The wonderful world of horror comics is expanding with a new run of issues based on some of Blumhouse’s most iconic thrillers. This is great, because I need something to stash in the camper for when the electric grid goes out, and I can’t play my DVDs anymore.
Blumhouse definitely has more gory stories to tell, and some of them are heading to comic-book pages instead of movie theaters. The studio is teaming up with IDW Publishing’s horror imprint, IDW Dark, to expand the worlds of The Purge, M3GAN, and Happy Death Day with all-new series. For fans waiting to see what happens next with these franchises, there are some intriguing possibilities in the works, including a potential glimpse at the future of Happy Death Day 3.
The news was first reported by Entertainment Weekly, which spoke with IDW Dark editor Heather Antos and several of the creators involved. The partnership kicks off with The Purge, which is getting a new story set in an unexplored corner of the franchise’s world. Dan Watters, whose comic-book credits include Batman: Dark Patterns and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder, will write the series, with Juan José Ryp (Wolverine: Blood Hunt) providing the artwork.
Rather than simply bringing back familiar characters from the movies, the comic will introduce a new town and environment where the annual night of legalized crime can unfold. That gives the creative team room to explore how different people respond to the Purge, including the people who participate in the violence and convince themselves they aren’t the villains of their own stories. Antos stressed that the people carrying out the Purge need to remain the bad guys, even when the story gets inside their heads.
The Happy Death Day comic has a different kind of appeal. Tim Seeley, known for Hack/Slash and Venom War: Deadpool, will write the series, and Antos has already spoken with director Christopher Landon about his ideas for a possible third film. Landon apparently shared his plans for Happy Death Day 3, should it ever get made, giving IDW a chance to explore related territory without getting in the way of a future movie.
That doesn’t mean the comic is a secret announcement that the film is finally happening. But it does mean the people developing these stories are aware of where Landon would like to take the franchise. After years of waiting for Tree Gelbman to get another time-loop nightmare, even the possibility of a connection to that unfinished story is worth watching.
Then there’s M3GAN, the killer android who has already proven she can turn a dance routine into a horror-movie calling card. Her comic-book creative team hasn’t been announced, but Antos sees plenty of room to take the character into new territory as Cady grows older. That could mean high school, with all the social warfare and teenage drama that comes with it. Antos even floated the possibility of M3GAN showing up at prom.
Honestly, putting a murderous AI doll in the middle of high school politics sounds like the sort of situation that could get out of hand before the first slow dance is over. The comics could take M3GAN into places that would be difficult to explore in a feature film, while keeping her connected to Cady and the franchise’s existing story.
IDW Dark has already published comics inspired by horror properties including A Quiet Place and Smile. The new Blumhouse partnership also works in the other direction, with Blumhouse developing a film adaptation of IDW Dark’s The Exorcism at 1600 Penn. It’s a growing relationship between the worlds of horror comics and horror movies, with each medium offering a different way to continue a story.
The first Purge comic is expected in late 2027. Release dates for M3GAN and Happy Death Day have not yet been announced, and additional creative details are still to come. For now, at least, these franchises have more life ahead of them on the page, even while their next big-screen chapters remain uncertain.
