House of Slaughter #1
Simply put , Something Is Killing The Children has become a comic book force to be reckoned with. This world created by James Tynion IV has blossomed into something truly terrifying. Now with the addition of Tate Brombal to the team, it continues to be as riveting as ever. House of Slaughter #1 does a great job at both picking up where Something Is Killing The Children left off and setting a course down a new path of dynamic storytelling. While we are accustomed to facing the physical demons, House of Slaughter #1 focuses mostly on the demons you can’t see, the ones buried deep inside all of us.
Boom! Studios
Written by: James Tynion IV & Tate Brombal
Art: Chris Shehan
Colors by: Miquel Muerto
Letters by: AndWorld Design
Readers familiar to Something Is Killing The Children are going feel right at home with House of Slaughter #1. With Brombal joining the writing team and Chris Shehan taking over for Werther Dell’Edera in the art department, the transition is smooth. For those who didn’t read the original series’ 20 issues, Tynion and Brombal make it very easy to follow what’s going on.
“House of Slaughter #1 does a great job at both picking up where Something Is Killing The Children left off while also setting a course down a new path of dynamic storytelling.”
Another aspect that made Something Is Killing The Children stand out is its art. Initially, it was Dell’Edera beautifully yet ferociously bringing the characters and demons to life. With its spin-off, Tynion and Brombal have brought in Shehan, who is no stranger to illustrating beautiful and vicious art of his own. Shehan, much like Dell’Edera, is able to perfectly capture emotion through haunting facial expressions. Shehan’s illustration combined with Miquel Muerto’s brilliant use of color paints a powerful feeling of despair and foreboding throughout each panel.
Tynion set an extremely high bar with Something Is Killing The Children, and it is easily safe to say House of Slaughter #1 met that standard. While House of Slaughter #1 lacks the action we’ve grown accustomed to, it’s the character development and inner conflict that makes this issue stand out.
9.0
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