Review: Halloween Team: Shadows #1
From Comicker Press
Out now from Comicker Press and following on from the revelations of the excellent Halloween Team, Halloween Team: Shadows #1 expands on the stories and adds new aspects.
Spotlight Review: Halloween Team
From All-New All-Awesome Comics is a classic four-issue mini-series which is available digitally. Check out the details on Halloween Team.
Following its recent acquisition and re-publishing of the first volume of Halloween Team, Comicker is set to launch a new four-part sequel series this Fall. Issue #1 of HALLOWEEN TEAM: SHADOWS releases on September 30th, 2025 – with subsequent issues set to release monthly.
HALLOWEEN TEAM: SHADOWS sees series creator and writer Danny Baram return for an all-new story that picks up where the original miniseries left off. Baram is joined by new artist Buğra Batuhan Berah. Additionally, original Halloween Team artist Matt Shults returns, providing art for special flashback sequences that will appear in each new issue.
Halloween Team is a fun, spooky adventure in the vein of fan-favorite properties like Stranger Things and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The new miniseries will be available on major digital comics retailers, including Amazon/Comixology, GlobalComix, Comix.One, Hoopla, and via Comicker’s website. The original Halloween Team miniseries is also still available – both as individual issues or as one collected volume. Halloween Team T-shirts and other merchandise are also offered on www.comickerpress.com.
Just in time for Spooky Season and Halloween, the hit comic book series Halloween Team returns, via Comicker Press, for HALLOWEEN TEAM: SHADOWS – a four-issue sequel that answers burning questions, and raises new ones, as the adventure that began in the first volume continues. Issue #1 releases on major digital comics retailers on September 30th, with new issues releasing monthly thereafter.
Halloween Team’s much-anticipated return is a highlight of Comicker’s recent focus on horror titles – including Nightshade Anthology by Lorry Jamison, and No One Gets Hurt from Ben Ford and Enmanuel Martinez. Comicker Press is an on-the-rise indie comics label, with a commitment to creator ownership that sets them apart from other publishers. Comicker’s mission is to bring the best of independent comics to the world, and that mission continues to grow and expand in 2025 and beyond.
Says Comicker head Peter Steiner: “We can’t wait to get new issues of HALLOWEEN TEAM out there in time for Halloween. Readers have been waiting to see how the next chapter in this story plays out, and I think they’re going to be very happy with what Danny, Bugra, and Matt deliver here. This is big, epic, and exciting – with new heroes, new villains, and characters that you really come to care about.”
HALLOWEEN TEAM is a compelling, character-first saga that blends horror, adventure, mystery, and romance. The original volume began with a compelling premise: Years ago, five misfit kids banded together to form Halloween Team - a group dedicated to solving mysteries and hunting monsters in the small town of Greenwood, MA. Now, twenty years later, the kids are grown and lead separate lives - until a new mystery brings them together for one more adventure.
In the first Halloween Team volume, that reunion eventually leads to shocking revelations about the team’s past, and to a cliffhanger ending that begs the question of where the team goes from here. In HALLOWEEN TEAM: SHADOWS, the team is now determined to help a friend in need – but the fractured relationships between the team members may make victory near-impossible. Now, the team is put to the ultimate test – and must battle through mistrust and heartache in order to save not just their small town of Greenwood, but also the entire world.
Upon its initial digital release in 2022, HALLOWEEN TEAM garnered positive reviews and was covered by major outlets like GamesRadar / Newsarama, Daily Dead, and Fanbase Press. Writer/creator Danny Baram now finds himself eager and excited to work with Comicker to finally tell the rest of the story.
“There was so much story left to be told when it came to Halloween Team, and SHADOWS really escalates things to a whole other level.” says Baram. “These new chapters expand the world of Halloween Team, and you really get this big, blockbuster-movie sequel that’s bigger and more epic in every way imaginable. The art coming in from our newest team member, Buğra Batuhan Berah, is absolutely amazing – and fits the new, darker tone really well. At the same time, I’m so happy that we have Matt Shults back doing these great flashback sequences for us. He keeps upping his game, and I love having that sense of continuity with the original volume.”
Danny Baram is a writer for Film, TV, and comic books who loves big, fun, ambitious, action-packed genre stories that have relatable characters, plenty of humor, and lots of heart. Danny’s stories are filled with monsters, magic, alternate universes, and mind-bending musings about the nature of reality – but he also like to explore the challenges, awkwardness, and uncertainties of everyday life. Originally from the small town of Bloomfield, CT - Danny now resides in the Los Angeles area.
Buğra Batuhan Berah is an accomplished, highly sought-after artist from Istanbul, Turkey. His work spans projects like Post Malone’s Big Rig from Vault Comics, Starved Rock and Toxx from Blood Moon Comics, and successful Kickstarter project Lost Lake. Buğra has a polished, clean, classic style that both builds on Matt Shults’ work and brings a whole new energy to Halloween Team. Buğra contributes pencils, inks, colors, and letters here, and he also worked with Danny to design several brand-new characters for HALLOWEEN TEAM: SHADOWS.
Matt Shults is based in Austin, TX – and has extensive experience in comic art and illustration. His past comic book work includes the 5-issue series The Link. He’s also been commissioned to create original poster art for trade shows, corporate events, concerts, and more. Matt has an expressive style that is bold and unique, but also places a premium on character. Matt again did pencils, inks, and colors for his sequences in the new book.
Other top Comicker comic book and graphic novel releases include WAKING LIFE, LOST ANGELS, and LUCHA FOREVER. For the latest Comicker Press news, follow them on social media, and visit the official Comicker website at comickerpress.com.
After the setup and the adventures of the first story arc, we return to the Halloween Team—and this issue immediately lays the groundwork for what promises to be an exciting and emotionally rich new chapter.
And what an excellent setup it is. Halloween Team: Shadows #1 juggles a lot without ever feeling overcrowded. It blends well-chosen flashback moments with the introduction of new characters, while also expanding the threats that now loom over the team. The story feels like a natural continuation with fresh energy and renewed focus.
One of the significant strengths of this issue is how effectively it reunites the team and brings them back to their old haunts, both literal and emotional. The flashbacks to their school days are particularly impactful—not only do they add dimension to the characters and act as a clever narrative device to show just how far they’ve come, and how far they still have to go. These glimpses into the past don’t disrupt the flow; instead, they inform the present and create a stronger emotional connection to the stakes at hand.
Coming off the previous arc, the team is now focused on a new mission: rescuing Gwen from Hell. It’s a compelling direction, with multiple possible methods explored, each tied to past foes, familiar locations, and unresolved history. I enjoyed how the story builds on established lore rather than creating a separate conflict. Those links to earlier events make the world feel cohesive, as if every action up to this point has consequences that are finally catching up with them. The shifts in time, moving back and forth between past and present, are handled with confidence and clarity, adding layers to the narrative rather than confusion.
We also look deeper at the series’ antagonist—a powerful addition here. His powers are intriguing, his history intertwines with the team’s childhood, and his motivation is more complex than “be the villain.” Without spoiling anything, the reveal at the end provides a brilliant twist that reframes his role and creates a compelling reason for him to maintain the status quo. It’s a reveal that lands with impact and leaves you eager for the next issue.
This issue excels artistically as well. The artwork strikes a balance between the grounded “now” and the magical, supernatural elements that define the series. Colour choices, panel composition, and stylistic shifts for flashback scenes work beautifully, visually signalling transitions in time and tone without needing heavy exposition. The creative team clearly understands how to use art to enhance storytelling rather than illustrate it.
While the introduction page provides a solid jumping-on point for new readers—and you can start here—you’ll get so much more out of it if you’ve read the initial series. The emotional beats, the callbacks, and the significance of certain characters and locations all hit harder with that context. Honestly, the first series is excellent in its own right, so it’s worth reading regardless.
Halloween Team: Shadows #1 is a strong, confident, and engaging return to the world and characters we’ve come to love. It sets the stage for a new arc with heart, mystery, and momentum—and if this first issue is anything to go by, we’re in for a fantastic ride.
Get it at Comicker Press:
