Are you a fan of Graphic Novels? I love the idea of graphic novels, comics, and manga, but I can never enjoy them to the fullest potential. Graphic Novels are a lot more than just a story. They convey their message in a different way than books do, often relying on the art style and colors. While I like looking at the beautiful art, I often find that it’s not enough to substitute the storytelling of a novel.
goodreads blurb:
When children begin to go missing in the town of Archer’s Peak, all hope seems lost until a mysterious woman arrives to reveal that terrifying creatures are behind the chaos – and that she alone will destroy them, no matter the cost.
IT’S THE MONSTERS WHO SHOULD BE AFRAID.
When the children of Archer’s Peak—a sleepy town in the heart of America—begin to go missing, everything seems hopeless. Most children never return, but the ones that do have terrible stories—impossible details of terrifying creatures that live in the shadows. Their only hope of finding and eliminating the threat is the arrival of a mysterious stranger, one who believes the children and claims to be the only one who sees what they can see.
Her name is Erica Slaughter. She kills monsters. That is all she does, and she bears the cost because it must be done.
Thank you Netgalley and BOOM! Studios for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by the company or its affiliates in any way.
«Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1» is a horror story in a picture format for adults. If you like graphic novels, if you love thrillers, horror, and mysteries, if you love beautiful artwork that this one is for you!
The story begins in Archer’s Peak, a small American town, when children start disappearing and then found dead after a few days (weeks?). The plot is very simple and straightforward, and I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as thriller or mystery, as we know what is happening early on.
Yes, there is a mysterious element about who Erin Slaughter is, but in terms of story-telling the reveal of who she is and why she is in Archer’s Peak was rather anticlimactic.
For me, the story was not the strongest point of this Graphic Novel. I did enjoy the artwork though and think that it was very smartly done to bring out the creepy, eerie elements of the story, especially through muted colors and darker tones.
NOTE: Some pages were a bit confusing to read, especially on the PC, as it only showed one page at a time and some of them were meant to read vertically from left to right from one page to another. I needed to go back and forth quite a lot to make sense of what I was reading.
My rating:
★★★☆☆
Overall, this was a very solid graphic novel, and I can see why many people will love it and follow the releases of next installments. I think this story will get better with each volume and I’ll definitely stay alert for the release of Vol. 2!
What is your favourite graphic novel? What artwork do you tend to gravitate towards?
Let me know in the comments below!
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WhimsyPages 
I am reading this one and agree with your review! I’m quite particular about the graphic novels I read. I need to be blown away by the story and artwork. Monstress, Tokyo Ghoul & I Hate Fairyland are a few of my faves. 😊
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Phew! I was a bit nervous revieweing this one, as I don’t really read a lot of graphic novels, so definitely not an expert in this area. I’ve heard great things about Monstress and Tokyo Ghoul, but never heard about I Hate Fairyland, will check them out. Thank you! ❤
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I’m no expert either! 😜 Happy reading!! 💖💖
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I’ve been seeing this one everywhere lately and a lot of people are saying the same thing as you. I’m a total chicken but also very tempted to check it out coz FOMO 🤣 Looks and sounds sufficiently creepy though! Haha great review, Alex 🙂
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Ahah, I’d say it’s safe for chickens too 😀
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Oooh it’s such a shame the plot was a bit of a let down! I’ve never read a graphic novel thriller/horror but this sounded like it could’ve been really good 😢 I hate thrillers where you can work out what’s happening too early in the story – WHERE IS THE THRILL THEN??? 😂
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Ahaha, exactly! 😀 This graphic novel definitely relied more on artwork than on the story, but I’m sure there is audience for it, and maybe the next volumes will bring more story into it.
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I’ve tried a few graphic novels over the years and overall I’m not really a fan. I think that words are what makes storytelling for me. I don’t like to be given the image for what the story is describing because it detracts from the way I visualise books in my head; it’s similar to how I don’t like audiobooks because I find the narrators intrusive! I just like the book with just the words and to let my own imagination interpret how I want the story to appear …although I never actually visualise faces or places etc, I just see blending colours and emotions in my head. Apparently this isn’t the norm. Never realised that until recently 🤷🏼♀️
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I agree 🙂 I prefer make up my own “movie” in my head, instead of being guided by someone else’s artwork. The only graphic novel that I really loved so far is Hostage by Guy Delisle, it’s based on real events and the artwork was very very simplistic.
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