' and the mall-themed story titled 'Mannequins' would qualify in my book as scary. The autumn leaves adventure called 'Fall' was eerie too; if only because two victims of the story's antagonist seem completely forgotten by our heroes.
I loved 'On the Inside'. That psychological thriller was a tiny bit scary. What sold it for me was how it was directly tied into a character from the Batman family of villains. The movie themed 'Inattentive Blindness' and the sleepover at 'The House of Madame Pyka' also had some ties to the DCU and were entertaining scares. However, I would say that they gave me anything but the frights. "The Fisherman' was another story that was highly entertaining yet didn't scare me. However, it had an ending that left me demanding a sequel or a stand alone series!
Franco, especially when he is teamed with his main writing partner Art Baltazar, is known for his humorous stories. And the majority of the remaining stories are more for yuks that screams. However, the humor element is okay with me. Those classic DC horror titles from my youth such as House of Mystery and The Witching Hour were as renown for their bizarre comedy bits just as much as their horrifying stories of ghosts and ghouls.
I've got to confess however, that with both feline themed stories 'The Litterbox' and 'The Neighborhood Cats', I read ahead. Not because I was scared. It was because I didn't want to be shocked with any stories that involved dying or injured kitties. I am happy to say that no gatos were injured in the making of this graphic novel for kiddies!
The most terrifying aspect of this book was the running commentary of the Deadman throughout this anthology. He poses some eerie questions. However, it's the artwork by visual artist Sara Richard that puts the icing on the cake in terms of creepiness. Her images of skeletons and graveyards are chilling. But when she provides anatomy lessons of viscera and sinew as Deadman transports himself throughout the book, I get a tad spooked.
A dozen other artists provide visuals for this book. Derek Charm (Star Wars Adventures) is another fan favorite of mine who contributes to this work. As is fellow North Carolinian, Thomas Boatwright, of whom the Zeke Deadwood: Zombie Lawmaker creator is one of which that I own actual original artwork of! However, I must say that I am a little perturbed that Franco's most famous creative partner, Art Baltazar, is nowhere to be found in this book! I hope the two didn't part ways as collaborators! I love those two when they get together and make comic book memories!
Deadman Tells the Spooky Tales (Another Great Pun Title!) was an entertaining read. I was scrambling to find something appropriate for younger readers to review this week in time for Halloween. I'm so glad my comics shop was able to get a copy yesterday! The horror element as well as Deadman's backstory that involves Eastern religion, including reincarnation might be a little to controversial for some. But if you were a parent, guardian or grandparent who grew up reading the adventures of Deadman, especially the vintages ones, the young readers in your life are going to thrill at this trip through DC's darkest corners.
September 26, 2025
Deadman Tells The Spooky Tales is a DC Comics graphic novel for kids written by Franco Aureliani and art by Sara Richard, Andy Price, Derek Charm, Mike Hartigan, Christopher Uminga, Abigail Larson, Morgan Beem, Justin Castaneda, Tressina Biwling, Boatwright Artwork, Scoot McMahon, Isaac Goodhart, Agnes Garbowska, and Silvana Brys.
Deadman is our host through a collection of short, scary stories.
When I ordered this online a while back I believed it was one of DC Comic’s Halloween anthology issues. But instead this is actually a collection of short spooky stories geared to 8-12 year olds, similar to Goosebumps. Other than Deadman, the only DC Comics character are Manbat and Basil Karlo, aka Clayface.
For comics geared towards kids, these aren’t that bad. There are a wide variety of art styles with most leaning towards the cartoony side. Maybe not the best comic for older readers but if you like a wide variety of spooky-esque stories or looking for a book for a kid in your life, give this one a shot!
Deadman is our host through a collection of short, scary stories.
When I ordered this online a while back I believed it was one of DC Comic’s Halloween anthology issues. But instead this is actually a collection of short spooky stories geared to 8-12 year olds, similar to Goosebumps. Other than Deadman, the only DC Comics character are Manbat and Basil Karlo, aka Clayface.
For comics geared towards kids, these aren’t that bad. There are a wide variety of art styles with most leaning towards the cartoony side. Maybe not the best comic for older readers but if you like a wide variety of spooky-esque stories or looking for a book for a kid in your life, give this one a shot!
October 4, 2022
I didn’t realize this was for kids but it still sucked. Some of the art was “cute,” I guess, but that’s a pretty backhanded compliment for a horror anthology. None of these creators know how to tell a story within just a few pages. Compare the best of these stories to the worst EC story you can find. If you only have a handful of pages, make up for it with more panels or more text or more substance. Screw decompression. Oh, and the Deadman pages were nauseating to look at. Don’t know if it’s the coloring or a digital effect. Don’t like that style, never have. Never liked Deadman either, for that matter. Ugly costume. And… get off my lawn!
March 31, 2024
The writing and illustrations for the Deadman "Cryptkeeper" portions of this are my favorite parts - they look and flow so well with the whimsical, spooky, and lighthearted fun expected!
The stories interspersed in between are more cute and simple in terms of the illustration style and storytelling itself, indicative of the younger audience that this is aimed at, so don't go in expecting a deep plot or intriguing mysteries to unravel - this is more equivalent to watching a favorite Halloween Special Cartoon!
If you go in with that expectation - this is a lot of fun and I had a great time with it! 😃
The stories interspersed in between are more cute and simple in terms of the illustration style and storytelling itself, indicative of the younger audience that this is aimed at, so don't go in expecting a deep plot or intriguing mysteries to unravel - this is more equivalent to watching a favorite Halloween Special Cartoon!
If you go in with that expectation - this is a lot of fun and I had a great time with it! 😃
January 30, 2023
First off, people are knocking this book for being bland and not scary?
IT'S A DC KIDS TITLE! It's not going to feature gore, blood, murder, etc. That's what the Comics Code is there for. Think of this as 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark' and it's meant for even younger kids. It's creepy and spooky in much the same way the Addams Family movie/TV show was.
Knock this collection if you want. Not every kid is desensitized to the violence and gore in our world and needs to be reminded of how bad things can get. Let them have a little low level creepiness
IT'S A DC KIDS TITLE! It's not going to feature gore, blood, murder, etc. That's what the Comics Code is there for. Think of this as 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark' and it's meant for even younger kids. It's creepy and spooky in much the same way the Addams Family movie/TV show was.
Knock this collection if you want. Not every kid is desensitized to the violence and gore in our world and needs to be reminded of how bad things can get. Let them have a little low level creepiness
November 10, 2022
A DC Halloween anthology for children. It's hosted by a strange adult version of Deadman that I don't think kids will get while the stories are mostly super-juvenile with poor to OK art. The only other nods to DC was a short story about Manbat and a story that ended up being about Basil Karlo (one of the gazillion Clayfaces). Most of the creators involved aren't traditional superhero artists. Take that how you will.
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October 4, 2022
This was... fine, I guess? I can definitely see why this was geared towards a younger audience. But honestly, I know a lot of middle grade readers that wouldn't be very amused by this either.
2.5 stars (rounded up because GR doesn't do half stars)
2.5 stars (rounded up because GR doesn't do half stars)
February 5, 2023
An all-ages anthology with Deadman in the role of interstitial Crypt Keeper. The stories were just okay with not much in the way of scares and the varying nature of different artists don’t make for a cohesive book.
Read
May 15, 2023Obviously this is for kids and tbf it might give them a lil spook. For me, I loved the art of the in-between stories where Deadman was present, delightfully gothic and twisted, wish I could have more of that (maybe a ya or adult interpretation?)
June 9, 2023
This was so fun. I would have absolutely LOVED this book when I was a kid. Very freaky. I love the short "Twilight Zone" style of each one with different artists. My favorites were the Fisherman tale and the Hamster one.
November 12, 2024
Three for the art . This was like 30 second horror stories hosted crypt keeper style by DeadMan. Barely mid otherwise. Lotta great artists, very low bar story telling. It was worth the read but not the money. An 8-10 yr old me would have felt the same.
May 5, 2025
A nice selection of horror stories for kids- more cute than terrifying, with Deadman appearing to introduce each story. A lot of different styles present. My favorite story being the kid who died cuz he kept disrupting a movie.
October 12, 2022
I read this because it featured Deadman. The stories vary (as they are wont to do), but overall it was a fun (and not always scary) read.
October 17, 2022
This was a fun collection of spooky stories perfect for the season. Loved the art and the themes.
October 21, 2022
Para niños. estuvo bien, un par de historias entretenidas, otras no tanto. Pero entiendo el homenaje a Neal Adams, muy sentido y es bueno ver a Boston Brand en la forma que sea.
December 10, 2022
I want to respect the difficulty of putting together an anthology like this, but I just…hated every single story. I know I’m not one for horror but sheesh.
February 9, 2023
The short stories aren’t amazing but for a kid they’re prob fine. The Deadman art is VERY good and honestly worth the whole book.
August 7, 2023
It’s like Tales from the Crypt, but for kids… so like Goosebumps but Deadman is the host. Very fun.
September 29, 2023
I mean, it's for kids, but I read it quick. #HumbleBrag
November 7, 2023
Good collection of spooky stories. Would be perfect for middle grade readers. Hints of DC characters, but Deadman is pretty much the only one, so I was a little sad about that.
July 1, 2024
I was desperate for a graphic novel (I’m having major withdrawal, send help)!
This was ok!
2.5
Definitely wasn’t even close to a LAZERBRAIN Halloween Special anthology.
This was ok!
2.5
Definitely wasn’t even close to a LAZERBRAIN Halloween Special anthology.
December 24, 2024
Deadman plays crypt keeper for a kids horror anthology. Probably a very fun read for kids in the 9-11 range, and a couple of the stories also entertained grown up me.
May 19, 2025
Realized late that this was actually for kids, oh well! Nothing too spooky or creepy. Loved the art! Felt like I was watching/reading cartoons when I was younger ahahaha
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews