I thought this was a fantastic graphic novel and very much reminded me of Dexter but with cute animals but just as much gore in a picture book style. I can't wait to see more character development in the next volume.

Sam, the bear works in a hardware store and is loved by the residents of Woodbrook where nothing bad seems to happen until a series of gruesome murders start. Everyone starts pointing fingers, then Sam is a suspect and she knows better than to murder in her own town. Now she has to find out who the real murderer is...

I'm absolutely fucking loving this trope emerging in comics of cutesy art mixed with gory storytelling. I can't wait to buy and reread it every spooky season!

I'm always into comic books that venture into dark and mature themes. At the same time, I'm not incredibly keen on stories told from serial killer pov's as they are often written just to be edgy and I'm not particularly interested in this particular point of view. I thought Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees might be a little different because the characters are anthropomorphic animals, so I expected everything to veer more into the absurd (which is much more to my liking). Imagine my disappointment when it became clear that I was getting a less dramatic version of Dexter. The story completely fails as a whodunit (cause who indeed dun it is fully random and out of the blue, with no tangible setup to speak of) and everything else about it is frankly not very exciting.

The one thing I found VERY interesting was the anthro-animals existing alongside animals as we know them: a pig lady looking at pork in a butcher shop, Sam being confronted with a wild bear... It seems like Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees has something to say about the arbitrary nature of who we assign/deny subjecthood, the absolute absurdity of thinking that some creatures exist solely for us - even though the imagery was probably used more to illustrate how we all are animals in the end which I find fairly reductive and irrelevant as long as culture beats us into a shape as far from our "nature" as possible, but I digress.

Ultimately, I just didn't like Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees very much. It wasn't weird enough for my liking and the one aspect that could've been incredibly interesting was left half-baked. My highlight were the INCREDIBLE variant covers shown at the end, these were great imo. Apart from that, I didn't get much out of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, and I honestly don't know who to recommend it to.

<i>***I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review*** </i>

oh my oh my oh my—i admit i only read the tags and genres, not the blurb neither did i inspect the cover closely. aaand i was taken aback. i expected a cosy mystery and got serial-killing critters.

the story is creepy and nicely written; i got the heebie jeebies first on till the end. it honestly made me sad too :(
the art is lovely, reminiscent of old, cosy illustrations. but that is subverted and the horror of the whole premise adds to it very, very well.

certainly recommend it everyone who loves to cosy up with gruesome murder stories <3

⊹ . ⋆ ☽ ⋆ . ➶

Posted on Goodreads:

5⭐️

What a delightful horrific cozy horror graphic novel. Left me all warm and traumatized.

Samantha Strong is a just a girl, a serial killer girl who ventures into the city to find a victim to take out into the forest and do things to them. Disturbing things. All to quiet the voice in her head.

She lives in the boring quiet town of Woodbrook where she has one big rule, do not kill the locals. And she’s been following this rule for decades….that is until someone starts killing the locals and she starts investigating to get to the bottom of things.

The artwork was so darn cute it was messing with me. But I absolutely enjoyed everything about this read.

Thank you netgalley, idw publishing and Patrick Horvath and artists for the opportunity to read this gem.

Delightfully twisted! This has the small-town charm of Gilmore Girls, the cozy animal characters akin to Winnie the Pooh, and the deranged serial killer vibes of Dexter all mixed into a beautiful (and tastefully gory) graphic novel.

Story: 4.5/5

I don't think I have ever ready a cozy killer graphic novel, but I oddly loved it! We follow Sam, a bear that works at a hardware story in a Gilmore Girls-style town with anthropomorphic animal residents. Sam has a dark secret that she keeps hidden far away from her quaint hometown. That is, until a cold-blooded murder stirs up the secrets Sam works very hard to conceal.

Artwork: 5/5

The illustrations are adorable in one pane, and gruesome in the next! The juxtaposition of cute, children's story-like artwork alongside a murder scene is jarring in the best of ways. I enjoyed the contrast that both the artwork and the story provided SO much.

This was such a unique story that will satisfy those that love cuddly characters and dark stories alike.

Thank you to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this graphic novel.

This might be the BEST graphic novel I’ve read. The story was compelling, the art was stunning, the gore/violence was (in my opinion) tastefully done. Jarring enough to be disturbed but not turned off entirely from the story.

I knew I would like this… but LOVE it?!
The premise sounded incredible. A murderous bear with Dexter vibes solving murders in her own town?

If you enjoyed Dexter, are interested in serial killers or morally grey (let’s be honest— sociopathic) main characters. This is a graphic novel for you.

5⭐️ (hands down)

Samantha is an adorable bear, the owner of the local hardware store, and a serial killer. She keeps her killing business in the city so that she can spend her time in the cozy town of Woodbrook relaxing. On the day of the town parade, a body is found on one of the parade floats and the town is plagued by its own serial killer trying to get Samantha's attention. She has to figure out who is going after the locals before the sheriff catches on to her own illegal activities. The art is mostly cute, but it can also be pretty grisly. There is a lot of interesting juxtaposition between the cute animals and the horrific acts, as well as between the anthropomorphic animals and the usual animals. I think I would have enjoyed the story a bit more if there had been a little bit more to the mystery, but it was still an interesting tale. The subject matter is quite dark, so this will be a good one for fans of Dexter or Hannibal.

This is certainly a great primer for fall and spooky season. With the juxtaposition of the friendly animal community reminiscent of children's books against the serial killer cat and mouse game, this is a new take on the slasher trope that any horror fan would find fresh. While the plot itself may not reach into anything we haven't seen before, I think the biggest draw for this story is the way that it's told rather than what it says. The artistic direction is what really drives this work. I think anyone looking for a fun remix in the horror genre would find this an enjoyable read.

Ever wonder if zootopia had a dark side? Or if Dexter was a furry? This graphic novel satisfies both of those. We have Sam, a well know lovable citizen of Woodbrook with that holds a dark secret, a dark passager per se. She hides this well until someone new comes and fucks with her peceful town. It was amazing. A thrill of a ride and the beauftiful and descriptive art is *mwah* chef's kiss. This was a very anticipated read for me and I got the opportunity to read it thanks to NetGalley. And if you haven't read this, what are you waiting on?

A psychological, gruesome illustrated book with cute animals. I feel like these books are filling the market more and more. The art was really well done, and by that I mean, it was really gory and creepy. The panels did get creative at times in a way that worked. The author did really well on the characters, but some of the scenes weren’t as good. Each of the characters were pretty compelling for just really being archetypes of small town folks. There weren’t too many redirects or red herons which I enjoyed. However, I always question when an author includes both animals and anthropomorphic animals in their world. In this case, the difference did come in to play but I did think the message missed the mark. A few scenes in book three I really did not get the important to the plot.

Received an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

A truly inspired mashup with exquisite art and a captivating serial killer story, this delightful graphic novel lives up to its clever premise.

This was a 5 ⭐ graphic novel for me!! Picture your favorite horror movie mixed with Animal Crossing!!! It had absolutely everything I have been hunting for in a GN, it's gruesome, bloody, and has cute animals just killing away!

"I've buried forty-three people out here and in over twenty years no one has ever been the wiser, expect for Mother Nature. Nobody ever fools her.".

I cannot wait to check out the rest of the series since this one hit the jackpot. I will 10,000000000% be purchasing this in physical copy! Thank you so much to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for sending me this ARC and letting me review it! Best adult GN I've read to date!

Who knew a book about a serial killer living in a town of cute and cuddly creatures could be so enjoyable? Just the right amount of gore, sarcasm, and cuteness. With multiple twists that I never saw coming, I couldn't put this book down until I reached the end. Hoping this is the beginning of a long, successful series.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
3.5 stars.

If you like twisted stories and stuff about serials killers, then this could definitely be for you. Unfortunately, it was not for me. The juxtaposition of the appealing and almost cutesy art style with the graphic, morbid, and confronting content of the story, was a bit too far for me. If I attempt to look past those uncomfortable things, it was a pretty decent story, but the sort of story where there's not actually any development by the end. A serial killer slice of life where the serial killer is an anthropomorphised bear? That's what it is.

Patrick Horvath’s debut graphic novel introduces us to the quirky town of Woodbrook, where adorable anthropomorphic animals live side by side. Enter Samantha Strong, a serial killer with a heart of gold (and fur). Here’s the scoop:

Pros:
Charming Setting: Imagine Richard Scarry’s Busy Town, but with a dark twist. The cozy atmosphere, cedar-scented air, and freshly baked apple pie create an inviting backdrop.
Adorable Characters: From the upstanding citizen bear to the quirky animal folk, the cast is endearing and memorable.
Juxtaposition: Soft, cutesy art clashes brilliantly with moments of extreme violence, making the impact even more jarring.

Cons:
Pacing Hiccups: While the story flows well overall, there are occasional speed bumps. But that’s not the main reason for the 4-star rating.

Beyond pacing, it’s the unexpected depth that steals the show. Horvath weaves humor, mystery, and heart into a tale that transcends its cozy exterior. So, grab your detective hat and join Sam as she hunts down a rival killer - just don’t disturb the peace

I really enjoyed this story! It was really amazing too see how beautiful all the drawings were. It was very cutesy but also graphic, a lot of blood 😂

I found it interesting all the mystery and how the main character tried to solve it.

A really nice read 😄

It was well-written and the art furthered the story and themes seamlessly. I didn’t love it, but I’m not big on serial killer stuff and I found our senior serial killer’s straight-line precision dismemberment deeply disturbing.

I had a lot of fun reading this. Interesting take on a murder mystery. It is like Dexter meets the Hundred Acre Woods.

4 stars

This was so fun, shocking and unhinged! This graphic novel is a mix of “Shady Hollow” and “beautiful darkness.” I really enjoyed the art style and plot. The only reason it’s not five stars is because I found it a little predictable, but I still really, really enjoyed it!