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Something Is Killing The Children #14 Review

Another wild ride, this one somehow managing to pack more human emotion into the rollercoaster of action and explosive plot reveals. While the art has never refrained from being consistently gorgeous and impactful, the writing in this issue has prompted me to re-read several times. It was nice to see Tommy’s character stepping up, I’m hoping to see some dynamic development with his story whether his desperate ploy is successful or not. I’m also curious if the House of Slaughter gang will fleshed out more, but also fear the disappointment of them becoming cliché baddies.

Overall the issue is compelling, revealing, engaging and still horrifying. Newcomers and original fans of the series should all be satisfied with this entry, and awaiting the next in high anticipation.

REVIEW: Something Is Killing the Children #14 – Heroes, Heartbreak and Hope 1 — *Something Is Killing The Children #14, Courtesy of BOOM! Studios*

Something Is Killing The Children #14 Story

Issue 14 picks up right where we last left off-Octo, a.k.a. “Erica’s monster” has his true form revealed and it’s beautifully metaphoric: While other House of Slaughter children make their monsters into cute creatures, Erica has kept hers fierce as a reminder that Octo killed her parents. He is, in every possible way, Erica’s monster.

Erica is able to get James to reveal the monster’s origin from his imagination, and uses that to summon the creatures through Octo. Despite Octo’s unhelpful warning to Erica that she’s about to die, Erica insists she has some anger issues to work out. The reader is then treated to the visual delights of Erica opening an absolute can of whoop ass on the baby monsters. If you’re not envisioning this in film format, are you even paying attention? Of course, she is injured in the fight, and that’s where we leave her for now.

The series is always great at packing everything from grief and pain to action and gore into short, delicious bursts and this issue is no exception. As Erica reveals bombshells to James and Bian, we have the concurrent action of the townspeople still in the gym, surrounded by monsters and harangued by the unsympathetic House of Slaughter (HoS) cleaning crew. Tommy and his mother are faced with the reality of Sophie’s death as they are confronted by her brutally shredded body. Not only do we as the reader relive the horror in her mutilated face and dead eyes, the family’s grief is punctuated by a panel dedicated to their mother’s tears raining over Sophie’s corpse.

The HoS creeps give zero fucks about their feelings, however, warning Tommy he’s got two minutes to say his goodbyes and cough up his cell phone. Tommy uses the time wisely…to concoct a plan of confessing to the murders of all the town’s children so that HoS has nothing to clean up. While this sounds like a brilliant, albeit desperate, plan, HoS isn’t having it. The situation ends with a panel of of axe in hand and the declaration that there is a “cleaner way to handle this.” Not great news for the towns folk of Archers Peak!

REVIEW: Something Is Killing the Children #14 – Heroes, Heartbreak and Hope 2

REVIEW: Something Is Killing the Children #14 – Heroes, Heartbreak and Hope 3

Something Is Killing The Children #14 Art

Any discussion of this series would be remiss if the art wasn’t mentioned. As always, Werther Dell’Edera’s work in this issue remains strictly in the “please create merch and take all my money” level category. My only comment is sometimes it’s possibly too dark in the unrelenting use of blacks and dark blues during peak action.

If you’ve ever watched a horror flick and wished you could see what’s happening the evening forest just a little bit better, the same is true watching Erica slash and hack her way through the monsters. That being said, the content of the story is obviously extremely bleak and perhaps some things are better left in both the literal dark and the mental shadows.

Something Is Killing The Children #14 Conclusion

So what’s next for our favorite Slaughter and the people of Archer’s Peak? Maybe we’ll get a Game of Thrones level shocker and the HoS crew will dispatch of the entire town…doubtful, but fun to consider. Perhaps the monsters will eat everyone, end series. I do have a suspicion that Octo is going to betray Erica at a crucial moment, so let’s keep an eye on the little creep.

Pick up Something Is Killing The Children #14 from your local comic shop.

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