Something Is Killing the Children
| Something Is Killing the Children | |
|---|---|
 Cover to Something Is Killing the Children #1 by Werther Dell'Edera (art) & Giovanna Niro (colors) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Boom! Studios |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | September 4, 2019 |
| No. of issues | 41 (42, including issue 0) |
| Main character(s) | Erica Slaughter |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | James Tynion IV |
| Artist(s) |
|
| Letterer(s) | Andworld Design |
| Colorist(s) | Miquel Muerto |
| Editor(s) |
|
Something Is Killing the Children is an ongoing comic book series created by writer James Tynion IV and artist Werther Dell'Edera, published monthly by Boom! Studios beginning on September 4, 2019.[1]
The story starts In an otherwise quiet town where children start to go missing, hope dwindles as most never return. Those who do share chilling tales of terrifying creatures lurking in the shadows—monsters only the children can see. Their salvation comes with the arrival of Erica Slaughter, a mysterious stranger who believes their stories and has dedicated her life to killing these monsters, no matter the cost.
Plot Summary
[edit]In the quiet town of Archer’s Peak, children begin to vanish and turn up dead, their bodies mutilated in horrific ways. The surviving children speak of horrifying monsters—but the adults can’t seem to see them and refuse to believe such creatures exist. One boy, James, narrowly escapes an attack that kills his friends, becoming a key witness to something the town and its authorities can’t comprehend.
Into the chaos steps Erica Slaughter, a mysterious, stoic woman with pale blond hair, big green eyes, and a small stuffed octopus named Octo that talks—but only to her. Erica is a hunter from a secret organization known as the Order of St. George, specifically a faction within it called the House of Slaughter, which trains children to fight monsters. These monsters, Erica explains, are very real—creatures that feed on fear and prey on children, and only children can see them.
As Erica investigates, she discovers the monster in Archer’s Peak is a Type 5 Oscuratype, a particularly dangerous breed that has spawned multiple offspring. She sets out to eliminate them all with help from James and a few sympathetic locals. However, the more people get involved, the more dangerous things become. The Order is ruthless about protecting its secrecy, and they consider wiping out the entire town to cover up the truth. Erica defies her superiors to protect the survivors, leading to tension with the organization.
As the series progresses, we’re shown Erica’s past: she was once a child survivor of a monster attack herself, one that led to the brutal death of her parents. Traumatized and filled with rage after nearly killing the monster herself before an agent of the House of Slaughter shows up to finish it off, she was recruited into the House of Slaughter, trained to hunt monsters, and conditioned to obey the Order’s harsh rules. Her handler and closest friend, Aaron Slaughter, helped her navigate this brutal system.
After barely surviving Archer’s Peak and disobeying orders which leads to her expulsion from the organization, Erica becomes a rogue agent, hunted by the very organization that raised her. She continues to track monsters across the country while uncovering dark truths about the Order itself.
Publication history
[edit]Something Is Killing the Children was announced as a five-issue limited series by BOOM! Studios in June 2019.[2] In August 2019, ahead of the release of its first issue, it was announced that the series had been promoted to ongoing due to "overwhelming early support from retailers and fans".[3] In June 2020, the series was nominated for Best New Series at the 2020 Eisner Awards, which was Tynion's first nomination.[4][5]
Spinoff titles
[edit]In May 2021, BOOM! Studios released the one-shot Enter the House of Slaughter as a part of Free Comic Book Day.[6] It functioned as an introduction to the series House of Slaughter,[7] which explores the secret Order of St. George that forged Erica Slaughter into a monster hunter.[8]
On December 28, 2022, the oversized one-shot Book of Slaughter was published. This was the first in the Books of Slaughter series,[9][10] which focuses on Maxine Slaughter as she transitions from White Mask to Black. It was followed by two more installments, Book of Butcher on December 27, 2023,[11] and Book of Cutter on January 29, 2025.[12]
The short story, "A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar," is currently being serialized in the horror anthology Hello Darkness. The first part appeared in issue #1, July 24, 2024.[13]
Art book
[edit]In December 2024, to celebrate the series' first five years, BOOM! Studios published The Art of Something Is Killing the Children. The book explored the creation of the seven arcs spanning issues #1–35 with creators Tynion and Dell'Edera interviewing each other throughout.[14]
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Organization | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Eisner Awards[4] | Best New Series | Nominated |
| 2020 | Harvey Awards[15] | Book of the Year | Nominated |
| 2021 | Eisner Awards[16] | Best Writer | Won |
| 2022 | Eisner Awards[17] | Best Writer | Won |
| 2022 | Eisner Awards[17] | Best Continuing Series | Won |
| 2022 | Bram Stoker Awards[18] | Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel | Nominated |
| 2022 | Ringo Awards[19] | Best Series | Won |
| 2022 | Ringo Awards[19] | Best Single Issue (#20) | Won |
Reception and sales
[edit]The first 20 issues of the comic book series sold over 2 million copies within the span of 2 years from its initial release in 2019 as announced by Boom! Studios’ president of publishing and marketing—Filip Sablik at ComicsPRO’s annual conference in 2022.[20]
All 42 released issues of the comic book series including the one-shot issue 0 have gotten a positive review from the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, holding a strong average critic rating of 8.9 out of 10 for 253 reviews, and a slightly lower average user rating of 8.5 out of 10 for 888 reviews.[21]
| Reception and sales for issues of Something Is Killing the Children | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Publication date | Comic Book Roundup rating[22] | North American retailer sales (first month) | ||
| #1 | September 4, 2019 | 9.3 by 19 professional critics | 33,648[23] | ||
| #2 | October 16, 2019 | 8.8 by 13 professional critics | 24,644[24] | ||
| #3 | November 20, 2019 | 8.5 by 9 professional critics | 17,353[25] | ||
| #4 | December 11, 2019 | 8.8 by 7 professional critics | 16,079[26] | ||
| #5 | January 29, 2020 | 8.4 by 9 professional critics | 14,047[27] | ||
| #6 | March 18, 2020 | 8.5 by 6 professional critics | 14,365[28] | ||
| #7 | June 10, 2020 | 8.9 by 6 professional critics | Data not yet available | ||
| #8 | July 8, 2020 | 8.8 by 10 professional critics | |||
| #9 | August 12, 2020 | 9.0 by 7 professional critics | |||
| #10 | September 9, 2020 | 9.2 by 5 professional critics | 20,000–25,000[29] | ||
| #11 | October 21, 2020 | 8.7 by 5 professional critics | 39,000–47,000[30] | ||
| #12 | November 18, 2020 | 8.8 by 7 professional critics | Data not yet available | ||
| #13 | December 23, 2020 | 9.1 by 3 professional critics | |||
| #14 | January 27, 2021 | 9.2 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #15 | February 24, 2021 | 8.8 by 7 professional critics | |||
| #16 | May 26, 2021 | 9.1 by 7 professional critics | |||
| #17 | June 23, 2021 | 9.2 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #18 | July 28, 2021 | 9.1 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #19 | August 25, 2021 | 9.2 by 4 professional critics | |||
| #20 | September 22, 2021 | 9.4 by 4 professional critics | 57,097[31] | ||
| #21 | March 30, 2022 | 8.6 by 4 professional critics | 124,002[32][a] | ||
| #22 | April 27, 2022 | 9.2 by 4 professional critics | 63,473[33][a] | ||
| #23 | May 25, 2022 | 8.3 by 3 professional critics | Data not yet available | ||
| #24 | June 22, 2022 | 8.3 by 5 professional critics | Data not yet available | ||
| #25 | July 27, 2022 | 9.3 by 4 professional critics | Data not yet available | ||
| #26 | November 16, 2022 | 7.8 by 4 professional critics | |||
| #27 | December 21, 2022 | 8.5 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #28 | January 11, 2023 | 9.1 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #29 | February 22, 2023 | 8.2 by 4 professional critics | |||
| #30 | March 29, 2023 | 8.7 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #31 | July 19, 2023 | 8.5 by 7 professional critics | |||
| #32 | August 16, 2023 | 8.9 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #33 | September 20, 2023 | 8.5 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #34 | October 25, 2023 | 9.8 by 3 professional critics | |||
| #35 | November 29, 2023 | 9.2 by 3 professional critics | |||
| #36 | April 24, 2024 | 9.1 by 6 professional critics | |||
| #37 | May 22, 2024 | 9.4 by 6 professional critics | |||
| #38 | June 26, 2024 | 7.9 by 4 professional critics | |||
| #39 | July 24, 2024 | 9.1 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #40 | August 28, 2024 | 9.8 by 5 professional critics | |||
| #0 | November 6, 2024 | 9.3 by 4 professional critics | |||
| #41 | April 30, 2025 | ||||
| #42 | May 28, 2025 | ||||
Collected editions
[edit]| Collected editions of Something Is Killing the Children | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume One | Something Is Killing the Children #1–5 | June 25, 2020 | ISBN 9781684155583 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume Two | Something Is Killing the Children #6–10 | December 1, 2020 | ISBN 9781684156498 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume Three | Something Is Killing the Children #11–15 | June 15, 2021 | ISBN 9781684157075 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume Four | Something Is Killing the Children #16–20 | January 11, 2022 | ISBN 9781684158041 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume Five | Something Is Killing the Children #21–25 | October 18, 2022 | ISBN 9781684158539 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume Six | Something Is Killing the Children #26–30 | June 14, 2023 | ISBN 9781684159031 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume Seven | Something Is Killing the Children #31–35 | February 14, 2024[34] | ISBN 9781608861484 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume Eight | Something Is Killing the Children #36–40 | October 30, 2024 | ISBN 9781684156283 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Volume Nine | Something Is Killing the Children #41–45 | Scheduled for July 1, 2025 |
ISBN 9798892153683 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Book One | Something Is Killing the Children #1–15 | November 16, 2021 | ISBN 9781684157648 |
| Something Is Killing the Children – Book Two | Something Is Killing the Children #21–35 | May 21, 2024 | ISBN 9781608862184 |
Adaptation
[edit]In 2021, a TV series adaptation was announced to be in development for Netflix with the same name.[35][36] In February 2023 it was announced that Dark and 1899 creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese had been hired to develop the adaptation after Mike Flanagan had departed due to creative differences.[37]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN". BOOM! Studios. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "BOOM! Announces New James Tynion IV Series Something Is Killing The Children with Artist Werther Dell'Edera". comicbook.com. June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "Something is Killing the Children is Now an Ongoing Series". previewsworld.com. August 20, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "2020 Eisner Awards Nominations". San Diego Comic-Con. 2 June 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "James Tynion IV on Twitter: "This is my first nomination ever at the Eisners. Some really nice news on a rough week."". Twitter. June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "FCBD 2021 ENTER THE SLAUGHTER". Free Comic Book Day. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "House of Slaughter". BOOM! Studios. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
- ^ "Something Is Killing The Children Spinoff Series House of Slaughter Revealed (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
- ^ "BOOK OF SLAUGHTER #1 Announcement". BOOM! Studios. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Books of Slaughter Vol. 1". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "BOOK OF BUTCHER #1 First Look". BOOM! Studios. 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
- ^ "Books of Slaughter (Book of Cutter)". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "HELLO DARKNESS #1 First Look". BOOM! Studios. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Tynion IV, James; Dell’Edera, Werther. "The Art of Something is Killing the Children". Simon & Schuster. BOOM! Studios. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Harvey Awards Reveal 2020 Nominees". Harvey Awards. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Eisner Award Winners Announced at Comic-Con". Comic Book Resources. 24 July 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ a b "2022 Eisner Award Winners Include Multiple Wins for James Tynion IV, Barry Windsor-Smith". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ "The 2022 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot – The Bram Stoker Awards". Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ a b "2022 Ringo Awards – Ringo Awards". Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ Comments, Rich Johnston | Last updated | (2022-02-24). "Something Is Killing The Children Sold 2 Million Copies In 2 Years". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ "Something is Killing the Children Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-26. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ "Something is Killing the Children (2019) Comic Series Reviews at ComicBookRoundUp.com". Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "September 2019 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "October 2019 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "November 2019 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "December 2019 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "January 2020 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "March 2020 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "September 2020 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ "October 2020 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ "September 2021 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ "March 2022 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ "April 2022 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ Announced upcoming release date.
- ^ "'Doctor Sleep' Filmmakers Tackling Hot Comic 'Something is Killing the Children' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ^ "Mike Flanagan No Longer Involved in Something Is Killing the Children Netflix Series". 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2023-02-23). "Netflix Re-Ups Overall Deal With 'Dark' Creators, Duo Board James Tynion Comic Series 'Something Is Killing The Children' With Boom! Studios". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-02-23.