Comic Info
Comic Name: Something Is Killing the Children
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Werther Dell’dera
# of Issues: 5
Release Date: 2021
Something Is Killing the Children #7
Reprints Something Is Killing the Children #6-10 (March 2020-September 2020). The monster in Archer’s Peak might be dead, but the discovery that it was a mother means more danger for the children and more work for Erica Slaughter. As the sheriff department continue to grow more suspicious and have more questions, the House of Slaughter needs the situation to get under control and that means keep Erica under their thumb. The monster’s babies have stop being fed and there are still a lot of children in Archer’s Peak to feed them.
Written by James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children—Volume 2 is a horror comic from Boom! Studios. Following Something Is Killing the Children—Volume 1, the series features art by Werther Dell’dera and collects “The House of Slaughter” storyline.
I tore through the first volume of Something Is Killing the Children, and in a rare occurrence, I ran out, got the next volume, and read that immediately as well. It is a different and interesting story with a lot of potential. I still feel there is room for improvement, but largely, I find the series fun.
My only problem with the first volume of Something Is Killing the Children was the randomness of some of the covert and “fantasy” aspects of the story. The House of Slaughter and the talking octopus provided a quirky aspect to the story, but I felt the story worked better with the straight up horror of monsters preying on kids. This volume seeks to tie in the “quirk” a bit more and wrap it into the story of the monsters…it was needed, but I still like the horror parts the best.
Something Is Killing the Children #9
The characters in the story were largely unexplored in the first volume as well. Only James and Tommy had any dimension and this volume smartly expands the cast of the series. The sheriff and his deputy get a little more play and also Tommy’s mother and friend. The mystery of the Bian survivor girl is also used to draw parallels to Erica and her past, but the series benefits from developing characters other than just Erica (who also gets more context in the volume). I still don’t know that I care too much about the House of Slaughter but that doesn’t mean that I don’t look forward to learning more about it.
Something Is Killing the Children doesn’t seem to take many prisoners and that is the best format for a horror comic to make it feel horrific. Much like The Walking Dead, it is unclear who will survive and who will become victims because it seems like there is a lot of ambiguity to who is leading the book (besides Erica). The idea that monsters can get “strong” and kill adults leaves everyone open to death…and that has the potential to raise the horror and suspense. Something Is Killing the Children—Volume 2 is followed by Something Is Killing the Children—Volume 3.
Related Links:
Something Is Killing the Children—Volume 1
