Horror fans have another reason to keep an eye on their local comic shop. Blumhouse is teaming up with IDW Publishing’s horror imprint, IDW Dark, to bring three recognizable movie franchises — The Purge, M3GAN, and Happy Death Day — into the world of comic books.
Announced during New York Comic Con and reported by Entertainment Weekly on October 9, the collaboration will explore new stories set within these established horror universes. The first announced title, The Purge, is expected to arrive in 2027, with M3GAN and Happy Death Day also in development. Further creative and release details have yet to be revealed.
It’s a noteworthy move for horror comics, where original concepts, licensed properties, and adaptations have room to appeal to different kinds of readers. It also gives movie fans a new way to revisit familiar franchises while offering comic collectors another upcoming line to watch.
And with another batch of horror books arriving this Wednesday, October 14, there’s plenty to discuss about where the genre is heading.
Blumhouse Brings Three Familiar Nightmares to IDW Dark
The partnership brings together Blumhouse, a studio known for modern horror franchises, and IDW Dark, which has already published comics based on screen properties including A Quiet Place and Smile.
Rather than simply reproducing existing films panel by panel, the new projects are intended to explore additional stories within their respective worlds.
The Purge: A New Town, a New Nightmare
The first announced project will be based on The Purge, the franchise built around a night when virtually all crime, including murder, becomes legal across the United States.
Writer Dan Watters, known for Batman: Dark Patterns and TMNT: Shredder, will work with artist Juan José Ryp, whose credits include Wolverine: Blood Hunt.
The creative team plans to explore a new town and environment within the established universe rather than simply revisiting the films’ central characters. That opens the door to new perspectives on Purge Night, the people who participate in it, and the society that allows it to happen.
The comic is expected in 2027, although a specific release date and further story details have not yet been announced.
Happy Death Day: Another Twist in the Loop?
The time-loop slasher Happy Death Day is also heading to comics, with Tim Seeley, the writer behind Hack/Slash, attached to the project.
One particularly interesting detail is that IDW Dark editor Heather Antos has spoken with director Christopher Landon about his ideas for a potential third movie. Those conversations could help the comic explore the franchise while leaving room for a future film.
That does not mean Happy Death Day 3 has been officially confirmed. For now, the comic is an opportunity to continue exploring the property in a different medium.
M3GAN: More Room for the Killer Doll
The third project brings M3GAN, the unsettling artificial-intelligence doll, into comics.
The concept has plenty of room to evolve beyond the original films. As Cady grows older, M3GAN’s presence could lead into new social settings, relationships, and technological nightmares. IDW Dark editor Heather Antos has even floated the idea of M3GAN showing up at prom, although that remains a personal wish rather than a confirmed story detail.
A writer and additional creative details were still being worked out at the time of the announcement.
For readers, the appeal is straightforward: a character built around an instantly recognizable design and an uneasy mix of technology, dark humor, and violence could translate naturally into a visual storytelling medium.
Why Movie Franchises Are Turning to Comics
The Blumhouse–IDW Dark collaboration highlights something worth watching: comics can provide an additional storytelling space for franchises that already have established audiences.
A film has to work within a particular runtime and production budget. Comics offer different possibilities, including internal narration, unusual visual sequences, smaller character-focused stories, and settings that might not justify a feature-length production.
For a franchise such as The Purge, that means exploring another community or examining how different people experience the same terrifying night. For Happy Death Day, the comic format could offer another variation on its time-loop premise. For M3GAN, it could create opportunities to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, social behavior, and horror without needing to wait for another film.
These are creative possibilities, not guarantees about the final stories. The quality of the writing and artwork will ultimately determine whether the books offer something meaningful beyond their familiar names.
The arrangement also reflects a two-way relationship between comics and screen entertainment. Blumhouse has been involved in screen adaptations of comics, including IDW Dark’s The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, while this new deal brings Blumhouse properties into comics.
That makes the partnership more interesting than a simple collection of movie tie-ins. It demonstrates how publishers and film studios can work across mediums to develop genre stories for different audiences.
