Thank you to IDW and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Some graphic novels strength is in the art. Some, the writing. The truly great ones excel in both and Patrick Horvath's Beneath the Trees certainly fits into that category. Fantastic work.

Thank you to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for providing a review copy of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees in exchange for my honest opinion.

**4 Stars**

Spoilers throughout this review.

I got a bit more than I bargained for with Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath. The first few pages introduced Woodbrook as a sleepy town with eccentric and comforting animal characters on par with Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow residents. I originally thought the book would be a campy horror poking fun at the idea of murderers who look like children’s book characters. When the intro felt like it was leaning into a comfy and cozy mystery vibe instead, I was still excited to read on.

But then we veered off into Dexter-level gore territory. It was a shock.*

I’m chalking up most of the dislike I have for Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees to user-error. It’s ultimately a comic about a serial killer who kills animals. I should have considered the book may be off-putting for me because I hate any kind of animal abuse or animal death in any form of media. We’re talking; I’m covering my ears and singing la-la-la-la until my bestie fast forwards through the scene level of avoidance. So, take my review with a grain of salt if that topic is not as big of a factor for you.

In spite of everything I just said, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees was way too short. The main story was able to be resolved, but I had so many more questions about Samantha and why she started killing? What was her back story? There were a ton of interesting characters like the cat who slept with a stuffed figure with interchangeable heads. I really wanted to know the circumstances leading to that decision. I was also hoping to see more of how the town worked and the hierarchies between the citizen animals and their normal counterpart animals. Like does the pig lady feel empathy or fear when she looks into the butcher shop window and sees pig heads on display? Or is she so secure in her civility that the animal is… just an animal to her? I’m absolutely fascinated. These and many other questions are still circling in my mind days after reading. I hope Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees continues with further volumes to explore more residents and their secrets.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is a terrifically and precisely executed comic that kept me turning the pages long after I would’ve stopped. I deeply respect the author’s skill and creativity in crafting this story even though I’m not its ideal audience. Fans of a good grisly serial killer story like Killing Eve and Dexter will love Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees’ cute twist on murder old as time.

*I regularly consume true crime media and horror movies. It wasn’t the violent content that bothered me, so much as it being in the context of picture-book-style animal illustrations and the level of detail.

What’s so interesting about <it>Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees</i> is that it genuinely elicits a collective experience of abject bafflement. Readers finish this introduction to Patrick Horvath’s world and main character just a little bit she’ll shocked at the story they have just finished. Fortunately for Horvath and the tale in question, readers also exit this book rather curious to know what will happen next.

For me, the weirdest aspect of this book is the dichotomy of the subject matter alongside the artwork which, at times, feels like it belongs in a middlegrade book. With that said, the illustrations are superb, the story pace is exceptional, and though the content isn’t my typical read the characters and plot remain deeply engaging.

This is certainly a story path I’ll be interested to see play out.

I love that horror/suspense graphic novels are being published more frequently. There is definitely a demand. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees was high on my list and it certainly delivered. The story kept me on my toes and the artwork provided an unusual atmosphere which made the story even more appealing.

I really loved the art style of this book. The art is what drew me in to begin with, but the story did not disappoint. I enjoyed the story from the very first page.

The initial vibe of this graphic novel really let me think it was going to be a completely different vibe to what it was. I ended up shocked but it was totally worth it. I had a lot of fun reading the story and wondering what was going to happen next. Very twisty and twisted.

this was okay for the most part. I wanted to know more about Sam and how she got where she was mindset wise. I felt that story was lacking and I
wish there was more to it. I love the character design and the setting.

This was such a neat comic! I loved the duality of the art style and the plot. The pastel-ish colors and cutesy cartoon animals contrasted with the brutality of the murders and duplicity of the characters was fantastic.

This one was creepy and beautifully illustrated. I cannot speak to it other than that because you should just read it yourself!
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC

I'm not sure if there was supposed to be a deeper symbolism to the fact that everyone was an animal or if it was just a stylistic choice for the cartoonist. Over all this was an entertaining story but not deeply compelling

I really enjoyed the contrast of cozy art to the plot elements. I can see why this wouldn't be for everybody, but I really thought it was great, and I hope to start seeing more like it out there. Patrick will be an instant read going forward!

I completely forgot what this story was about when I finally got around to reading it, so boy was I shocked with the content, especially when I got to the graphic bits. I really enjoyed this because of the cozy and gory vibes. The media (Dexter and Busytown) the publishers compared this story to were spot-on. It kind of gave me the same vibes as I Hate Fairyland but less deranged 😂 This poor town, though. Poor Bertie and Martin. I also didn’t see that plot twist coming at all. Holy moly. Things got real intense. If this is a series, I will most likely continue it because I’m really curious what happens next, plus I just really loved the vibes.
4.5 Stars

This was hands down one of the best graphic novels I've read in a long time! A story about murders in a small town are a dime a dozen, but what sets this one apart is that it featured anthropomorphized animals, which made it so uncomfortable and delightfully gruesome! I could not guess at any time where the story was going or how certain plot points would pan out, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Perfect for fans of shows like Dexter or Fargo!

An idyllic small town populated by cute animals is thrown into turmoil when two of its residents are gorily dispatched by a psycho.

I’m not giving away anything else, but just know that, as Clarice Starling handily discovered, sometimes it takes a killer to catch a killer.

I found the mix of sweet innocence, and dripping intestines to be nearly irresistible, but then my tastes run to the “sorta weird” zone.

If the idea of adorable critters gettin’ stabby-stabby bothers you, stay away from this disturbing book.

I may of entered a genre that is not for me BUT it was still interesting.

In a small town, filled with talking animals, there is a bear named Samantha. She keeps to herself and always handles her business, murdering people, out of town. Then comes one day when someone else takes to murdering the people in her town. She’s not a fan and is out for revenge before she gets caught because of them.

I thought perhaps this graphic novel would be a little more cutesy than it was. This is definitely a horror book. My bad. I was still intrigued by the story and interested to see where it went. I would have enjoyed it a little more if there was a reason to like Samantha but not much stuck out to me. Wild that a book would want you to like a serial killer, I know.

Overall if you’re into horror you’ll definitely enjoy this! It was a fun short story with a unique art style.

Thank you for the ARC provided by NetGalley!

While the story feels like an episode of Dexter, the depiction of these characters as cuddly woodland creatures gives it a spark of novelty while also making a point that even the most innocent looking places hold danger.

A story of a serial killer with competition is one a thousand stories have told before, but the use of illustration to mix childhood whimsy with the very real graphic and messy reality of a murderer is something that is fresh and gripping. Definitely a must read for fans of shows like Dexter!

Samantha Strong, small-town serial killer and beloved brown bear, lives by one rule: keep the peace in Woodbrook. She’s built a cozy life and business among friendly animal neighbors, surrounded by cedar trees and the scent of fresh apple pie. So when a local meets a grisly end, Sam is determined to catch the culprit before the town unravels.

This was one of the most chilling stories I have read. The contrast between the cute animals and the bloody murders was jarring. I recommend this book to horror fanatics with a strong stomach.

10/24/2024 || Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath || #BeneaththeTreesWhereNobodySees #NetGalley #GraphicNovel #Horror

Thank you NetGalley, Patrick Horvath, and IDW Publishing for making this e-ARC available!

Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author and myself.
All of my thoughts are my own~

3.5 Stars
⭐⭐⭐💫
This one proved difficult for me to rate. I loved the first half- getting to know Samantha and some of the residents of Woodbrook was so fun. But once the reveal hit, I felt like things went too fast and were too quick. Should have been a longer serialization.

What worked for me:
The artwork slowly grew on me and I really enjoyed the level of gore the comic was not afraid to show. The stark contrast between the happy, soft greenery and overall gentle vibes at first with the gore, death, and darkness was so unsettling but also sooooo good. Like a good scratch in the brain if you know what I mean. I loved the concept and plot mostly, and felt like the first half was very well done and executed! I loved getting to know Samantha Strong slowly and also getting to know some of the other residents of Woodbrook. Finding out some of them were harboring odd secrets of their own and their individual personalities is what really makes stories like this shine.

What did not work for me:
I'm not sure if it is because I read a continuous omnibus version (so one collected version) vs. reading the installments one by one over time, but the over all reveal and climax was too fast-paced for my liking- meaning, once we learned who was doing the other killings inside Woodbrook, everything seemed to move at super sonic speed. I wanted to spend more time getting to know more of the residents of Woodbrook and I was frustrated with the fact we got that in the first half, but immediately we wrapped up and got to the end during the second half. I did not feel satisfied, I did not feel like I fully understood why the other killer was the way they were. Their motives seemed to make some sense, but not enough. The other killer did not convince me as a killer of any sort - the deaths seemed super gruesome but the personality of the individual did not fully match up to the level of the deaths and how the deaths were left to be discovered. I wanted a more deranged person who would fill me with dread and all we got was....what we got. Fell very very very flat for me.

Conclusion:
To be fair, I get why an author would be fast to finish up a new project- people's attention span has shrank so drastically that its a risk to make something more drawn out. Big TV shows with great ratings are canceled everyday for no apparent reason and it sucks. But I say this with the utmost sincerity- this comic could have been longer and if it had been longer, with more deaths, more visiting the residents to get to know them deeper and better, having more time to get to know the deeper parts of Samantha Strong, and slowly discovering who the other killer was would have made this a full 5 star read for me!

For being a graphic novel with cute, pastel characters and artwork, Beneath the Trees is terrifying. I had the heebie jeebies the entire time I was reading and I had to do something else after finishing before I could settle down enough to go to bed. Don’t let this sound like a negative review though; I enjoyed every chapter of this book. This is exactly what the genre needs to keep reinventing itself.