Something is Killing the Children #32: Grief and Revelation

Something is Killing the Children #32 takes a pause from violence and focuses on Erica Slaughter and the traumatic loss she has yet to fully process. The tension in this issue is dialogue driven, and for a series that is no stranger to intense and bloody moments, it is a welcome break.

Something is Killing the Children #32 takes a pause from violence and focuses on Erica Slaughter and the traumatic loss she has yet to fully process. The tension in this issue is dialogue driven, and for a series that is no stranger to intense and bloody moments, it is a welcome break.

Since Erica Slaughter’s first appearance in SIKTC #1, released in 2019, she has always followed the trope of the stoic traveling hero. Sure, there have been moments where the gravity of working for a secret organization that hunts monsters only visible to children, but up until now, she is often silent and pensive.

Written by James Tynion IV, it’s a bold move to focus purely on dialogue in a horror series, but this series has always been about incorporating familiar elements while making a world of its own. This series, and its spinoff counterpart House of Slaughter, has done a great job at developing a world and a set of characters that operate in it.

(Spoilers ahead from earlier issues.) Gary, who used to be the equivalent of an intelligence officer for the House of Slaughter, was killed by Ms. Cutter in her effort to draw out the exiled Erica. At the time, one of my criticisms of the series was that there was never a moment where Gary’s death was truly appreciated and it made for a formulaic dynamic where the hero brushes off death and keeps moving on.

Luckily, Tynion IV had something in store in issue #32 and it’s a moment that reminds readers why this series is one of the best creator owned comics on shelves. Erica’s breakdown is natural and it’s only fitting that she takes a moment to recognize her loss when Cecilia, a familiar face, comes to talk with her. It’s great storytelling and enhances Erica’s character.

The art from Werther Dell’Edera and Miquel Muerto continues to shine—especially with the flashback moments in this issue. Their combined art and colors have always been amazing and issue #32 doesn’t falter. Dell’Edera’s cover art in this issue is especially well done. It invokes 20th century American art that has rich blues and lush greens of North American landscapes.