Something Is Killing The Children is about more than something that is

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Is "kids being terrorized to death" a new genre?

What is it about children and the horror genre? Is it a simple love of seeing kids being terrorized to death or is there something more about this very popular trend of the genre?

Well, kids are representation of two things: nostalgia for sure, as the single thing we can all have in common. The shared memory of being one, accompanied by all the fears and doubts that come with being young. And the main one, potential, the feeling of having your whole life ahead of you, whatever you will become still waiting to be revealed. And folks, there's nothing scarier than potential being violently crushed.

And crushed it is in Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV with Werther Dell'Edera and Miquel Muerto. What Brubaker is for crime noir comics, Tynion is for horror comics. And this is the title that made him a mega-star (in the sale charts) dominating the sales charts with everything his name is attached to.

What is Something Is Killing The Children even about?

We kick off in Archer’s Peak, a quiet little town with only one problem (I would say so): children keep disappearing. Some turn up dead, others never turn up at all. The adults do what they always do: hold vigils, form search parties, whisper about tragic accidents and cruel coincidences. Except the truth is something they cannot see: Monsters.

That's how we meet our protagonist, Erica Slaughter. A member of the mysterious Order of St. George, Erica is a monster hunter with the solution: fighting back. With violence. Lots and lots of gory violence. As Erica cuts her way through the nightmare, she’s forced to work with James, a local boy who barely survived an encounter with the creatures, and Tommy, brother of one of those missing girls. But the deeper she digs, the more Archer’s Peak pushes back. Not just the monsters, but the people. Fear makes them dangerous and Erica’s presence is making everything worse.

Here's a few selling points of why this might be the best indie book out there right now

The Themes: It's a mistake to write this off just as a simple horror story with usual thematics and metaphors about fear and their manifestations of it, because Tynion is going for something different. He's interested not only in the effects of the huntees but mostly on the nature of the Hunters - that being the institutions that keep the monster's aways but by doing so, keeps people from actually seeing the real world around them.

Sure, seeing monsters is not a good thing but how can we be in control of our own lives if we do not have the full realization of what is out there. Adult's can't see the true monsters. Children can. Why is that? What meaning does it have and what interest does it serve? Seeing is a curse, a curse with blessings and awful soul-killing responsibilities. Not seeing can be an even worse punishment. What is left for this town except grief? As the world expands, the real villains will reveal themselves in a beautifully tragic portrait of a world that escapes fantasy and scarcely starts to resemble our own.

The Characters

Erica, like many lead characters in monster-killing comics are, comes across as a lone-wolf badass at first glance. But what truly makes her compelling is her refusal to ignore the pain around her.

I feel like the commentary around her leans toward the "you think you know what kind of character she is, but you don’t" side. It would be easy to write her as the type of heroine we are used too, well, because it works. But as with a lot of things in this book, Tynion escapes the convention, in a very subtle and sincere way, that still makes you feel like you're reading a genre comic without alienating you.

Characters are not on a journey to become these badass monster killing machines. What they go through is horrible, there is trauma involved, they need to process it. And even when they eventually follow the path of becoming monster-killing machines (whoever their monsters may be) there’s always a price to pay (or a teddy bear to carry). This is especially well-executed with the supporting cast, particularly in the way James and Tommy’s arcs unfold.

The World-Building

This is a lesson in expansion. Slowly and carefully the world unveils towards way beyond the borders of this city. And what a scary slow burn it is to realize the horror here is more ordinary than it looked. It reminds a bit of the leap from the first John Wick to the following sequels - where a revenge movie flips to secret societies of assassins who rule the world. In this case, it is this small town horror tale that suddenly flips to houses of hunters with different branches, creepy leaders and a long spanning history. It has all the wonderful cliches of the hidden society, deep-lore thing only comics can do, but exploring different themes and mostly, different perspectives.

If you care about LGBTQ+ representation like I do, this is a must. Characters are given space to be and feel, full of wonderful moments that make their sexuality a vital part of how they experience their story, without being their full story.

Which brings me to..

House of Slaughter

A wonderful spinoff who dives deep into Erica's family, with each 5-6 issue arc being focused on one character or one branch. The first one is an unapologetic romance about two guys dealing with duties and the search for understanding through love and how both of these can sometimes violently crash with each other.

The second arc is a trippy meta-commentary on how stories of fear, or in this universe, fears that become stories, are recorded and how these monsters are created, in a horrifying game of chicken or the egg. It expands the world, sure, but with a clear mission: to put storytelling first.

And now you're wondering: what's the fastest way to get my hands on Something Is Killing The Children?

If I sold you on giving this a try, maybe you will have a completely different experience or maybe we will have similar perspectives, but this is how you can read it. You can collect the individual Trade Paperbacks:

Or you can get the hardcovers deluxe editions (Volume one contains the Archer's Peak saga, the one I focused on in this article, and Volume 2 collects the following arc):

You can also get the Deluxe Editions with slipcase:

And there is an upcoming Omnibus Vol.1 that adds 5-issues of backstory on Erica!

For the spinoffs, get The House Slaughter Trade Paperbacks:

Tynion continues to work hard on expanding the franchise (like the Book of Cutter, Book of Butcher one-shots) and it's very rewarding to get on this train. Of course the series is still going, so once you catched up you might want to jump onto the monthly series.

Oh, and we also have envy-inducing MERCH (cash the check Tynion!) in form of shirts and Erica's bandana.

Let's remove the blinds and finally see (keep the mask tho, that's important)!

PS: This also has lots of blood and violence and cool-ass sh&e% monster killing. Maybe I should have just written that from the start right?

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Written by Matheus

Hey, I’m Matheus.

I’m a writer and filmmaker from Brazil! If I’m not reading comics you can probably find me trying to see everything that comes out in my local cinema, giving a lecture (again) on Kamala Khan to my boyfriend or, most likely, researching reading orders for characters that I want to read next (I’ll get to you someday Doctor Fate!! I promise, my king).

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