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Something is Killing the Children #5
Hay algo matando niños, vol. 5
Un año después de los acontecimientos en Archer's Peak, Erica Slaughter reaparece en Nuevo México para encargarse del caso de una niña que ha visto un nuevo tipo de monstruo, uno con implicaciones aterradoras. Pero la Orden de San Jorge no perdona, ni olvida, y que Erica rompiera sus lazos con la Casa Slaughter está a punto de tener consecuencias mortales.
Erica Slaughter regresa en el siguiente volumen del grandioso éxito del autor James Tynion IV (The Nice House on the Lake, Wynd), ganador del Premio Eisner; el dibujante Werther Dell'Edera (Razorblades), galardonado en Lucca; y el colorista Miquel Muerto (House of Slaughter). Recopila Something is Killing the Children núms. 21 a 25.
Erica Slaughter regresa en el siguiente volumen del grandioso éxito del autor James Tynion IV (The Nice House on the Lake, Wynd), ganador del Premio Eisner; el dibujante Werther Dell'Edera (Razorblades), galardonado en Lucca; y el colorista Miquel Muerto (House of Slaughter). Recopila Something is Killing the Children núms. 21 a 25.
152 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2022
113 people are currently reading
1778 people want to read
About the author
James Tynion IV
1,681 books1,933 followersPrior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 475 reviews
August 31, 2025
(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Low-key, sparse action (addition by subtraction), new villain's great, adds flair and weight, the tension's in reactions.
Notes: Low-key, sparse action (addition by subtraction), new villain's great, adds flair and weight, the tension's in reactions.
November 2, 2022
A NEW something is out there killing the children.
And it missed one!
But seriously.
The one you forgot to eat is a really fucking obnoxious child. Go ahead and kill it, sir.
Erica Slaughter is in a new town, with a new monster, a new set of characters, and her old plushy demon-stuffed octopus. The same sort of things are happening that happened last time. Children and families are dying gruesome deaths, no adults can see the monsters, law enforcement has zero clues, and things look bleak.
Except this time Erica is on the run from the Order of St. George and operating without their funding, and the child she is trying to save is nothing like the little boy last time around that you prayed would make it. Oh no, you actively want the monster to polish this one off.
Or at least, I did.
Maybe I'm just a heartless bitch and other readers felt sorry for her. She did have a bit of trauma there finding her family had been thoroughly ripped apart and eaten by a monster that had an eyeball in its stomach and a mouth for an armpit.
And yet...it somehow didn't seem as though that was her tipping point. It seemed as though she was quite a bit of an asshole beforehand and this just made it worse.
I guess my point is that I hate being around obnoxious kids, so having to spend so much of the book around this one pushed my enjoyment level down quite a bit.
The human villain in this is sufficiently villain-y to make you loathe her. Almost too much, but maybe not quite a caricature? Not sure yet. I'll give her some time to grow on me.
Anyway.
Not my favorite volume. But since I've enjoyed this title so much and this is the start of a new arc, I'll definitely give Tynion the benefit of the doubt on everything for now.
And it missed one!
But seriously.
The one you forgot to eat is a really fucking obnoxious child. Go ahead and kill it, sir.
Erica Slaughter is in a new town, with a new monster, a new set of characters, and her old plushy demon-stuffed octopus. The same sort of things are happening that happened last time. Children and families are dying gruesome deaths, no adults can see the monsters, law enforcement has zero clues, and things look bleak.
Except this time Erica is on the run from the Order of St. George and operating without their funding, and the child she is trying to save is nothing like the little boy last time around that you prayed would make it. Oh no, you actively want the monster to polish this one off.
Or at least, I did.
Maybe I'm just a heartless bitch and other readers felt sorry for her. She did have a bit of trauma there finding her family had been thoroughly ripped apart and eaten by a monster that had an eyeball in its stomach and a mouth for an armpit.
And yet...it somehow didn't seem as though that was her tipping point. It seemed as though she was quite a bit of an asshole beforehand and this just made it worse.
I guess my point is that I hate being around obnoxious kids, so having to spend so much of the book around this one pushed my enjoyment level down quite a bit.
The human villain in this is sufficiently villain-y to make you loathe her. Almost too much, but maybe not quite a caricature? Not sure yet. I'll give her some time to grow on me.
Anyway.
Not my favorite volume. But since I've enjoyed this title so much and this is the start of a new arc, I'll definitely give Tynion the benefit of the doubt on everything for now.
November 11, 2022
This is a collection of a new arc in this series. I guess you could use this as a starting point but you would be doing yourself a disservice as the first arc was amazing. In this one, we visit a new town with a new monster but the same old Erica tracking down the monster.
I have been vocal saying how fantastic this series is and I was excited to start a new arc in this series. While this didn't wow me like the beginning of the first arc I still really enjoyed the first collection. Once again Erica is battling a demon. The problem is that she has no backing this time and that plot could lead to some interesting things. With a new arc we also have to have new characters. The victim in this new arc is a brat and following her is a little bit of a chore. We bring along a character from the spinoff comic and I loved this. We also are introduced to a new character who is our antagonist. I liked her introduction and she was a highlight to the first collection. Once again the art is perfect. It is muted and it just adds to the overall atmosphere. I especially loved the dialogue in this collection. So realistic.
This is easily one of my favorite series. It hasn't missed for me yet. And this writing team sure knows how to write a concluding issue. I remember the concluding issue of the first collection blew me away. This one did the same. These writers excel at the concept of a cliffhanger. They succeeded once again and I want the next collection now.
I have been vocal saying how fantastic this series is and I was excited to start a new arc in this series. While this didn't wow me like the beginning of the first arc I still really enjoyed the first collection. Once again Erica is battling a demon. The problem is that she has no backing this time and that plot could lead to some interesting things. With a new arc we also have to have new characters. The victim in this new arc is a brat and following her is a little bit of a chore. We bring along a character from the spinoff comic and I loved this. We also are introduced to a new character who is our antagonist. I liked her introduction and she was a highlight to the first collection. Once again the art is perfect. It is muted and it just adds to the overall atmosphere. I especially loved the dialogue in this collection. So realistic.
This is easily one of my favorite series. It hasn't missed for me yet. And this writing team sure knows how to write a concluding issue. I remember the concluding issue of the first collection blew me away. This one did the same. These writers excel at the concept of a cliffhanger. They succeeded once again and I want the next collection now.
October 24, 2022
Oh, these wacky children; they really just can't stop dying. Goofballs.
April 15, 2024
Quinta entrega de este exitoso cómic.
No era yo muy de leer cómics hasta que conocí tanto esta serie como al mangaka Junji Ito. Rendida a sus pies estoy 🖤
Hemos llegado a un punto en el que veremos a una Erica cada vez más fuerte, sola y decidida a hacer frente a todo tipo de terrores, no solo a un nuevo tipo de criatura, que inevitablemente me ha recordado a parte del imaginario de una serie de la que somos muy fans en casa; Stranger Things, sino a monstruos humanos que probablemente sean mucho peores y los cuales tendrán muchísimo que contarnos en futuros volúmenes.
Tenemos también una nueva localización; concretamente Tribulation en Nuevo México. Con un nuevo monstruo que acecha en las termas... 😱
Se intuye que aún quedan muchas cosas por pasar.
Recientemente han publicado un sexto volumen con el que me voy a poner de inmediato, pero preveo y espero que nos deparen aún muchas más sorpresas en una serie que va a dar mucho juego. No me cabe ninguna duda.
🔝👌🏻Nuevos monstruos, mucho más peligrosos y terroríficos.
Más misterios y subtramas interesantes. Más muertes y nuevos personajes.
Y sangre, mucha sangre,
🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 en una colección que siento que no baja el nivel, sino todo lo contrario.
Muy fan de Erica Slaughter y todo el mundo que la rodea.
Si son de leer este tipo de historias no deberían perdérselos. Ya hay seis publicados por ahora, así que no sé qué va a ser de mi vida en cuanto acabe el último 😭
Nos leemos en el siguiente 📖🤓
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?i... 🖤📖
No era yo muy de leer cómics hasta que conocí tanto esta serie como al mangaka Junji Ito. Rendida a sus pies estoy 🖤
Hemos llegado a un punto en el que veremos a una Erica cada vez más fuerte, sola y decidida a hacer frente a todo tipo de terrores, no solo a un nuevo tipo de criatura, que inevitablemente me ha recordado a parte del imaginario de una serie de la que somos muy fans en casa; Stranger Things, sino a monstruos humanos que probablemente sean mucho peores y los cuales tendrán muchísimo que contarnos en futuros volúmenes.
Tenemos también una nueva localización; concretamente Tribulation en Nuevo México. Con un nuevo monstruo que acecha en las termas... 😱
Se intuye que aún quedan muchas cosas por pasar.
Recientemente han publicado un sexto volumen con el que me voy a poner de inmediato, pero preveo y espero que nos deparen aún muchas más sorpresas en una serie que va a dar mucho juego. No me cabe ninguna duda.
🔝👌🏻Nuevos monstruos, mucho más peligrosos y terroríficos.
Más misterios y subtramas interesantes. Más muertes y nuevos personajes.
Y sangre, mucha sangre,
🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 en una colección que siento que no baja el nivel, sino todo lo contrario.
Muy fan de Erica Slaughter y todo el mundo que la rodea.
Si son de leer este tipo de historias no deberían perdérselos. Ya hay seis publicados por ahora, así que no sé qué va a ser de mi vida en cuanto acabe el último 😭
Nos leemos en el siguiente 📖🤓
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?i... 🖤📖
October 28, 2023
Well damn that was heartbreaking. Introduction to a new story arc where Erica is back to helping a kid in a new town. However, Erica has disassociated herself from the House of Slaughter and is now trying to do things on her own. Unfortunately, this present issues as it takes away a whole host of resources she’s used to having. Readers also meet a new villain that is determined to kill Erica and anyone that’s helping her. That ending was quite sad. I definitely recommend reading House of Slaughter Vol. 1 before this volume for better context.
August 16, 2022
Too slow. The first two issues are basically an introduction, most of it reading like previous arcs.
The whole arc reads too much like previous arcs.
Cutter is written like a cliché psychopath, which I don't like.
Bonus: a mild bit of animal cruelty.
But the pictures are quite lovely, still.
2.5 stars
The whole arc reads too much like previous arcs.
Cutter is written like a cliché psychopath, which I don't like.
Bonus: a mild bit of animal cruelty.
But the pictures are quite lovely, still.
2.5 stars
February 19, 2024
6.8/10
New place, same old story. Monsters kill, people grief.
Erica arrives in a town where she meets a girl who's family have been killed by a monster. She knows what she has to do, and that it is going to be difficult. She has done that many times.
As always people have hard time trusting her at first. The monster it's even harder to kill and the Order of St. George are not here anymore. Well they are... but not to help.
Good but very similar to the first volume. Seems like a start to something bigger.
New place, same old story. Monsters kill, people grief.
Erica arrives in a town where she meets a girl who's family have been killed by a monster. She knows what she has to do, and that it is going to be difficult. She has done that many times.
As always people have hard time trusting her at first. The monster it's even harder to kill and the Order of St. George are not here anymore. Well they are... but not to help.
Good but very similar to the first volume. Seems like a start to something bigger.
May 2, 2025
2025 Review: Back for a re-read of Something is Killing the Children Vol. 5, and the impact is still powerful. Gabi's arc is a real emotional rollercoaster. You want to shake her for some of her choices, but the raw grief of a teenager who's lost everything is so palpable, you can't help but empathize. Erica's isolated position ratchets up the tension, and the stakes feel incredibly high. This volume plunges you straight into a desperate situation, and the path forward is unclear. Just as excellent as I remembered from my 2022 review.
2022 Review: Another great volume. The series that keeps on giving.
This time we have a new family involved in a murdering by a new creature. It's up to Erica now to find this monster and kill it before they keep killing children and their families. But we have a new kid who hates everyone and everything after what happened to her family. A little shit you might say but I personally love having a character going against the grain and not listening to people because she's still trying to process what even happened to her family. You also have a hunter come into the picture sent by the very people Erica used to work for trying to hunt Erica down.
It's a crazy, fast paced, and fucked up volume with plenty of good moments, brooding, and dealing with emotional damage. After getting the past of Erica in volume four you can really see how much she cares. I'm excited to see what happens next.
2022 Review: Another great volume. The series that keeps on giving.
This time we have a new family involved in a murdering by a new creature. It's up to Erica now to find this monster and kill it before they keep killing children and their families. But we have a new kid who hates everyone and everything after what happened to her family. A little shit you might say but I personally love having a character going against the grain and not listening to people because she's still trying to process what even happened to her family. You also have a hunter come into the picture sent by the very people Erica used to work for trying to hunt Erica down.
It's a crazy, fast paced, and fucked up volume with plenty of good moments, brooding, and dealing with emotional damage. After getting the past of Erica in volume four you can really see how much she cares. I'm excited to see what happens next.
October 29, 2022
A solid start to a new story arc in New Mexico as we are given a ferocious new beastie and scary weird new villain. This series continues to deal harshly with its supporting cast.
Once again, reading as a panel-by-panel ebook makes the experience better since it gets around those sporadic and annoying double page spreads that occasionally cause reading order confusion.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.
Once again, reading as a panel-by-panel ebook makes the experience better since it gets around those sporadic and annoying double page spreads that occasionally cause reading order confusion.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.
December 12, 2023
The monster design in this one was super freaky. Hello, nightmares.
December 7, 2022
With Erica Slaughter now a lone wolf in her quest to save children from monsters, this new story arc introduces a new terrifying threat with only one person giving her the help she needs to get things done. Except, this time, another terrifying threat, a hunter rather than a monster, or maybe just both, is after her. Another brilliant installment that ends on a thrilling cliffhanger. Keep it up, Tynion IV. Keep it up!
June 13, 2025
Something is still killing those children, again, for the fifth time.
James Tynion IV’s rather addictive and unputdownable graphic novel series about monsters that only children can see and the monster hunters that are actually worse than the monsters continues in Volume 5 of Something is Killing the Children.
Erica Slaughter is back. She’s gone rogue from the Order of St. George. The higher-ups have hired a super bad-ass killer (from Europe, no less, because apparently European bad-ass killers are way more bad-ass) to hunt Erica and kill her. Because reasons.
A young girl named Gabi is the only member of her family to survive a monster attack. Erica is in town to protect her and everyone else from the monster, which is a new kind, one that looks human. Sort of. Human-ish anyway. The giant eyeball in its chest and its head that opens up into a giant mouth with sharp teeth kind of give it away.
Erica may be in over her head, and when she finds out that her one and only friend in the whole world is killed by the European assassin, things go from bad to worse…
This series is just straight-up awesome.
James Tynion IV’s rather addictive and unputdownable graphic novel series about monsters that only children can see and the monster hunters that are actually worse than the monsters continues in Volume 5 of Something is Killing the Children.
Erica Slaughter is back. She’s gone rogue from the Order of St. George. The higher-ups have hired a super bad-ass killer (from Europe, no less, because apparently European bad-ass killers are way more bad-ass) to hunt Erica and kill her. Because reasons.
A young girl named Gabi is the only member of her family to survive a monster attack. Erica is in town to protect her and everyone else from the monster, which is a new kind, one that looks human. Sort of. Human-ish anyway. The giant eyeball in its chest and its head that opens up into a giant mouth with sharp teeth kind of give it away.
Erica may be in over her head, and when she finds out that her one and only friend in the whole world is killed by the European assassin, things go from bad to worse…
This series is just straight-up awesome.
November 28, 2022
Bullet Review:
I have to return this tomorrow, but it wasn't hard to basically finish in a sitting.
It's been a bit since Erica cleaned up Archer's Peak and definitely much after the backstory of the previous volume. Now she's in New Mexico dealing with a different type of monster, one who left a single person, Gabi, alive. But meanwhile, Cecilia Slaughter is very much upset with how Erica left the order in the previous volumes and has sent another black mask, Cutter, from across the pond to deal with her.
Honestly, high points for something that I can read so quickly - and not just because it's simple or has a lot of pictures, but because it's engaging. I'm also impressed at how Tynion has deftly twisted the story to being more than just another "monster of the week".
Can't wait to see what comes next!
I have to return this tomorrow, but it wasn't hard to basically finish in a sitting.
It's been a bit since Erica cleaned up Archer's Peak and definitely much after the backstory of the previous volume. Now she's in New Mexico dealing with a different type of monster, one who left a single person, Gabi, alive. But meanwhile, Cecilia Slaughter is very much upset with how Erica left the order in the previous volumes and has sent another black mask, Cutter, from across the pond to deal with her.
Honestly, high points for something that I can read so quickly - and not just because it's simple or has a lot of pictures, but because it's engaging. I'm also impressed at how Tynion has deftly twisted the story to being more than just another "monster of the week".
Can't wait to see what comes next!
April 17, 2023
Now THAT’S what I’m talking about! Nice return to form for the series, looking forward to Vol. 6 already.
Something is indeed killing the children and, as usual, grown-ups just don't understand...
Something is indeed killing the children and, as usual, grown-ups just don't understand...
February 26, 2023
It's nice to be back to with Erica and seeing how the Order deals with her now...but holy shit, Gabi was annoying. JUST LET THE MONSTER EAT HER, ERICA
December 15, 2022
What an amazing end to this volume.
Second reread: Went to read issue #26 and it was so good I had to stop partway through and go back and read this.
Second reread: Went to read issue #26 and it was so good I had to stop partway through and go back and read this.
April 27, 2025
mi favorito hasta ahora, se está poniendo demasiado bueno, el final me dejó a punto de llorar
November 5, 2022
Volume 1 ★★★★★
Volume 2 ★★★★★
Volume 3 ★★★★★
Volume 4 ★★★★★
Volume 5 ★★★★★
I loved this volume, but it hurt me. 😭 Ugh, I just love this series so much. I know we've only just met Cutter, but I loathe every fiber of her existence already. She's absolutely awful and I'm sure this won't be the end of the destruction she will create. Part of me dreads Volume 6 because this new development in the storyline would be a really easy way for Tynion to wrap things up in the next volume, and I don't want it to be over!
✨ Representation: multiple Latinx characters, sapphic side character
✨ Content warnings for:
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April 28, 2023
¡Me sigue encantando!
Y es que no baja el ritmo. Los personajes nuevos están buenísimos, y qué decir de los monstruos y escenas sangrientas 🙌
En este vol. apareció una criatura que recuerda mucho a otra que se ha hecho bien conocida, pero le da un giro macabro acorde más a lo que aquí nos tienen acostumbrados.
Totalmente recomendable.
Y es que no baja el ritmo. Los personajes nuevos están buenísimos, y qué decir de los monstruos y escenas sangrientas 🙌
En este vol. apareció una criatura que recuerda mucho a otra que se ha hecho bien conocida, pero le da un giro macabro acorde más a lo que aquí nos tienen acostumbrados.
Totalmente recomendable.
October 10, 2024
Por ahora, ¡el mejor volumen de todos! 😳
¡Qué macabro!
¡Qué incorporaciones!
¡Qué continuación de la historia!
¡Qué dibujos!
A la espera de poder descubrir la respuesta de las nuevas incógnitas… 🧐
¡Qué macabro!
¡Qué incorporaciones!
¡Qué continuación de la historia!
¡Qué dibujos!
A la espera de poder descubrir la respuesta de las nuevas incógnitas… 🧐
October 23, 2022
I like where this is going! It's the perfect amount of blood and gore, the monsters are actually creepy, and that Cutter-lady is the kind of bad guy you really love to hate.
Read
March 22, 20252025 reads: 64/300
it’s been a year since the events at archer’s peak, and erica finds herself in tribulation facing a new monster. however, this monster isn’t the only plight of erica’s; unbeknownst to her, the order has sent an assassin to put an end to her rogue ways. this was a thrilling collection! i loved the new side character, gabi, and i’m excited to see where this storyline goes.
it’s been a year since the events at archer’s peak, and erica finds herself in tribulation facing a new monster. however, this monster isn’t the only plight of erica’s; unbeknownst to her, the order has sent an assassin to put an end to her rogue ways. this was a thrilling collection! i loved the new side character, gabi, and i’m excited to see where this storyline goes.
April 14, 2023
Pretty savage and to the point.
Great Art
Great fun.
Great Art
Great fun.
January 7, 2023
So I've been really liking this series so far. So much so that I even pre-ordering this volume. Unfortunately, this is easily the weakest volume in the series to date. Bar Erica and the odd familiar face from volume 4, we have a completely new set of characters, and frankly, I didn't connect to any of them, unlike the little boy from the first few volumes, who I was rooting for from the start and greatly sympathised with.
Honestly, I don't know why the creators thought it would be a great idea to make Gabi a rude, obnoxious little shit. Maybe they thought it would be cool to make her 'feisty', but all she ended up being was the only kid in the series' history that I've actually wanted to be disembowelled by the monsters. Fuck I hated Gabi. Despite her tragic circumstances, her behaviour towards the people that cared about her and wanted to help her was appalling, and her attitude in general stunk. There was literally no way in hell I was ever going to sympathise with a kid that smashes open the head of the cop that is openly trying to protect her purely just to spite him. Gabi actually made this volume unpleasant to read, and I even fucking pre-ordered this. Gabi is also the reason that I won't be picking up the next volume in any great hurry. I'll get to it eventually, once it's out, but it certainly won't be a priority read anymore. That's how much this kid turned me off.
Erica is cool though. She's always cool. And I like how adults only take a small amount of convincing to be on her side. Makes the story progression smoother and far less annoying. We like when people trust Erica.
The dodgy formatting that I always have to mention wasn't quite so bad this time, though it did still trip me up a couple of times, to which I literally have to read the pages both down and across and see which one makes more sense. Seriously, if you're going to format your panels across two pages, at least make it more obvious that it reads across instead of down. I will never not hate this format.
Cutter, the assassin sent after Erica is creepy but also a bit too theatrical for me to fully take her seriously. She's the villain, but she's just a bit too cheesy to be scary.
Also, got to say bad move in
On the whole? Not gonna lie, I'm like that Disappointed Hercules meme right now. I hope the series picks up again. I already miss how good this used to be. Although this one is a miss, all previous volumes have been total hits, so I'll definitely continue the series.
June 20, 2023
Feb 2023: Volume 5 is solid. A new arc, a possible Erica junior introduced (do I say too much?) a new town, the grim reality of the Octo stuffie, and, HORRIBLY, the new character CUTTER who is possibly more horrifying even than the new monster which (BY THE WAY) horrifying. So… not the unstoppable tour de force that volume four was, but a damn good volume itself.
June 2023: Reread to get myself back in the stream of things for Volume 6. I love Gary so much. I can totally picture Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing him.
June 2023: Reread to get myself back in the stream of things for Volume 6. I love Gary so much. I can totally picture Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing him.
September 14, 2022
Starts off a lot like the first arc with Erica showing up in a town where kids are dying. The difference now is Erica no longer has the resources of the House of Slaughter behind her and this monster is a heavy hitter that she doesn't even know how to kill. Oh yeah, and there's a new hunter, Cutter, who is hunting Erica now that she's gone rogue.
January 14, 2023
In the past I have been reluctant to write reviews of graphic novels. I read them so quickly that it feels wrong to count them for my 2023 reading challenge. But Goodreads considers them to be books, and I want to write more reviews, so here we are.
Something is Killing the Children follows Erica Slaughter as she hunts monsters. The basic idea is that on occasion, children experience strong emotions that birth horrific monsters. Once born, these monsters prey on other children until someone like Erica kills them. Only children and special adults can see these monsters. The monsters are invisible to ordinary adults- even when the ordinary adults are being killed by the monsters.
I read volumes 1-4 of the series in July of 2022. It's been long enough that I don't remember some of the finer points of the plot. Also, comic books tend to prioritize art and action over consistent worldbuilding. My fuzzy recall may be due to the nature of the source material.
Volume 5 is the beginning of a new plot arc. A monster is loose in Tribulation, New Mexico. Gabriella Lopez is the sole survivor of its most recent rampage. Erica arrives and begins the hunt, but there's a problem: she's gone rogue from the House of Slaughter.
Can she defeat the monster on her own? Read the book.
In addition to cutting Erica off from their considerable resources, the House of Slaughter has taken other, more proactive measures.
What has the House done? Read the book.
Will Erica survive? Read the book>
And will anyone (besides Erica) think of the children?
Read the book.
Something is Killing the Children was the first work I'd read from James Tynion, IV. The other work, The Department of Truth has a similar theme: a shadowy organization hunts monsters that ordinary citizens can't stop.
Both works feature the concept of consensus reality. Consensus reality is the idea that a thing becomes real if enough people believe it. Something is Killing the Children modifies the concept a little and makes it so that something becomes real if one person (a child) believes it strongly enough. In Something is Killing the Children, once the monster is real, then it must be stopped by ordinary, physical violence. Simply stopping or changing the belief does not affect the reality of the monster.
Something is Killing the Children also deals with childhood trauma. The kids that survive the monster attacks are deeply traumatized. They lash out at the helpers who arrive to rescue them. They fantasize about revenging themselves against the monster. They feel guilt because they survived. Volumes 1-4 revealed that some of the hunters like Erica are survivors of these monster attacks. They're dealing with the trauma of their own experiences by helping others.
Something is Killing the Children is a very grim and dark (grimdark) series. Erica's fighting for the children, no matter the cost. But the House that supports her wants her to tone it down. She's attracting too much attention. She's costing them too much. The House is okay with letting some children die if it means they get to do things their way.
Erica won't do what they tell her. Thus, she's gone rogue. Future volumes will show the battle between Erica and the House. Who will win? Will they destroy one another? Keep reading- they're going to tell us.
Something is Killing the Children follows Erica Slaughter as she hunts monsters. The basic idea is that on occasion, children experience strong emotions that birth horrific monsters. Once born, these monsters prey on other children until someone like Erica kills them. Only children and special adults can see these monsters. The monsters are invisible to ordinary adults- even when the ordinary adults are being killed by the monsters.
I read volumes 1-4 of the series in July of 2022. It's been long enough that I don't remember some of the finer points of the plot. Also, comic books tend to prioritize art and action over consistent worldbuilding. My fuzzy recall may be due to the nature of the source material.
Volume 5 is the beginning of a new plot arc. A monster is loose in Tribulation, New Mexico. Gabriella Lopez is the sole survivor of its most recent rampage. Erica arrives and begins the hunt, but there's a problem: she's gone rogue from the House of Slaughter.
Can she defeat the monster on her own? Read the book.
In addition to cutting Erica off from their considerable resources, the House of Slaughter has taken other, more proactive measures.
What has the House done? Read the book.
Will Erica survive? Read the book>
And will anyone (besides Erica) think of the children?
Read the book.
Something is Killing the Children was the first work I'd read from James Tynion, IV. The other work, The Department of Truth has a similar theme: a shadowy organization hunts monsters that ordinary citizens can't stop.
Both works feature the concept of consensus reality. Consensus reality is the idea that a thing becomes real if enough people believe it. Something is Killing the Children modifies the concept a little and makes it so that something becomes real if one person (a child) believes it strongly enough. In Something is Killing the Children, once the monster is real, then it must be stopped by ordinary, physical violence. Simply stopping or changing the belief does not affect the reality of the monster.
Something is Killing the Children also deals with childhood trauma. The kids that survive the monster attacks are deeply traumatized. They lash out at the helpers who arrive to rescue them. They fantasize about revenging themselves against the monster. They feel guilt because they survived. Volumes 1-4 revealed that some of the hunters like Erica are survivors of these monster attacks. They're dealing with the trauma of their own experiences by helping others.
Something is Killing the Children is a very grim and dark (grimdark) series. Erica's fighting for the children, no matter the cost. But the House that supports her wants her to tone it down. She's attracting too much attention. She's costing them too much. The House is okay with letting some children die if it means they get to do things their way.
Erica won't do what they tell her. Thus, she's gone rogue. Future volumes will show the battle between Erica and the House. Who will win? Will they destroy one another? Keep reading- they're going to tell us.
March 30, 2023
3.5 Stars. Volume 5 collects issues #21-25 of the comic. This volume picks up about a year after Archer's Peak. Erica has gone rogue hunting monsters on her own and the Order of St. George is taking measures to eliminate the threat she represents.
The set up is very similar to the last story arc but there are a couple notable differences. First, Erica no longer has the resources of the Order to cover her tracks and assist in her hunting. Second, Erica does not know how to kill this type of monster as it's a monster that would normally be hunted by White Masks in a pack.
This was the first volume where I really felt the pacing was off. At the end of this volume the storyline in Tribulation hasn't progressed much past the introductions to the new characters. Most of the time in Tribulation is spent with Gabi, the kid who survived. Gabi should be sympathetic as she has lost her whole family but THIS KID IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST. I suspect she's supposed to be similar to what Erica was like as a kid. She seems to be a prime candidate to be recruited into the Order but man, couldn't James Tynion give us something to like about her?
Meanwhile, the Order of St. George is losing patience and they decide to call in another Black Mask from the House of Cutter in England to take out Erica. Cutter is the opposite of Erica. She does not value human life or have any qualms about taking it. She is a barely reigned in predator at the Order's disposal and she's coming for Erica. Cutter borders on being a cartoonish villain at times but she is sufficiently menacing.
Final thoughts? This volume retreaded a lot of what was done better in Volumes 1-3 but there was still enough good here for me to recommend this and to want to know what happens next.
The set up is very similar to the last story arc but there are a couple notable differences. First, Erica no longer has the resources of the Order to cover her tracks and assist in her hunting. Second, Erica does not know how to kill this type of monster as it's a monster that would normally be hunted by White Masks in a pack.
This was the first volume where I really felt the pacing was off. At the end of this volume the storyline in Tribulation hasn't progressed much past the introductions to the new characters. Most of the time in Tribulation is spent with Gabi, the kid who survived. Gabi should be sympathetic as she has lost her whole family but THIS KID IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST. I suspect she's supposed to be similar to what Erica was like as a kid. She seems to be a prime candidate to be recruited into the Order but man, couldn't James Tynion give us something to like about her?
Meanwhile, the Order of St. George is losing patience and they decide to call in another Black Mask from the House of Cutter in England to take out Erica. Cutter is the opposite of Erica. She does not value human life or have any qualms about taking it. She is a barely reigned in predator at the Order's disposal and she's coming for Erica. Cutter borders on being a cartoonish villain at times but she is sufficiently menacing.
Final thoughts? This volume retreaded a lot of what was done better in Volumes 1-3 but there was still enough good here for me to recommend this and to want to know what happens next.
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