Something is Killing the Children #1
Seth A. Romo
Recap
When the children of Archer's Peak begin to go missing, everything 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.
Her name is Erica Slaughter. She kills monsters. That is all she does, and she bears the cost because it MUST be done.
Review
Something is Killing the Children #1: Pen & Ink is a black and white “process” version of the first issue released back in 2019. Devoid of color, this unique visual experience is filled with commentary that is great for longtime fans and news ones interested in this acclaimed series.
The original issue was released years back and since then Something is Killing the Children (SIKTC) has a spin-off titled House of Slaughter, a Netflix deal for the show, and created the iconic character, Erica Slaughter.
For those unfamiliar with this title, SIKTC is a horror comic series from BOOM! Studios that follows Erica Slaughter–a monster hunter who dons a black teeth covered bandana.
Written by James Tynion IV with art by Werther Dell’Edera, the world of SIKTC is full of monsters visible only to children and members of a secret organization known as the Order of St. George. This group has distinct “houses” under its leadership and based out of Chicago is the House of Slaughter.
Issue #1 establishes the world that gets fleshed out of subsequent issues and spin-offs and introduces characters to the world after a young boy named James witnesses his friends being brutally attacked one night. With the cops unaware of what happened, there is speculation on why James is the sole survivor. Alone and tormented, James meets Erica, and this kicks off the Archer’s Peak story arc.
In a way, this re-release can arguably be for fans of the series as the biggest highlight is the focus on Dell’Edera’s linework and inks and his commentary on the creation of Erica’s look and the world being built. However, it’s not often comics give readers a new way to appreciate the art and reading this issue again in black and white gave a new experience to the horror title.
The original issue had colors by Miquel Muerto that was rich in their style and elevated the art so reading this issue with those colors felt like watching a movie where the director designed a grayscale version to emphasize the textures and roughness of the story.
As a fan of this series the commentary was a nice touch and there’s a brief introduction from Tynion IV that discusses how far the series has come and reading issue #1 again was a great reminder why this series is so great.
Final Thoughts
With issue #31 set for a 2023 summer release, anyone interested in this series should keep an eye out for this issue at their LCS or check it out digitally. It’s a great visual experience for new and seasoned fans.
Something is Killing the Children #1 – Pen & Ink: A Visual Experience for Fans
- Writing - 9.5/109.5/10
- Storyline - 9.5/109.5/10
- Art - 9.5/109.5/10
- Color - 9.5/109.5/10
- Cover Art - 9.5/109.5/10