The stakes are high and the action is non-stop in the first volume of this edge-of-your-seat horror series. I know James Tynion IV is most known through his Batman writing, but my familiarity with his writing comes exclusively from the Backstagers series, so this was quite a turn, as far as genre and tone. The story is compelling, if a little prone to relying on common tropes, and not a lot of information or background is learned in the five issues. It does give the impression that the reader will learn more, and I am all for building up the suspense, but the fact that the first volume concludes with the vast majority of questions still unanswered does make it somewhat less satisfying. Nontheless, it was a very engaging read, and I know I will be recommending this to other horror fans and eagerly awaiting the continuation of the series.

«Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1» is a horror story in picture format for adults. If you like graphic novels, if you love thrillers, horror and mysteries, if you love beautiful artwork that this one is for you!

The story begins in Archer’s Peak, a small American town, when children start disappearing and then found dead after a few days (weeks?). The plot is very simple and straightforward, and I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as thriller or mystery, as we know what is happening early on.

Yes, there is a mysterious element about who Erin Slaughter is, but in terms of story-telling the reveal of who she is and why she is in Archer’s Peak was rather anticlimactic.

For me, the story was not the strongest point of this Graphic Novel. I did enjoy the artwork though and think that it was very smartly done to bring out the creepy, eerie elements of the story, especially through muted colors and darker tones.

NOTE: Some pages were a bit confusing to read, especially on the PC, as it only showed one page at a time and some of them were meant to read vertically from left to right from one page to another. I needed to go back and forth quite a lot to make sense of what I was reading.

Overall, this was a very solid graphic novel, and I can see why many people will love it and follow the releases of next installments.

This was a very fun graphic novel. Gave some stranger things vibes and the illustrations were gorgeous. Loooking forward to the next installment.

I enjoyed the graphics, and the story was pretty good, but this just wasn't my favorite. I'm pretty new to graphic novels and I just need to figure out what I like. I don't have anything bad to say about this, it just wasn't for me.

I thought this first Volume was a good read and interesting start into a series.
And not something for the faint of heart (tw graphic deaths and a lot of blood) and the art was horrifying, but still really cool/well done.

It's not the most complex setup so far:
There's a monster in the woods that kills children and can only be seen by children. A woman comes into the town to slaughter the monster.
And then there are mysterious people she is connected to, a kind of third eye that lets her see the monsters, and weird puppets that seem to have demon-esque entities in them and might help her but still be bloodthirsty assholes.

The plot isn't too long yet and there are a lot of unanswered questions - it's only a Vol. 1 after all. But I'd definitely like to see how the plot continues and if it (hopefully) develops into a more deep and fascinating bigger story.

⭐5 Stars ⭐

A beautifully constructed atmospheric supernatural murder mystery.

Vibrant unapologetic gore is perfectly balanced by dramatic writing that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Every character is impeccably rendered, their motivations realistic and complex. The setting of Archers Peak feels at once both extraordinarily homely and terrifyingly grim due to the fantastic illustrations by Werther Dell’Edera and Miquel Muerto, their perfect colouring completes the atmosphere of Tynions story.

My one gripe would be the fight scene at the end of the novel, most of it takes place 'off-camera' so to speak so it was slightly anti-climatic. However, I think this leaves room for later volumes to explore these scenes fully. I eagerly await the next volume of this fantastic graphic novel after that tantalising cliff-hanger.

Pick up Something is Killing the Children for a chilling story about survival and what goes bump in the night. And who is there to stop it.

Trigger Warnings: Gore, Homophobia (Challenged), Adult Language, Gun Violence.

This Volume Collects Something is Killing the Children #1-5. Preorder now to receive your copy when its release on May 26th 2020 by Clicking HERE (link in my Goodreads review)

If you like it as much as I do then Preorder Volume Two by Clicking HERE (link in my Goodreads review)

Thanks to BOOM! Studios for providing me with a copy of Something is Killing the Children. I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.

The first graphic novel series I read by Tynion was The Backstagers, which I absolutely adored. I’d seen the individual issues of Something is Killing the Children on Hoopla, but I hadn’t gotten around to checking it out yet. Luckily for me, the first volume showed up on Netgalley and I was able to read it all at once!

First things first, this is a very different vibe from The Backstagers. This isn’t cute and fluffy, it’s dark and gritty. It features monsters and death and blood and gore. But it also features a pretty cool monster slayer and it takes place in my home state of Wisconsin, so that’s always a win for me!

If you like Stranger Things and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you’ll probably like this graphic novel.

Thank you Netgalley and BOOM! Studios for the ARC.

This was a really original and dark story, definitely perfect for spooky season. The art is definitely gripping and intriguing but also confusing and not really clear. The beginning was like every other horror story, it begins with our main character telling a horror story to his friends, and then, finding out they all were slaughtered in the woods.
Then a girl, monster hunter, appears and shenanigans ensues.
The atmosphere is definitely the best part.
It reminded me of a mix of stranger things meets IT.

My main issue with this story was the lack of world building and backstory. I was supposed to care about these characters and I couldn't because I didn't know them. Not really.
Some parts were definitely confusing and not explained properly.
I don't really think this one is for me, unfortunately.

The point of horror as a genre is that whatever that's created with the intention of it being horror, is that it's supposed to incite feelings of fear, dread, repulsion, and terror in the audience. With that said, the only thing that horrified me (very mildly, to be honest, and that's not impressive because I get scared easily) is the violence in this graphic novel.

I think this volume needs to be better expanded—or well, better "padded". Sure, this is only the first volume and it's (kind of?) characteristic of first volumes (and subsequent ones) of graphic novels to be more bare-bones when it comes to certain things like character development, world building and providing information/answers. However, I think this one is just a little too bare-bones, which isn't good because this lack of "padding" causes the story to move too quickly. In fact, it's flows so fluidly that there's not enough "time" for anticipation, anxiety or fear to build up, which then, causes reading the graphic novel to become dull. Thus, I feel that with just a little more information or fillers here to "pad" the volume, it would help build up the much needed atmosphere of horror, which will then, make the volume less dull.

On the whole, I find the premise interesting and the visuals (art style and typography) suitable, but the execution lacking.

The free copy of this book was given to me by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

When the children of Archer's Peak—a sleepy town in the heart of America—begin to go missing, everything seems hopeless. Most children never return, but the ones that do have terrible stories—impossible details 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 be the only one who sees what they can see.

A wild ride.

Something’s Killing the Children is a gritty, bloody horror that pulls you in right from the beginning. James is having a sleepover when an innocent game of truth-or-dare turns deadly. He tells them about a monster he saw and then it’s decided to go looking for it in the ravine.

James is the only one who survives that night.

You see, Archer’s Peak has a problem: children have been going missing and many are found dead. It’s the monster that did it, although James tells the cops that he didn’t see anything. Adults can’t see the monster anyway.

That’s when Erica shows up, a strong young woman with a job to do: kill the monster and save the kids. Or at least that’s what she hopes to do if the octopus doesn’t hinder her any further. So far she's good at it, but the lives she can't save obviously weigh on her.

James wants to help but he’s not a monster hunter, he’s just a kid thrown into a horrible situation. As if having the boy he was interested in suddenly torn apart, he’s now seen as a suspect, a freak and by some of the student body, a perverted murderer. He’s a character you really feel for because after reading this, I just want to wrap this kid in a blanket and keep him safe.

The writing is amazing, every character is distinct in a way that goes beyond the fact they all look different. They have different voices, different ways of speaking, of just being on the page. And it’s all paired with some truly amazing art.

Usually, gory horror isn’t my thing but this was a perfect blend of gore, story, and art. The three worked in sync to bring the best version of the story possible. I will absolutely recommend this to hardcore horror fans and to those just dipping their toes in the water. It’s worth the time to read, and earns a solid five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

It starts off chillingly. The plot is very strong and keeps the reader engaged and it was my favorite aspect of this graphic novel. The writing creates an excellent spooky environment; I’m glad I didn’t read this at night because of this.

Personally, the art leaves a lot to be desired and could be more precise. They seem more like rough sketches rather than final versions in this copy. The roughness adds a certain amount of grittiness to the story but I wonder how much more gripping the novel could be with sharper artwork. I love how the monster reminds me of Stranger Things, though.

The most challenging part of this was the panels that occupied two pages. It was confusing and frustrating encountering this in an eformat but I have hopes that it’s easier to navigate in a physical copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this but be warned that it ends with more questions about the world than it answered leaving the reader hoping they'll be answered in the following volumes. I’m looking forward to learning more about the characters, monster origins, and the secret society in the following volumes!

Synopsis: In a small town, children are turning up dead. One kid witnessed an attack, and when mysterious stranger Erica Slaughter arrives in town claiming to know how to stop it, he’s determined to help her.

This was a lot of fun to read. I feel a bit bad saying that because, as the title suggests, this is a horror book about a monster murdering children. But it is also about killing monsters. There are plenty of moments, especially towards the beginning, that actually made me laugh. It was also suspenseful and engrossing--enough so that it kept me on my lunch break a bit long.

I enjoyed the main character (Erica Slaughter) quite a bit. (Though her look through most of the book reminds me of one of the Akatsuki from Naruto.) The coloring and the art fit really well with the story, and some of the minor characters had great designs.

I do think it tried too hard to be cryptic – the book raised a lot more questions than answers, and it came across as overly contrived at points. And I would love to see the chart/criteria used to classify monsters. It also felt like [possible spoilers ahead—skip to next paragraph] there was a lot of lead-up to ‘and then she did the thing’. The actual fight with the monster took about two pages, and felt fairly anti-climactic/overly easy for the 4.5 chapter lead up.

Overall, Something is Killing the Children was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I would definitely recommend it to graphic novel fans and horror fans alike.

Content Warnings: violence, gore, kidnapping

I really enjoyed this story. I really felt for James and everybody else in the town. I loved Erica a badass monster hunter, sign me up. I want to know more about her back story.

Something is Killing the Children is a creepy, gory graphic novel set in a small town. This story has a bit of a Stranger Things vibe since it's about a small town where strange things are happening and children are disappearing or winding up dead and dismembered.

One boy, on the night of a slumber party at his house, ends up being the only survivor amongst his friends after something attacks them in a ravine behind his house. The town is divided as to whether the boy killed his friend. Then a mysterious young woman arrives in town looking to track down what is killing the children...

I liked this. It was gory and there was some adult language so it is definitely for a more mature audience. I recommend this if you are looking for a creepy read with things that go Rrrrrrrrrrrrr in the night.

4.5 stars.

This was thoroughly enjoyable and I would 100% recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark, creepy, gory, horror comics. It gave me Stranger Things vibes and I’ve never even seen Stranger Things, but I think it’ll appeal to fans.

The name says it all. Something is killing the children. Then Erica Slaughter, one badass monster hunter, rolls into town to put a stop to it with the help of a kid who survived but whose friends didn’t. This shit is dark, and I love it.

There’s little about this volume that I can fault, to be honest. The story was engaging and exciting throughout and left me guessing and wondering. Each issue/chapter ended on a mini cliffhanger and I was always excited to continue. The characters didn’t feel cliché and I was able to invest in them all quickly. Our main girl Erica remains a mystery, but a few hints are offered which leaves me wanting to know more.

The writing was fantastic. I never felt like I was being given information I didn’t need. The dialogue was concise and to the point whilst still maintaining a level of humanity and an organic feel. Every panel is used effectively and builds tension.

The artwork is gorgeous. Vibrant but edgy. I love unapologetic gore in comics and there’s plenty in here to satisfy my taste for the macabre.

My only issue with this graphic novel was the layout. Because I was reading an e-copy on my phone, it was difficult to follow the panels half the time because sometimes they went down the page in a more traditional manner, and other times they stretched across two pages. I would read one page from top to bottom only to flick to the next page and realise I was meant to read it side to side. This caught me out several times and got a little annoying having to flick back and forth between pages to make sure I didn’t miss anything, but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the comic. In physical form, this wouldn’t be an issue and I’d love to buy a copy when it’s released and read it again without the hindrance of reading it on my phone.

But regardless, I’ll definitely be buying this because I enjoyed it so much. I’m proper hyped for the next one now because that cliffhanger was real, folks.

If I were to read this again in physical copy, it would likely get a full five stars. I want to see this as a Netflix show. Without a doubt, I’ll be reading future volumes. This easily makes my top 5 graphic novels.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting graphic novel about an invisible monster that is killing children in a small town. A strange young woman arrives in town to kill the monster and suddenly some of the townspeople are plunged into a battle that they cannot truly comprehend.

I enjoyed this first volume and I am looking forward to more as the story develops. It is quite clear there is a lot more to this story and the horrors that feast on children. The artwork is ok but a bit too dark for my liking. It is a good first volume and I enjoyed it enough to read more if there is more.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Something Is Killing The Children Volume 1 by James Tynion IV is a beautifully constructed graphic novel. The artwork is very atmospheric and adds a darkness to the story that draws you in from the very first page and leaves you on a tantalising cliff-hanger at the end. I most definitely want to read Volume 2!
Highly recommended.

First of all I love Boom! Studio graphic novels and comics, they're one of my favourites as far as the art and story is concerned that's why I didn't hesitate to pick this one up.

The story is set in a small town where the children go missing. Some of them are never found and some of them are found in pieces. And then there is Erika, mysterious girl/woman, who is killing monsters. The whole story starts with James, our main character, and his friends having sleepover and playing truth or dare. When he is challenged to say what cared him lately, he tells them a scary story that happened to him. Next thing you know, he is alive at police station and his friends are torn to bits.

Wow that sounds like an episode out of Supernatural tw show.

It definitely had creepy or rather spooky and mysterious vibes. I'm used to very cute graphic novels but the art in this one was also on the darker side which I really liked. The artwork played really well with the topic of the story, you can find some haunting images there so if this is not something you prefer, I would stay away from this one. I, on the other hand, really appreciated it.

There was a lot of mystery and a lot of questions... but to some of them I'd like an answer. Obviously, there is this question why James got out alive and if there is anything special and who is Erika. But I think there could have been explained in the end of the volume maybe who are these monsters, why are they here, who is Erika, why is she killing them? It felt like a horor story but with no real background which I think was missed opportunity for the author.

Also we get a glimpse of background story to only one of the characters really, and it's not even the main character, it's Tommy, brother of a missing girl and he was by far the most interesting character of them all and I loved seeing his family and him coping with what was happening in the city, what had happened to them and I really liked it.

Honestly, I really liked it, it was captivating, disturbing and gruesome and the dark artwork and atmosphere just got me so if you're looking for something like that, check it out.

Thank you to Boom! Studios and Netgalley for the digital ARC copy of this book.

I will confess that I quite like James Tynion's works, having read The Woods, Backstagers, and many of his works for DC. I enjoyed this new series and would recommend it to my patrons but I also felt this book's story seemed rushed and a few of the characters disjointed or plain unlikable. The plot and story hooks are very good and engaging; you want to find out more and more as Tynion slowly drips out pertinent information. The art is very good and suits the story. I am very excited to see where the story will go from here.