First off, if you want to know what this story is about, I refer you to the title. No spoilers, single sentence summary right there.

Getting deeper? Okay. So, one kid survives this “thing”. Since nobody believes him about his tales of a monster, all the adults have no idea what to do. Enter Erica Slaughter. Yes, that’s her name. It’s also her job. She kills monsters. She also talks to a stuffed animal, but who doesn’t?

This volume does a great job setting up the plot of the series. It feels almost like Stranger Things. Only instead of psychic powers, Erica wields chainsaws and machetes. The plot of this volume spends more time focused on the people who aren’t Erica, and how they all react to these killings. Repression, depression, lashing out. It gives the town a sense of hopelessness, which would happen if your children were all going missing, then showing up in ribbons. The dialogue doesn’t waste time in this book. Everything has a purpose, showing us more about each character without exposition. We get to see Tommy’s home life through simple scenes where he talks to his parents. From these two scenes, we can pick up just about everything about him, and it explains why he lashes out at Erica without anyone explaining. That’s good.

The art is deliberately rough. Scratchy and only detailed in close-up shots. It gives everything a bit of grit that suits the story well and keeps your focus where it’s supposed to be. The direction of the art is great. The shots for each panel match the intensity of what is being portrayed. More dynamic angles give emphasis to more intense dialogue or action.

Throughout, we are given hints that she is a part of a larger organization. Her friction with the other members of the House of Slaughter shows us that there is far more available for plot in this series than just mindless monster-hunting. I’ll be interested to see where this whole thing ends up. Be ready, this is not a feel-good piece. It’s labeled as horror, and there will be gore. Still, it was enjoyable, and I’d like to see more.

This was great. Creepy and unnerving. The art was abstract but real enough to pack a punch. A few parts were a little over done but great overall. That is to say, it felt like a rip off, or cliche, of other tropes. It's still a lot of fun, but it's basically an adult Stranger Things.

This isn’t the type of book I would ever normally consider, however it was an okay read. Good story line just I didn’t realise it was in comic format - my mistake!

Actual rating: 3.5 ⭐️

This was an unexpected surprise. I started reading this thinking it'd be a detective story, but instead I found monsters and weird conspiracies - which I liked. The plot was perfectly developed, and the ending left me wanting more. Of course, the art is stunning, and the colors bring out the best of each scene.

My only problem is the pace. Some panels were a bit boring compared to others, and I had to focus really hard to keep reading. However, I still think is a good story and I'd love to continue reading.

This is one of those times when I give a book 5 stars without even thinking twice.
It's one of my first comics and I loved it. The story had depth, it kept me curious and focused, the graphics are wonderful and the characters were just the right amount and kind.

It's a dark, dark book so I would definitely NOT recommend it to you if you're not used to gore, death, violence, murder as, like the title says, something is killing the children.

Wow! I was a bit unsure when I started reading because the art style was not my favorite, but I fell in love. The art style actually suited the gritty/dark nature of the story.
In Something is Killing the Children, a monster, only children can see, has been on a murdering spree and Erica Slaughter is here to stop it.
This story sucked me in and I devoured it in one sitting. I need more after that ending, and I don't want to wait.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I need the next Volume of this graphic novel stat! What an amazing and wild ride of a graphic novel. I will say, the stylized violence and artwork reminds me of Tank Girl or Hack/Slash. Something is killing the Children of a small town. Enter Erica Slaughter, she's the one the monsters should be afraid of. What follows is a story of monsters and those foolish enough and strong enough to fight them. Great story, I cannot wait for the next.

A definite recommendation for fans of Stranger Things and anybody who loves a terrible monster on the loose in a small town.

Fantastic pacing. Interesting characters. A great horror story that I can’t wait to continue. Now I understand what all the buzz was about. My one complaint is that it was a little difficult to read in ebook format due to the many 2-page spreads. Otherwise, excellent read!

Something is Killing the Children vol 1 by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera
I was not a Comics reader growing up. My love of superheroes came from Superfriends and Spider-man and His Amazing Friends. It wasn’t until I got to college that I was handed Watchmen and Batman Year One and the Dark Knight Returns. So I learned from the beginning of my comics reading some of the wonderful things the medium could do, even though I don’t hav an instinctual sense of of how to read a page developed from childhood. Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m supposed to go right or go down a page. I am not a very visual person - I will often go through a comic focusing solely on the speech bubbles and almost ignoring the art, which means that I can miss things and have to go back. I usually notice the art if it is bad, or confusing, or hilarious, but that’s about it.

I first remember encountering James Tynion IV in the backup stories he did in Batman in the new 52 era. I enjoyed what he did, and then I got the joy of listening to him on panels at New York Comic Con and on a Flame Con soda special episode of Jay and Miles Xplain the X-men. I quickly realized that this was a writer I wanted to seek out and read more of. I really enjoyed his time on Detective Comics - I loved that he used the opportunity to turn it into a real team book for members of the Bat family that don't always get the spotlight, especially Spoiler, who is a personal favorite of mine. His character development of Clayface was also excellent.

Thanks to my local library system, I dived into his creator owned work. I adore Backstagers - it has the right amount of whimsy in its depiction of horror, and the characters are so lovingly crafted that they almost step off the page. I enjoyed his The Woods far more than I would’ve imagined - I am not usually a horror comic type of person, but the interpersonal drama kept me coming back even when the monstrous situations terrified me.

Something is Killing the Children has that same feel as The Woods. The simple plot summary I could give does it a disservice. “Children are going missing and turning up dead, and mysterious girl shows up in town to fight the monster” sounds like it could be cookie cutter or paint by numbers, but it feels like so much more than that.In a few strokes, Tynion creates characters who feel alive and real and plunks them down in a horrible situation.

The story feels to me in the same family as a merging of some of the best elements of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Stranger Things - not to say that it feels derivative, but just that my personal frame of reference for comparison is probably rather limited. The monster is appropriately terrifying and the overarching mysteries are set up well. It reminds me a lot also of Clean Room by Gail Simone, another comic I had to read with the lights on.

I know from reading all of the Woods that Tynion knows how to plan for the long game. This volume contains issues 1-5, which is enough to set up a much larger world than the small town with missing kids that it starts out as. I look forward to learning more of the creepy telepathic stuffed animal monster hunting organization. Can’t wait for volume 2! Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

I feel like I should come right out and say, I'm not a huge reader of graphic novels and that very well could have impacted my reading experience. I thought the concept of this was really good but the execution in the first issue fell a little short.

It felt very info-dumpy and you could argue "well it's a first issue duh", but there's a major difference between showing and telling in a novel and the fact that this is a graphic novel makes it way more apparent. I know first issues, even the first few issues of a series are usually for setting up the world and the story and characters etc, but I just thought this could have been done with a bit more finesse.

I didn't feel especially connected to the story or characters, though I found both intriguing, and the art style was interesting. The color story did in terms of propelling the spooky atmosphere.

I think this could definitely work really well for a slightly younger reader, like a teenager, it just happened not to work for me sadly.

This was fun!! I won't say it's horror, per se, but it was still exciting! I loved the illustrations and how the story went. Fast paced and mysterious. The end was a big cliffhanger and I'd love to read more!! Overall, a quick easy to read graphic novel!

As the name of the comic suggests, kids are being killed and some kids also go missing. The story follows a boy survivor and a mysterious blond haired girl who seems to know more than she's sharing.

I just loved this comic. Right from the start, this comic had me in suspense. The dialogue was executed really well and I found myself eager to turn each page and continue reading. The story didn't reveal too much too quickly and had me in suspense the whole way through.

The artwork was fantastic and included some really great full page panels. I really felt like I connected with the characters which doesn't always happen for me when reading comics.

I think this is my new favourite comic and it's probably the best comic of this genre that I've read since reading Locke and Key which is saying a lot. I can't wait to read more of this series.

Wow, what an interesting story! I’m so intrigued. The Stranger Things vibes were awesome. I heard this was getting an adaptation some time soon and I can definitely picture this story with great visuals. I can’t wait to read the next volumes!

Read in April 2020. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an advanced copy!

Something is Killing the Children Vol 1 was a thrilling graphic novel that drew you in with intensely rich artwork! The premise tugs at deep seated fears of what lurks in the dark, deep in the forest and what could happen to unsuspecting children - especially those in Archer's Peak! Erica Slaughter, monster killer, is the unapologetic, slightly reluctant but proficient heroine that arrives to Archer's Peak to eliminate a monster only to unearth a sinister underbelly. The graphic novel was a a page turner and I looking forward to the next instalments with Erica Slaughter!

Rated 4/5 stars. I felt the homophobic referencing detracted from the story and may be offensive to readers.

Interesting story and I really like Erica's character. The art style is really gritty and unique to me as well, and was stylistically interesting which I think helped the story a lot. I'll be watching for volume two!

I found this comic to be very intriguing. It's a bit of a mystery as to what is killing the children in this town and then a strange woman shows up. I liked the characters a lot. Erica Slaughter was bad ass and as a woman born the same year as her (if her fake ID is believable), I related to her. She was mysterious and fearless. I enjoyed the art style in this comic and the plot itself. It reminded me a bit of Stranger Things. If you like horror mixed with monsters, then this is one you should definitely check out. The ending left many things unresolved and revealed new information, making me want to get my hands on the next volume. I NEED to figure out what is going on with that stupid octopus!

With a solid start, this comic easily captures the reader's attention. The script convinces me, it has attractive but not very innovative ideas from what is seen in this first volume, although it leaves many questions open, the end is an open door to many more possibilities. I am eager to see where all this is going.

Full review published in my blog (April 27): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2020/04/comic-something-is-killing-children-vol.html

The children of Archer’s Peak are disappearing... and a mysterious monster hunter named Erica Slaughter is the only person who can help. Why? Because she and the children are the only ones who can see the monsters. A secret society, shadows only those who believe can see.. I can’t wait to see how the story continues and hopefully learn more about Erica’s backstory! The graphics were also really cool!

I fell into this graphic novel headfirst! I loved how it jumped right into the action. I was annoyed by the black & white because it’s hard to read, but I found out the issues are in color so maybe it was just my ARC from netgalley that has no color.

Didn’t love all the cussing. I realize it’s an action heavy story and stuff is going down, but I personally don’t need so much swearing.

It’s definitely a story that keeps you wanting more. I didn’t think I would be engrossed so quickly but I was. Character backgrounds are smoothly introduced and believable. Artwork is excellent. I can’t wait to read more, and I hope the plot doesn’t get bogged down with multiple issues. At some point the story naturally has to end, but of course, not yet!

I will re-read this volume to prep for the next one. Highly recommended for people who like a moderate amount of scare with no demons.