I remember only just a few years ago when the name James Tynion IV popped up on a weekly Batman comic co-written by Scott Snyder. I was really big into Snyder’s Batman run, and this weekly series was pretty ambitious. I don’t remember having read much by Tynion before that, so this must have been a trial by fire! Now, the output he’s had since then has been astounding. Not just the number of comics, but the quality has been mindbogglingly genius. Something Is Killing the Children is a horror story. It’s an awful, horrible story of children being ripped apart, but there is more heart in this series than most straight-up dramas.

In this second major story arc, we’re coming to find out how Erica Slaughter became part of the Order of St. George, and young Erica is just as badass and amazing as older, trained monster killer Erica. She’s traumatized, but she’s a damn fighter. On top of that, we’re also getting to know her mentor Jessica. Jessica is breaking all the rules to bring young Erica in, and every step of the way is amazing. All of these characters are breathtakingly badass in their own ways… I guess you’d have to be to kill monsters!

Dell’edera’s art is simply breathtaking. In even the smallest moments, he finds conflict and sparks curiosity. He knows where to “angle the camera” to draw us into the moment.

This series is one of the most compelling stories around, both on a story level and a visceral level. There will never not be a reason to read this.

 
Creative Team: James Tynion IV (writer), Werther Dell’edera (artist), Miquel Muerto (colors), Andworld Design (letters), Michelle Ankley (designer), Eric Harburn (editor), Assistant Editor (Gwen Waller)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
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