Bone Boy Billy Halloween 2026 Preview

 Since it's been the main Billy project I've been working on all year, I thought it was time to share some more info. We've got an early look at next month's Halloween special!

Just like last year, the special will be posted all month long. Taking place of the main Billy comic, this is an AU type world where the characters take on different roles in stories paying homage to my favorite pieces of horror media. 

This year, Billy and crew invite you to the Teatre' De Fantasmagoria for a night of thrills, chills and bloody spills! 

One night only, the theater will be doing three short plays, each honoring a classic Poe poem. Edgar Allen Billy will serve as the host. With our beloved cast of characters each playing a different role, uniquely for each story. 

First thing I wanted to share was some early concept drawings/art of what I was trying to get in mind for the story. Some of these drawings are back from last year. This Masque of the Red Death was just me riffing trying to create something unique. Funny, the actual mask I went with was much simpler. My original idea was for this mask to slowly shift and open up, almost like a Hellraiser Puzzle Box.

I decided to adapt Poe after rewatching the fantastic Fall of the House of Usher mini-series on Netflix. Created by the legendary Mike Flanagan and his incredible team. Seeing such a unique remixing of classic tales for a modern age really inspired me. I wanted to do something similar with our comic here, each story a little more wild than the last. 

Selecting the stories to adapt wasn't easy. I wanted to go classic, but make sure each story was malleable enough to create my own take on it. Sifting through a few, I eventually found my three. Early on, I was going back and forth on adapting The Black Cat, Pit and the Pendulum or Telltale Heart. Eventually settling on Telltale, but I like the concept of the bloody cat I doodled. Might use that for something down the line.

Unlike previous years, Billy won't be the main character. Rather he's the show's host, Edgar Allen Billy, the brilliant storyteller. Billy introduces each story and gives us brief intermissions between tales. I really wanted to take advantage of the cast I've got and spotlight them more this year. 

Our first adaptation is arguably Poe's most famous story, the Raven. Starring the walking talking Jack O' with an attitude: Oltan. I've got a post in the works that's going to come out in November going over all the changes these adaptations went through, but I wanted to highlight one big change. Originally, this story was to take place in a thick forest. An old cabin in the woods.

Upon reflecting, I felt the area didn't really mesh with what I was working. I scrapped the entire original story rough, about 5 or 6 pages and redid it from scratch. Now setting it in an endless ocean of sand. Oltan plays a grieving husband, lost adventuring to try and recapture the spark of life he's lost with his beloved Lenore gone. 

Our second tale is adapting the Masque of the Red Death. I would say of all the stories, this one is probably the closest to the classic tale, with our own twist on the Red Death itself I'm very proud of. During this story, Nancy plays an arrogant prince locked up in his castle with all his rich friends. Partying it up as the populace below dwindles by the day due to plague.

Only the Prince will find that no amount of locks can keep out the Red Death. The Red Death itself will be performed by Billy's wonderful mother, Zindy. 

Our third and final story is a twisted take on the Telltale Heart. Where young Georgie recounts from a prison cell how perfectly sane he is and how sanely he got in this mess. Recounting a tale of madness and monstrosity. This one is actually in reverse white on black and back to the pencil style in my attempt at recreating a more sketchy story by memory.

This is a really fun adaptation of all 3 Poe stories, each one going uniquely it's own way in the Bone Boy Billy style. Each story has been a blast to work on and I'm so excited to start posting pages on October 1st!

We've also got some bonus comics throughout the month, Behind the Curtain mini-comics featuring one panel short stories giving you a glimpse into the making of the madness. These were really fun to make. I always like the challenge of telling a story in as short as one page or a single panel. I think they'll be a neat addition to the main course.

EC comics, Tales from the Crypt, Haunt of Fear and Vault of Horror are huge inspirations for me and I feel like this year's story really captured that classic EC vibe blended with the gothic creepiness of Poe. It's our biggest Halloween special year so you won't want to miss it!

And yes, I'm already working hard planning out next year's Halloween special. It's still in the very early stages of development, having just settled on the point of inspiration. I don't wanna say to much, but it's sure to be an Apocalyptic good time, maybe even times three. 

Get ready for the spooks, everybody!