This was a pretty solid story. I don't generally read graphic novels, but I really flew through this one. I hated almost every character, but the story was good enough to keep me caring. Can't wait to read the second one.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from BOOM! Studios for this adult horror graphic novel. James’s friends were all brutally murdered and he is the only survivor. Now he is in high school exile as the weird kid who might have killed all his friends. Enter, mysterious monster hunter Erica Slaughter who needs James and the sheriff to give her enough information to find the monsters lair. Erica is a tough chick, but she is also pretty odd.

The art is decent and the story is easy enough to follow. There isn’t a ton of substance, but if this series becomes anything like James Tynion IV’s other series The Woods, it will build with each consecutive volume and become an extremely intense story. I enjoyed The Woods and because of that I have full intentions of continuing this series and seeing what kind of world Erica Slaughter lives in.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first volume of the comic Something is Killing the Children! Personally I give it somewhere between 3.5-4 stars for story line, the art, & general content. Unfortunately the only character I even remotely liked or wanted to know more about was Erica Slaughter. Maybe James too & whatever that octopus stuffed toy really is? I'd say spoiler alert but there was so much set up I couldn't possibly give away a plot that was missing from this first volume. If the author was trying to make the deaths feel more real by providing family, friends & other side characters to fill things out, it didn't really pan out. I don't really read horror to feel the pain of loss anyway so honestly, I only need enough to get the plot rolling which should've been by or before the third chapter.

This all is coming across way more harsh than I mean. I wouldn't have given it as high a rating as I did if there wasn't something about it that pushed me to read & enjoy it it anyway. It has that "something special" to me that has attracted me to countless other graphic novels & comic book collections before now. Did I mention I love Erica Slaughter? Her appearance & portrayal were right down my alley. She matched my expectations from when I originally read Something is Killing the Children description when the individual comics came out. I just hope her back doesn't give out from carrying the entirety of this comic book series on it.

I do recommend Something is Killing the Children Vol 1's to those who are after gruesome comics & strong, mysterious, female, lead characters (who does use adult language just FYI for those out there looking for that info). I would consider it a good read & look forward to future installments. There is also some potential for a mysterious secret society who pulls the strings for this "monster hunting girl who has a dragon tattoo" & that sounds fun to me.

Incredible start to this series- I feel it's like Gideon Falls, but the execution (pardon the pun) is so much more intriguing and well-done! I'm sad that I now have to wait for the coming issues, but this was a beautiful treat and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Really spooky and cool graphics, however the plot was a little confusing/difficult to follow. I'll definitely read future volumes!

Though this is my first time with this author's work, I couldn't be more excited to jump right into the story because that cover and synopsis look exactly like something that I'd definitely enjoy. Unfortunately, even with a decent introduction to the characters and a quite intense opening, I found myself getting bored the farther I went into the book. Because yes, something is definitely killing these children, but I'm gonna need more than gritty illustrations and a vague plot to push me to keep going.

Review thanks to a free advance copy via Netgalley.

A mysterious monster is killing children. An anti-social monster hunter is tracking it down. Mix in the confused police, a boy trying to avenge the death of his friends and sharp writing for an enjoyable action-horror comic. Great artwork and layout. Not groundbreaking, but enjoyable and recommended.

Something is Killing the Children is very much in the vein of James Tynion IV's other series The Woods. Kids are in danger and something dangerous is in the forest. This isn't a unique or original concept, but both approaches are different enough that you don't feel like he's treading the same ground. The problem is Tynion is a hit or miss writer. The Woods was all over the place and lacked consistency in it's storytelling, and I'm afraid that in this story it feels almost amplified to the point where I don't care to read any more of this series after the first volume. There was no exposition or explanation, just setting up pieces in place to be played with later. With five issues of a comic you should at least be getting some solid worldbuilding instead just an impressionistic feeling of what could happen eventually if you wait long enough. And see as how weak the ending of The Woods was I'm not falling into this trap again. The artwork is even impressionistic. And not in a good way. I'm sorry if I actually like my people to look like people all the time and not to have big panels of jarring color that you're not sure what is going on. As for Erica our heroine, who literally has one of only two jokes in the entire comic with her address being the old west side DMV in Madison, Wisconsin, she looks like the demon in Brubaker and Phillips' Kill or Be Killed mated with a Margaret Keane painting. And as for Erica's "battle mask" well, it looks like the teeth of the Big Bad from the Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode "Killed by Death" which just so happens to be about monsters killing children that adults can't see. Coincidence? I think not.

Great horror graphic novel! I'm intrigued by the story line and looking forward to vol. 2.
Kids in a small town in Wisconsin are being killed or going missing. A mysterious woman shows up and befriends the only survivor of one of the incidents. As they go hunting for the monster attacking the town, things don't go as Erica though they were going to.

The title alone drew me into this novel but once I saw that James Tynion IV was writing it under Boom!, I was sold.

I love me some good horror, no matter the medium, but there’s something about horror comics that are especially terrifying. The right artist can keep me up at night, and this is definitely one of those times. From the color to the gore to the atmosphere, I had to read this with the lights on.

Central to this story are Daniel, the sole survivor of the most recent child massacre, and Erica Slaughter, here to kill what’s killing the children. The two of them are working through some shit and it’s the worst-best pairing. Tynion spends time setting up the universe but not the motivations of any of the characters, leaving us with questions but not confusion. There are Stranger Things and It call backs, for sure.

The Supernatural fan in me, combined with my childhood fav Are You Afraid of the Dark, loved everything about this graphic novel and I can’t wait to see what happens in volume 2.

A genuinely horrifying graphic novel that will appeal to fans of the genre, "Stranger Things", and badass women. Not for the squeamish, but for those that want it it's a break-neck paced 5 issues in this first trade. The art style is gritty, a perfect match for the tone. Ends abruptly, but not all unsatisfactorily. Definitely recommended.

I like comics, and I like horror stories, and I absolutely love when they come together well. James Tynion IV’s latest project nails that blend. Something is Killing the Children first hit comic shops in single issues starting in the fall of last year, and my attention was immediately drawn to the series. I first discovered Tynion’s writing on Detective Comics back at the beginning of the Rebirth arcs, and quickly shifted to his and Rian Sygh’s Backstagers series. Tynion’s a versatile writer (with series published under BOOM!, BOOM!Box, and DC), with a real skill for subtle, underlying horror themes. Something is Killing the Children is a much more overt horror, and it shines because of that. And unlike Backstagers, Something is Killing the Children is definitely not for the younger readers out there.

Our first chapter opens with a group of four young boys playing truth or dare at a sleepover, and a story about a monster living in a nearby ravine quickly draws scorn. They set out to investigate, just in case. We soon learn that three of those boys are now dead, and the 4th, James, is under suspicion for the deaths. Almost a dozen kids in town have died recently, with another dozen or so missing over the course of the two previous months. James is struggling to understand what happened, because what he saw that night in the ravine should’ve been impossible.

It’s only when Erica Slaughter arrives in town that James finds someone who believes his story. Erica knows that there’s a monster somewhere nearby, and she’s here at the behest of her mysterious boss to kill it before any more kids go missing. As the only known survivor of any encounters with the creature, James is going to be able to provide Erica with some much-needed intel before she sets out after it with a chainsaw.

Who is Erica, and where did she come from? Why does she carry around a stuffed octopus? Why can none of the adults seem to see the monster when it’s right in front of them? Something is Killing the Children is a dark, gory blend of Locke & Key (some bizarre things happening that adults seem weirdly oblivious about) and Stranger Things (monsters chasing teens), and I am 100% here for it. Werther Dell’Edera’s art is beautifully disconcerting, a perfect match for Tynion’s brilliantly paced writing. I’m compelled to track down more of his work now, because he’s crafted images that are going to linger in my head for days after reading this book.

The print version of volume one of Something is Killing the Children is due in stores on May 26th. The book contains the first five chapters of one of the best new horror comics I’ve picked up in years. It’s really no surprise that I loved this first volume, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. If you’re a horror fan, do yourself a favor and give it a read.



Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Something is Killing the Children is both the title and the plot summary of this awful comic to which I would append: - And It’s Not Worth Reading Any Further!

Monsters in a small town are killing children. So some random chick comes to town and starts killing monsters. It really is that simplistically braindead.

Questions like: who are these monsters? Why are they killing children specifically? Why here and now? Who is this girl, the improbably named Erica Slaughter? Why is she killing monsters? Who is she working for? None of those are even posed let alone answered. Well, the latter is hinted at except what we see only raises more questions.

No, instead we need to introduce more forgettable characters to witter on about nothing to one another while monsters kill children and this girl kills monsters. It’s such a boring, uninvolving story.

Werther Dell’Edera’s art is really ugly - Matt Kindt-level trash. Really flat pictures, very pencilly, dull colours - just hard to look at. The monsters are your generic giant bug monsters with glowing eyes - such unimaginative designs.

I should’ve expected this given James Tynion IV is such a poor writer - he’s yet to write anything worth reading and Something is Killing the Children is just more drek to throw on the pile. I’m really worried about the future of Batman now that this guy’s behind the wheel (for now).

This was an engaging story and reminded me of Supernatural in a way. It had pretty cool artwork, which added to the grit of the story. I'm not generally a fan of comics, but this was done very well. The story moved at a decent pace and the cliffhanger did make me wish I could read more. The characters were really fun and I will consider picking up volume 2 when it comes out.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher BOOM! Studios in exchange for an honest review.

Something is Killing the Children is the story of a small town suffering from a monster attack, and the girl hunting said monster. This is a fairly standard premise but it does a decent enough job with it. Honestly I wasn't really blown away by any aspect of it. The artwork is nice and there are some creepy moments which are illustrated well but it was a little too scratchy for me at times. This is only the first volume so the story is fairly cookie cutter, although there are some cool elements I suspect will expand and improve the plot later on. The characters were decent enough but again, nothing really stood out about them (except the stuffed octopus). I really wish I could give this graphic novel more glowing praise but alas, it just didn't show me anything new.

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

3.5 out of 5 🌟Dark and gruesome page-turner

The plot of ‘Something is Killing the Children’ is literally written on the front cover. The story is taking place in a small city of Archer’s Peak where a bunch of kids is going missing every day and those founded were not only dead but — literally — in pieces. Following the mystery killer, a mystery woman arrived in the town to stop the killing spree.

The book is dark and grim, it’s a graphic horror with a lot of violence and blood. If that doesn’t bother you, be ready for a great piece of thrilling adventure. This comic is a quick read with a striking cliffhanger that made me search for the next volume. I had a delightful (but frightful!) time reading it.
I’m not a fan of illustrations by Werther Dell’Edera and it was hard for me to immerse into the story. Their aesthetics was throwing me off with chaotic lines and emotionless characters. I believe the book deserved better and I’d love to see it with different graphics.

*Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.*

An intriguing beginning to what is set to be a thrilling supernatural monster hunter tale by the genius that is James Tynion V!

Sorry I wasn't able to go on and finish this book.
I'll try again next time and leave a feedback.
Thank you for the accept

While this series will most likely have cult type following, it wasn’t for me. That’s in no way to say it is not a good book. It is very well done and the illustrations are pretty amazing. For this reader I am too distracted with the abundance of bad language. While I like horror, the illustrations were too gooey for me.

Here’s what’s going on in Archer’s Peak...

The children of Archer’s Peak are going missing, and the whole situation 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.

Their saviour comes with the name of Erica Slaughter. She slays monsters. That is all she does, and she bears the cost because it MUST be done.

If the title wasn't clue enough, this is a strong title in terms of content. I have, of course, been familiar with James Tynion's work from DC Comics. I'm typically not a horror comics fan, but this book was so well done. The art and story are polished and edgy -- definitely a masterful example of graphic novel suspense! Well played!