Halloween Legend John Carpenter Announces Very First Graphic Novel That Horror Fans Must Read

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Horror movies as we know them today wouldn’t be the same without John Carpenter, the director behind iconic films like the 1978 classic Halloween and the 1982 thriller The Thing. Now, this celebrated filmmaker is bringing his creative vision to a new comic book.

John Carpenter, the famous filmmaker, is releasing his first graphic novel, titled Cathedral. It’s being published by Storm King Comics, a company founded by his wife, Sandy King. The story follows Lieutenant Christine Marks as she investigates an abandoned cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. She believes a monster inside is responsible for her father’s murder. Along with detectives Paul Hernandez and Steve Mayfield, she explores the church and uncovers the terrifying secrets hidden within its walls.

Carpenter got the idea for Cathedral from a frightening dream. He described seeing a nightmarish underground world filled with strange and terrifying creatures, and felt compelled to share the vision with others, saying he needed to get these images “out of my head and into everyone else’s brains.”

According to King, Storm King’s motto is, ‘Every dream should be a nightmare.’ He suggests that reading Cathedral will allow readers to experience a chilling dream of their own.

I’m so excited about John Carpenter’s new movie, Cathedral! And get this – he’s not just directing it, he’s also creating the soundtrack! It’s awesome because he usually composes the music for all his films himself. The only exceptions are The Thing, which had an incredible score by Ennio Morricone, and another film where Jack Nitzsche did the music.

John Carpenter and Stephen King are teaming up with writer Sean Sobczak for a new project. The artwork will be done by Federico De Luca, known for his work on Mindbender, and Luis Guaragna, who currently contributes to Heavy Metal. Sobczak previously worked as an assistant on Carpenter’s films Village of the Damned and Ghosts of Mars before joining Carpenter and King for this comic venture.

John Carpenter Has A Previous History With Horror Comics

So, Cathedral is being billed as the first comic directly from John Carpenter’s head, which is awesome! But it’s not his first time playing in the comic book world – he’s actually been involved with a bunch of other really cool series over the years.

I’ve been following Storm King Comics since 2015, and I absolutely love their yearly John Carpenter’s Tales for a HalloweeNight! Every year it delivers a seriously spooky story straight from John Carpenter’s mind. It reminds me a lot of their monthly series, John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction, which is all about weird and wonderfully strange sci-fi stories.

John Carpenter and Sandy King have created a number of spooky collections through their Storm King Comics, including titles like Dark & Twisted, Night Terrors, and the kid-friendly Storm Kids. They also publish an ongoing series called Asylum. Carpenter previously collaborated with Dark Horse Comics on a prequel comic that ties into his 2026 video game, Toxic Commando.

Many of these films have also been turned into comics, including a lesser-known adaptation from 1991. Illustrated sequels have been created for the 1981 action film Escape from New York and the 1986 fantasy comedy Big Trouble in Little China. These even led to a crossover comic featuring Kurt Russell’s famous characters, Snake Plissken and Jack Burton.

Though he hasn’t directed a full-length movie since 2010’s The Ward, Carpenter recently directed an episode of his true crime series, Suburban Nightmares. He’s also been busy performing music and continues to create film scores, including for the Halloween trilogy directed by David Gordon Green, and a new animated film from Bong Joon-ho.

The novel Cathedral will be available in most bookstores and online starting August 4, 2026, and in comic book shops on August 5, 2026.

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2026-03-20 22:15