Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1

I really like James Tynion's DC work, and thought his other stuff (like Backstagers) was pretty good. This one...this one blows all of his past work out of the water. It's a little Tim Seeley's Imaginary Fiends and Hack/Slash, a little Scott Westerfeld's Spill Zone, and a little Stephen King's IT, and yet it's still uniquely spooky. I like my horror comics to have some mystery...I don't want to waste precious panels on text explaining all the details of the monsters or monster fighters. Things are much scarier when you leave them up to your imagination, which is exactly what Tynion does with this. It's gruesome and brutal, but not gratuitously so. I immediately loved Erica Slaughter, who also embodies another of my favorite and more atypical horror comic attributes; a female protagonist who knows what's going on and doesn't run around screaming in disbelief for half the book. She gets sh*t done. The book ends at a good spot - the world is built out but not fully revealed - and I can't wait to read the next volume.

Something is killing the children...and judging by the slow pacing, contrived plot and shallow characterizations, it could be boredom. A promising idea executed very poorly by Tynion. Don’t believe the hype.

Enjoyable story line and writing style! The art is also well done! Can’t wait for part 2 to be released

I had heard some of the hype surrounded this book. I had seen the price of the issues go up. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did though. Great story so far. I'm interested to read more. It's technically a horror comic, so it won't be for everyone, but I would recommend that you at least give it a chance.

I love something is killing the children but this item is misleading. It gives the impression that it is the first print from May when in fact it is the more recent second printing from October. Buyer beware if you’re looking for the first print, this isn’t it.

Really enjoyed this! It is unique, the art is great and I had a lot of fun reading it. I enjoyed the monster reveal, and that the authors didn't make you wait until the end to finally see it. I cannot wait for volume 2!

The comic book came in clean and neatly wrapped. Thats about were the good ends with this comic book. The story is beyond bland. The art is sketchy AF... basically my personal opinion is that my money is better spent elsewhere.

Erica Slaughter is the one you want on your side. The graphic novel collects the first five books in this series. What a ride! Fantastic story and equally amazing art!

I quite literally finished this the night I got it and it is akin to stories like The Witcher and Claymore. It balances a good amount of horror, creepiness, suspense, and gore to make a compelling comic about what is a dark subject. I don't recommend this for kids, but if you want a good graphic novel for a night of skin-crawling excitement then you are in for a treat.

Spooky and in the vein of stranger things. Fun read and cool art style. Worth the price tag. Please enjoy!

I really like James Tynion's DC work, and thought his other stuff (like Backstagers) was pretty good. This one...this one blows all of his past work out of the water. It's a little Tim Seeley's Imaginary Fiends and Hack/Slash, a little Scott Westerfeld's Spill Zone, and a little Stephen King's IT, and yet it's still uniquely spooky. I like my horror comics to have some mystery...I don't want to waste precious panels on text explaining all the details of the monsters or monster fighters. Things are much scarier when you leave them up to your imagination, which is exactly what Tynion does with this. It's gruesome and brutal, but not gratuitously so. I immediately loved Erica Slaughter, who also embodies another of my favorite and more atypical horror comic attributes; a female protagonist who knows what's going on and doesn't run around screaming in disbelief for half the book. She gets sh*t done. The book ends at a good spot - the world is built out but not fully revealed - and I can't wait to read the next volume.

Something is killing the children...and judging by the slow pacing, contrived plot and shallow characterizations, it could be boredom. A promising idea executed very poorly by Tynion. Don’t believe the hype.

Enjoyable story line and writing style! The art is also well done! Can’t wait for part 2 to be released

I had heard some of the hype surrounded this book. I had seen the price of the issues go up. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did though. Great story so far. I'm interested to read more. It's technically a horror comic, so it won't be for everyone, but I would recommend that you at least give it a chance.

I love something is killing the children but this item is misleading. It gives the impression that it is the first print from May when in fact it is the more recent second printing from October. Buyer beware if you’re looking for the first print, this isn’t it.

Really enjoyed this! It is unique, the art is great and I had a lot of fun reading it. I enjoyed the monster reveal, and that the authors didn't make you wait until the end to finally see it. I cannot wait for volume 2!

The comic book came in clean and neatly wrapped. Thats about were the good ends with this comic book. The story is beyond bland. The art is sketchy AF... basically my personal opinion is that my money is better spent elsewhere.

Erica Slaughter is the one you want on your side. The graphic novel collects the first five books in this series. What a ride! Fantastic story and equally amazing art!

I quite literally finished this the night I got it and it is akin to stories like The Witcher and Claymore. It balances a good amount of horror, creepiness, suspense, and gore to make a compelling comic about what is a dark subject. I don't recommend this for kids, but if you want a good graphic novel for a night of skin-crawling excitement then you are in for a treat.

Spooky and in the vein of stranger things. Fun read and cool art style. Worth the price tag. Please enjoy!

Such a good book with a great story and really great art.

I really enjoyed it. Very organic dialogue. Very clean cut art. The story is interesting and the characters are realistic.

Liked the shipping and quality of the book, as well as the story.

Amazing story. Because of the hype around this book I wanted to keep my single issues unopened. I waited till this was released to read the story and I'm glad I finally got to. I ordered vol 2 and 3.

Good read I liked it when is volume 2 released or where can I get new issues. Hope u enjoy

Absolutely excellent book!

READ THIS COMIC!!!

This is very cool, in terms of both the art and the story, but it's one of those anti-monologuing tales. By that I mean that the heroine is grumpy, won't answer even reasonable questions from her allies, won't explain or monologue, and keeps telling people to shut up. As a consequence a lot of the early plot turns on people misinterpreting who she is and what she's up to, and thinking she's a bad guy instead of a good guy. It's sort of annoying to have the heroine creating all sorts of problems and roadblocks for herself just because she likes being abrupt, contrary, angsty, mysterious and difficult. But hey, that's really just a minor style problem. The big picture is that our Ms. Slaughter is a top drawer monster hunter and this story involves an apex predator monster. When your heroine has to stop off and buy a new chainsaw, that's a good thing. The artwork is especially accomplished because it manages to work well on both ends of the narrative field. On the one hand the setup scenes are crisp, clear, and easy to follow. Characters are readily distinguishable and normal settings look, well, normal. But once we go all monster the art is graphic, violent and big action. Getting from normal to nutz is done in a dark, creepy, moody style, so you get just the right roller-coaster feel. And even though Slaughter is wound pretty tight and less than chatty she gets off lots of good lines and is compelling whenever she's on the page. When she's in action mode the drawing becomes less realistic and more stylized, but that works well. Slaughter most definitely ends up being a heroine you can follow, and I'd vote for her to be in charge of all the weapons when the demon monsters attack. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

With a slight sci-fi and "Stranger Things" feel, "Something is Killing the children vol. 1," is the start of a classic, monster-killing horror series. This bind-up of the first five issues brings us to the small town of Archer’s Peak, where children are disappearing and no one knows why. Except for James, that is, who witnessed the death of his friends at the many hands of a monster that adults can’t seem to see. Haunted by his memories of that night, James joins forces with the mysterious new woman in town, Erica Slaughter, who seems to know more about the monsters than anyone else. The art style of this series is something I haven’t quite seen before, a little sketchy and grim, mixed with a classic-comic-book style. The way frames overflowed and covered whole, two-page spreads was an interesting tactic that took some getting used to (mostly because of my PDF version), but created another dynamic level to the story that I enjoyed, even if it didn’t seem to serve any specific purpose. Dark and ominous, but for its splashes of red, this book has no problem jumping right in and highlighting the gore, although it’s not realistic enough to stir much of a scare in anyone who isn’t diving into horror for the first time. Erica Slaughter is an interesting character, who ends up being at the complete center and driving force of the story. Alone, she supplies not only the majority of the plot but almost all of the tension and suspense. In fact, the mystery of who she is, where she came from, and why she has devoted her life to chasing monsters is honestly the only thing that kept me reading. Oh, and the stuffed animal octopus, which was actually the most interesting part of it all, even if we only brush the surface of what the heck its deal is. The other characters are either underdeveloped, serve only a particular and stereotypical horror-trope role, or both. The pacing in comparison to almost any other work in this genre is also very slow. Part of this is because we know too much at the start of the story, when the monster is almost immediately revealed. The rest is because of its predictability and the limited tension that rides mostly on readers waiting for a fight scene. Although the art style is well-suited for horror, and has a certain dark charm, the scenes don’t depict action particularly well, and end up feeling somewhat stagnant, especially for a series that relies on the bad-assery and cool factor of a monster-slayer beating up creatures. If the five issues hadn’t been all together, I can’t say I would’ve continued after no. 1. A story like this needs more of a hook to get readers to keep buying issues…and Something just didn’t have it. Still, I believe 100% that this series would get better in following volumes based on how this one ends. But, after being given so little in this beginning installment and feeling very much unafraid, I can’t say that I would take the time to keep reading. With a nice art style but forgettable, and lacking in action, I rated "Something is Killing the Children vol. 1," 2.5 out of 5 stars. However, fans of the "Sabrina" comics may like this. Thank you to Netgalley and Boom!Studios for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

While this series will most likely have cult type following, it wasn’t for me. That’s in no way to say it is not a good book. It is very well done and the illustrations are pretty amazing. For this reader I am too distracted with the abundance of bad language. While I like horror, the illustrations were too gooey for me. Here’s what’s going on in Archer’s Peak... The children of Archer’s Peak are going missing, and the whole situation seems hopeless. Most children never return, but the ones that do have terrible stories—impossible stories of terrifying creatures that live in the shadows. Their only hope of finding and eliminating the threat is the arrival of a mysterious stranger, one who believes the children and claims to see what they can see. Their saviour comes with the name of Erica Slaughter. She slays monsters. That is all she does, and she bears the cost because it MUST be done.

Many thanks to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for a review copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. I read the first few pages of this before deciding whether I was interested, and phew, okay, this premise got me right away. It’s so freaking creepy right from the start, and it definitely lives up to its horror tag. Something’s Killing the Children, Vol. 1, will leave you wanting more, guaranteed. It blends horror and the supernatural for some spine-chilling moments, but also some dark comedy for a bit of levity. The thing with graphic novels is they always stop when things start getting good, darn it! I will say, this arc was satisfying. It left things with a promise of more, but also having sufficiently wrapped up this introduction. The ending gave me a “greater things to come” sort of vibe, and I just cannot freaking wait to revisit this world. My Thoughts: - This was so much gorier than I thought it’d be, but the premise was so interesting that I didn’t even care. Normally, I can get squicked out pretty easily by gore, but this was what I’ll call “fuzzy gore.” Yes, you get the horror-inducing sense of people getting torn apart, but it’s not particularly detailed. The image appears a little “fuzzy,” so it’s almost gore lite. I mostly thought this approach was great, and it made it easier for me to stomach. The one part I felt suffered a bit from this was the monster. I love the art style here, but the monster? Eh. I mean, I suppose it’s supposed to be scary, given what you see it doing to people. But when it’s actually shown, it doesn’t exactly creep me out. I’m sure this says more about me than the book, but it is what it is. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - While I confess that I may not know much about Erica Slaughter, but I’m already totally in love with her. Erica’s name obviously fits her. She’s a bundle of mysteries and contradictions, on top of being a total boss, so … you know, she’s kind of got a lot going for her right now. There’s very little I actually get to know about her personally, but she’s in the monster hunting business, and that’s enough for me. I’m easy, what can I say? I was already interested in the story by the time she showed up, but she sealed the deal. I couldn’t get enough of her, and I can’t wait to learn more about the people she works for/with and more about her story. - The atmosphere of this book really hearkened back to the old-school, small-town horrors. I’m not sure what it is about small towns that make them perfect for horror settings. No, scratch that, I totally do. Because small towns are safe. Everyone knows each other. Everyone looks out for each other. Right? RIGHT?! All that murder and crime and stuff happens in the big cities. Having grown up in a small town, I found the setting both charming and alarming, which was a perfect blend. Add to that the natural suspicion that small-town folks feel when a stranger comes to town, and it really lends itself to a tense situation.

Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1 collects issues one to five of the new comic by James Tynion IV, with artist Wherther Dell’Edera, coloriste Miquel Muerto, and letterers Andwold Design. Published by Boom! Studios (2020) The title is not misleading at all as, as early as the first issue, several children are indeed getting killed by something. It’s a welcome change from, for example, the book John Dies at the End by David Wong, in which John died in the middle of the book (then got better) Those knowing award-winning writer James Tynion IV also know he’s good at horror. This showed as early as his works on the Eight Seal, Memetic/Cogneric/Eugenic, The Woods, or Justice League Dark. On a dare, a group of Archer’s Peak teenagers decide to explore a ravine in which something might, or might not been hidden. Only one of them comes back, deeply traumatized, with a story baffling the local cops. Then, enters a hard edged blonde girl, « Erica Slaughter », probably related to the Winchester brothers. At least, she has a similar support system, in the form of a weird secret (or not ?) society . And, she doesn’t seem too keen on monsters killing children. Unfortunately, her attitude and communication skills rivaling those of Jack Reacher lead her to antagonize people who aren’t bad, per se, but can’t help seeing her as the enemy. A fantastic and coherent atmosphere is set up by the collaborating creatives from the very first issue. In spite of all the action, time is spent developing the town and its inhabitants, and establishing well defined characters of importance, such as the original survivor, Daniel, the Sherif, and the brother of one of the victims. The art is a perfect fit to the story. The use of ever changing color palettes is notable, going from dark to bright and the other way around, playing with our nerves and sense of dread in the process. It’s an horror story that doesn’t pull any punches. But, no cheap scares are used in the process. That’s not in the habit of James Tynion IV, and he wasn’t going to start now (fortunately) This first volume provides us with a complete story, but open many doors for more. We don’t know the motivation of the monster, nor the reason for one of his main abilities. The nature, members, origin and resources of the cabal supporting Erica in her mission also remains totally mysterious, for now anyway. And, finally, Erica herself remains a puzzle. I can’t wait to read further issues of this title. If you like your horror with substance, this is a book for you. If you don’t, well, try it anyway (after all, I also enjoy the mindless but hilarious Hack/Slash) The back pages offers clean covers, variants included, and a preview of The Woods, Yearbook editions. Thanks to Boom! Studios, and Netgalley for the ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.

Well this was a bloodbath – in a small town, suddenly there are cases of children disappearing, and most recently, a group of kids doing some dares on a sleepover all got killed, save for one – James. James is looked at with suspicion by his peers as well as the adults – more so because he isn’t ready to share the gruesome and unbelievable details of the monster that attacked them that night. Going off a rabid bear angle, the authorities are making no headway in the case either – until Erica Slaughter arrives in town. A mysterious and aloof character, Erica approaches James for details, and reluctantly allows him to tag along. But the monster is much more than Erica had been led to believe, and things are getting dicey with an older brother of one of the missing children suspecting her, along with the sheriff’s office. The coloring scheme of this graphic novel is marvelous – for even a grim setting as this one, the typical Boom studios’ vibrant palette is retained in touches of bright shades against slightly muted colors, like the brilliant green of Erica’s huge eyes, or the nearly fluorescent streaks of blood. The artwork and storyboard bring forward the story in a compelling way, though the many 2-page spreads made things a bit difficult in a digital medium. There is a lot of background information about Erica that is only hinted at, like the symbol that keeps appearing, or the reach of her acquaintance who smooths things over officially. I would love to know more about this enigmatic character, as well as Erica’s backstory, but sadly that will have to wait until future volumes, I guess.

I was not a Comics reader growing up. My love of superheroes came from Superfriends and Spider-man and His Amazing Friends. It wasn’t until I got to college that I was handed Watchmen and Batman Year One and the Dark Knight Returns. So I learned from the beginning of my comics reading some of the wonderful things the medium could do, even though I don’t hav an instinctual sense of of how to read a page developed from childhood. Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m supposed to go right or go down a page. I am not a very visual person - I will often go through a comic focusing solely on the speech bubbles and almost ignoring the art, which means that I can miss things and have to go back. I usually notice the art if it is bad, or confusing, or hilarious, but that’s about it. I first remember encountering James Tynion IV in the backup stories he did in Batman in the new 52 era. I enjoyed what he did, and then I got the joy of listening to him on panels at New York Comic Con and on a Flame Con soda special episode of Jay and Miles Xplain the X-men. I quickly realized that this was a writer I wanted to seek out and read more of. I really enjoyed his time on Detective Comics - I loved that he used the opportunity to turn it into a real team book for members of the Bat family that don't always get the spotlight, especially Spoiler, who is a personal favorite of mine. His character development of Clayface was also excellent. Thanks to my local library system, I dived into his creator owned work. I adore Backstagers - it has the right amount of whimsy in its depiction of horror, and the characters are so lovingly crafted that they almost step off the page. I enjoyed his The Woods far more than I would’ve imagined - I am not usually a horror comic type of person, but the interpersonal drama kept me coming back even when the monstrous situations terrified me. Something is Killing the Children has that same feel as The Woods. The simple plot summary I could give does it a disservice. “Children are going missing and turning up dead, and mysterious girl shows up in town to fight the monster” sounds like it could be cookie cutter or paint by numbers, but it feels like so much more than that.In a few strokes, Tynion creates characters who feel alive and real and plunks them down in a horrible situation. The story feels to me in the same family as a merging of some of the best elements of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Stranger Things - not to say that it feels derivative, but just that my personal frame of reference for comparison is probably rather limited. The monster is appropriately terrifying and the overarching mysteries are set up well. It reminds me a lot also of Clean Room by Gail Simone, another comic I had to read with the lights on. I know from reading all of the Woods that Tynion knows how to plan for the long game. This volume contains issues 1-5, which is enough to set up a much larger world than the small town with missing kids that it starts out as. I look forward to learning more of the creepy telepathic stuffed animal monster hunting organization. Can’t wait for volume 2! Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Monsters only children can see are killing, kidnapping, hoarding, and eating children in a small American town where, according to the local sheriff, “these things just don’t happen”. But they are happening, and the locals are powerless to stop it. Until a mysterious, blonde woman with a backpack and a flip phone arrives to provide relief and starts kicking monster ass. Tynion writes wonderful characters. They’re varied, believable, likable, and sympathetic. The story is original, the plot is perfectly paced, and the artwork is suitably macabre and dark. This volume collects issues 1 through 5 of the comic book series, is a quick read, and left me wishing volume 2 were already available. I really enjoyed _Something is Killing the Children_, but fair warning: this book is not for kids, and that’s a fact. Apart from the gallons of blood spilled and children being gorily dismembered, there’s a great deal of profanity on almost every page.

I read this as individual issues as it was being published on a monthly basis. Erica Slaughter is sent to the town of Archer's Peak, by the organization she works for. Her job is to track down and kill the monsters that have been stealing the children. Erica doesn't like her job, and the sacrifices she has had to make, but she knows that if the children have any chance, then it's up to her. In these early collected issues, we learn a bit about Erica, her background and a little about the organization for which she works. We also meet some citizens of Archer's Peak, both adults and children. Erica also discovers that it's not only the creatures hiding in the shadows that she has to fear, as her intentions are not welcomed by everyone in the town. Tynion is one of the better current comics writers, working for the major publishers on their most famous characters, but also doing some great work on his own titles.

Children are disappearing in Archer’s Peak. Actually, you know when that when they disappear and don’t come back, they are dead. The police don’t know what is killing them. When one child survives and tells the police that he saw a monster kill his friends, they don’t believe him. Children. Are still bing killed. Will the police be able to find the “monster” who is killing? A stranger comes to Archer’s Peak who can see the monsters that the children can. She has come to slay the monster. The story builds slowly with an intensity that is seen by the artwork done. At the end of volume one, I wanted volume two. The story reminded me of how differently children and adults “see.” As an adult it can b much too easy to not notice what is. Really happening. One can feel the fear and sadness of loss. It is a horror novel. Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

'Something is Killing the Children, Volume One' by James Tynion IV with art by Werther Dell'Edera is a graphic novel about a boy, a monster and a monster hunter. Archer's Peak was a quiet town. Then the kids started disappearing. One horrific night, James is out with his friends, and he becomes the only survivor. Enter Erica Slaughter, the mysterious stranger. She recruits James for answers and tells him she is in town to kill the thing that is killing the children. I really liked this story. James is so hangdog, and Erica definitely has some mystery to her character. I felt like the art took some getting used to. By the end, I liked the art style. I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Boom! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Something is Killing the Children Vol 1 is an excellent start to a new horror comic series. One dark night, four boys are playing truth or dare. James tells a story about a monster in a ravine. The other boys don’t believe him and go to the ravine to prove he’s a liar. Only James comes home alive that night. And those three boys are only the beginning. Six more kids are soon found maimed and dead in the woods around town. More children are missing every day. James now admits that he made the monster up but did he unconsciously awaken something evil? The atmosphere of dread is pitch-perfect for this modern horror tale. Erica, the monster hunter, is the heroine we simultaneously need and want to be. Something is Killing the Children Vol 1 is great and highly recommended for horror or mystery fans. 5 stars! Thanks to BOOM! Studios and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I've been curious about this comic ever since I saw the cover. The cover is pretty accurate in terms of the comic's vibe and plot. Something IS killing the children, and it's dark and gruesome. A mysterious stranger comes to town, but is she capable of stopping the carnage? I really liked this. The setting and mood are strong, and I like the lead characters. It's a good read for the scary season, but not for the faint of heart -- kids are literally ripped apart, so if you don't want to see that, give this book a pass. If you can handle gore, then I'd definitely recommend this. It's mysterious and horrifying, but with a tinge of hope that the horror can be stopped.

The story itself is just what it sounds like. Something is killing the children. And there is one woman who was hired to destroy this creature. It was a rather straightforward narrative, as far as horror stories go, but it put forth a lot of questions that were not addressed in this first volume. After a point, I ended up skimming through the rest of the story, because this one did not hold my interest as much as I would have liked it to. I would like to read the other volumes to see if any of my questions are answered though. *Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a review!*

This was a great reading experience! The plot was creepy and kept me reading, with even a pinch of humorous and almost!? cute moments thrown in. The illustrations were awesome, with enough detail to get a a good idea of nature of the creatures, but no full-blown portraits to reveal everything at once. There were also a lot of hints towards a complex background story waiting to be explored in further volumes, which makes this first installment a successfully mouth-watering introduction - I'm ready and waiting for more!

Something is Killing the Children, Volume one is absolutely insane! I loved everything about this graphic novel. The plot was so interesting and fast paced. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen next. The novel is jammed packed with action and sets up so nicely for the next volume in the series. Erica Slaughter is such a badass character and I cant wait to find out more of her back story and whats killing the children in this town. The graphics in this novel are STUNNING and leaned to the story so well. I can't wait for Volume two to come out. *Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an eARC of this comics through Netgalley for an honest review. Dark, disturbing, and all-consuming, This is a level of horror in comics that I've rarely encountered, and it is incredible. The story deals with the age-old subject of children and their monsters, only realized in the most horrific and shocking manner. The writing is immersive and coherent; it's has a lot of warmth to it - a funny thing to say about a comic with dead children, I know - but James Tynion IV's writing makes you care. And the art of Werther Dell'Edera and Miquel Muerto is sublime. It delivers each scene with the maximum depth and emotion is requires.

Something Is Killing the Children is tense, bloody, and exhilarating. It is a classic monster story, with a great hero reminiscent of Ash and Ripley, and a strong supporting cast. The art style conveys a sense of urgency and melancholy, and the character designs (particularly our mentioned hero, Erica Slaughter), are great. I can't wait to read vol. 2.