Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 (Something is Killing the Children #1)

Jayson

Rating: really liked it
(A-) 80% | Very Good
Notes: Creepy talking, page-turn shocking, lore is lean: it's often-mundane meeting scenes, or gore galore, scant in-between.

Anne

Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars

What the Fuck is Killing the Children?!
Something.



I've been hearing about this comic forever. Brag, brag, brag, went my friends when they talked about it. So when I finally got the chance to read it? Well, I was a tiny bit nervous that it had been overhyped and I would expect too much.
But it was actually a really cool story.
About monsters.
Killing children. <--Muahahaha!
Why does that make me so gleeful? No idea. But we're just going to ignore that and move on.



Monsters being hunted by monster hunters isn't really anything new. So, it isn't that this is some crazy genre-ripping ride. It's just very well written and has characters that come off the page in interesting ways.
And it doesn't hurt that the art is kind of perfect for the story.



And what's up with BOOM!? This publisher is suddenly all over my radar, just cranking out some incredible comics right now. If you haven't looked at their stuff, you may want to take a gander at these guys. I'm lucky that I have a group of friends who basically take me by the shoulders and point me towards great stories that I never would have found without their help.



Lots of fun & Highly Recommended!

Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin

Rating: really liked it
This graphic novel was awesome! I’m going to have to buy the paperback when I can!! I’m already stoked for the second vol coming out in December!! I’m getting the one graphic framed. The graphics are pretty simple I guess I would say, but I love it!







Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Tina Haigler

Rating: really liked it
I generously received this as an ARC from Netgalley for review. Thank you so much!

Honestly guys, I had no idea what to expect, and I was a little worried. I love horror, but typically I do not handle things involving kids very well. Was this going to be a gorefest? I really hoped not, but I prepared myself for it anyway. Did the author take a different route? A psychological thriller perhaps? Would it be a man instead of a monster? Was it going to be a slow burn, or would it jump into the story pretty much right away? I couldn't wait to find out.

Well friends, I'm happy to say, this was superb! I read it as soon as I got it, and it did not disappoint! What fun! I didn't have to sift through pages and pages of background info, bored out of my mind. It only took a few pages for the action to begin. The story was intriguing, and it was paced so that I didn't get bombarded with information. I got just enough to keep me interested, while also making me want to pick up the future volumes that I'm sure will go deeper into the mythology as the series goes on. The art was very pleasing to the eye, and the color was gorgeous. The lines were sharp when necessary but muted in other places, thereby controlling the scenes and how they were seen by the eye. I never got the different characters mixed up, or panels confused, and the dark tone of the colors matched this story perfectly. The whole book was absolutely wonderful.

I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone who loves the horror genre, in all its forms. I believe this is appropriate for ages 13 and up.

Tim

Rating: really liked it
So, I am a horror fan, and as such I try to keep up with the genre in various formats, be it literature, film or comics. Comics tend to the be the one I keep up with the least, not because I don't like horror comics (I do), I just find it generally the least interesting of the three.

That said, I've heard so much hype for this series that I knew I was going to have to try it eventually. I mean, a horror nominated for an Eisner, consistently reviewed well by most professional critics and is apparently becoming a movie or series by the guy who directed Haunting of Hill House for Netflix. I'm interested…

Despite the hype though, I knew nothing of what this was about. I saw some images of a blond woman wearing a teeth mask and covered in blood. I assumed based on the title that it was about, well, something… and that said something was killing children. Was she the something? No clue.

Time to find out…



Holy hell, I liked this more than I expected. Yes, yes, I know. There was hype for a reason, and whatnot. No, this was better than I expected. The story is interesting, the world we're shown horrific, the art a wonderful combination of nice looking but unpolished (as opposed to the usual super hero everything sleek look many modern comics choose). This is everything I ask for in a horror series. I want to know what happens next, I want to know more about our characters and yes, damn it, I want to see more monster designs.

A wonderful horror series and one that I will assuredly continue. 4/5 stars

Sam Quixote

Rating: really liked it
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).

Bookishrealm

Rating: really liked it
If you're a fan of horror, I would definitely recommend checking out this series! 4.5 Stars

Prior to reading this trade, I had read the first two issues of the series. I was immediately enthralled with the concept that Tynion developed with this series. If you didn't know, it centers around a town where the children have been disappearing (more like being eaten alive) and a woman by the name of Erica Slaughter comes to town to take care of their monster problem. This comic is fast-paced and gruesome and quite difficult to read in some parts. I know that it is often compared to Stranger Things, but I haven't really watched enough of Stranger Things to give a definite comparison. The artwork is abstract in some areas which usually isn't my taste; however, it works very well for this story. When going into this trade, it's important to note that this is a set up for the plot and characters. There is A LOT that happens; however, I think that readers will end up with more questions than answers. Because of this, I think that it would be a great idea if you have the second trade available as soon as you finish this one. This comic is completely grotesque and full of gore; however, it's a compelling an interesting read and I highly recommend it.

emma

Rating: really liked it
This is a really good book to read if you like Stranger Things.

I don't really like Stranger Things, but I like spooky graphic novels with pretty art and female characters I can fall in love with, so this did the trick.

Bottom line: Not exactly my stuff, but good stuff all the same!

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pre-review

happy halloween (i'm celebrating starting now)

update: i recommend everyone give my strategy a try.

review to come / 3.5ish

destiny ♡ howling libraries

Rating: really liked it

Volume 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Volume 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Volume 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh, man, I loved this SO MUCH. My heart hurt for poor little James and everyone else in this town, but it's hard to focus for long on the tragedy of these missing and murdered children when this incredibly badass monster hunter, Erica Slaughter, arrives. I loved everything about her character and I seriously need to know more of her back story ASAP. Everything from her character design to her snarky attitude to her fearlessness in the face of monsters had me totally rooting for her and I can't wait to read more!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Chad

Rating: really liked it
I absolutely loved this. It's Tim Seeley's Imaginary Fiends crossed with a rated R Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The first five issues are pretty straight forward with little hints about larger worldbuilding to come. In a small town in Wisconsin, children are dying. Not only dying but being brutally ripped apart. Enter Erica Slaughter, a badass Goth Buffy going from town to town stopping monsters from killing children. Tynion knows his horror. He quickly sets the mood and a sense of dread hangs over the entire book.

Werther Dell'Edera's art reminds me of a less cartoony Tim Sale. He has a good use of shadow. It works really well with this book.

Received a review copy from Boom and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

Mel (Epic Reading)

Rating: really liked it
5/5 read. These first 5 comics will make up the trade paperback coming out soon (depending on distribution and printing given the virus situation we are all in).
This is one of my new fave series of the last year. It’s got intrigue, a lead gal, crazy scary monsters, dump police, a secret society (I think?), and missing children. I mean what more can you ask for? Oh yeah and girly uses knives and a chainsaw to fight. Yeah that’s right a chainsaw.
If you don’t like children being injured/killed or too much gore this may not be the series for you. If, like me, reading that made you think ‘sweet sign me up’ then you should grab this new horror series immediately. You’ll be on the cutting edge of what I think could be the next Walking Dead or Monstress series in popularity.

Side note: the bandana she wears is badass and I need a mask like it to wear when I’m getting groceries. —it’s odd two months ago I would have had people think I was nuts to cover my face to shop; now it’s standard procedure. *shakes head* And this is why we need fiction that is more horrific than reality... to keep us all sane. Because at least we aren’t living in a world of “something is killing the children”.

Sean Gibson

Rating: really liked it
Tynion is clearly aiming to usurp Snakes on a Plane’s coveted “Title That Tells You Exactly What’s Coming With Absolutely No Metaphorical Meaning Whatsoever” award, and he may just get it with this twisted, gory, violent, creepy tale of a grotesque monster (the titular “Something”) that is titularly Killing the titular Children (heh heh…I said “titular” like 37 times).

It's grim and dark, but it’s a fun read (which makes me sound sadistic, but, well, it is what it is). Looking forward to Vol. 2.

karen

Rating: really liked it
i'm finally starting to read this series and i already dig it.



review to come!

Dave Schaafsma

Rating: really liked it
Well, that title basically tells you all you need to know. In sleepy Archer's Peak, Wisconsin, something like 19 children are killed or missing, and Erica Slaughter is just in town because she kills monsters. It's very gorey, it's horror, it's super-hyped, it's 2020 Eisner Award nominated, It's your worst nightmare and we have no idea why it is happening. I was not that engaged, though maybe it will change. I doubt it.

Michelle

Rating: really liked it
I already want to stop everything on my TBR to run out and devour the rest of the series!