31 Days of Halloween Comics: Something is killing the kids

Have you heard about it? Something is killing the children Comic? You probably did, it's one of the rare breakaway hits of the modern era. But in case you've been putting it off, Halloween is the perfect time to watch the hit BOOM! by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell'Edera! Studios book.

The premise is pretty simple, at least at first. Erica Slaughter is a wide-eyed, masked monster murderer who travels from town to town trying to prevent the event mentioned in the book. Sounds like Buffy the Vampire Slayeror a million other supernatural shows, right? Well, in a way it is. Tynion and Dell'Edera aren't reinventing the wheel here. But what they do is improve it.

The book's slow, relaxed pace is all about focusing on the real cost of these monsters and the children (and adults) they slaughter. Erica feels every single death, even when she probably shouldn't. Her job is often shades of gray: using a child as bait or betraying an adult to save another. She can't form bonds like a Buffy because those people just die. All there is is the mission to kill the next monster.

…But of course that's not entirely true. And over the course of this book, we learn step by step how Erica's origins began, which people she was connected to and why she is on the run. We are also expanding the world of the book exponentially through one-shots and the equally excellent spin-off series House of Slaughter.

While Tynion lays this all out methodically, enough cannot be said about Dell'Edera's incredible art. His precise, semi-realistic style is complemented by monsters that look like shadows come to life, straight out of a nightmare. And the whole book wouldn't work with Erica Slaughter's iconic silhouette. It's a beautiful book to look at, even as you watch children being torn apart.

There is one much of versions of Something is killing the children So I recommend just starting with Volume 1. It contains the first five issues. And while it's a quick read, you'll also quickly find it haunting your dreams. Something could be killing the children, von Tynion and Dell'Edera are killing it with this book.

It's spooky season, and you know what that means: time to curl up with a comic or graphic novel that will terrify you. That's why we're releasing a new horror book to try every day in October as part of our 31 Days Of Halloween Comics. Awoooo! Looking for the rest of our selection? Check these out on Halloween Day.

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