Something is Killing the Children Vol. 5
James Tynion IV, writer; Werther Dell’Edera, illustrator; Miquel Muerto, colorist
Boom! Studios, 2022

The action here is set a year after the monster disaster at Archer’s Peak. We immediately meet another young female survivor of a horrible monster attack that killed her entire family (a situation that later fosters a bond between her and Erica Slaughter). Erica makes her usual mysterious appearance. Although she has severed her ties to the House of Slaughter, she maintained a relationship with a mole in the organization: he feeds her intelligence about the appearance of new monsters, and information on how to kill them. In fact, she has already killed eight of them (off-panel) during the past year. But the Order of St. George does not appreciate rogue hunters or the nearly public mess she made in Archer’s Peak. So, they send an assassin from the British House of Cutter to kill her. Erica has caught up with the Duplicitype monster, and realizes that she does not know how to kill it. But Cutter has caught up with her friend Big Gary, and knows where she is…

Wynd Book 2: The Secret of the Wings
James Tynion IV, writer; Michael Dialynas, illustrator
Boom!Box, 2020

Wynd, Oakley, Thorn, and Yorik continue their dangerous quest across Esseriel in this collection. They know they are on the run, but they lack a crucial piece of information that is revealed early in this arc: the vampire General Zedra has struck a deal with King Yossar of Pipetown. The king wants his errant son back. But he doesn’t care what becomes of his companions, and in fact wants his son to be scared by the world outside of Pipetown. So, the scene is set for the vampire carnage that eventually ensues. The vampires attack the faeries, intending to make it look like it was done by humans (adding a double-cross into the mix). But there are new players, who may be the mysterious Winged Ones of legend. Wynd uses some of the power they passed to him to bring Thorn back from the brink of death. Zedra has also encountered the Winged Ones’ power, and it may transform all of the vampires. Plenty of interesting complications for the next arc.

The Autumnal
Daniel Krause, writer; Chris Shehan, artist; Jason Wordie, colorist; Jim Campbell, letterer
Vault Comics, 2021

As the story begins, Kat Somerville and her daughter Sybil are having a hard time in Chicago. But Kat’s estranged mother has recently died and left Kat her house in Comfort Notch, New Hampshire. Kat barely remembers growing up in the place–her mother sent her away when she was 9 years old–but the pair head out, looking for a fresh start. Their reception in their new home town is an odd mix right from the start, a combination of friendliness and near-hostility (beginning with the complete lack of townspeople at her mother’s memorial service).  Everyone seems obsessed with trees, and Kat refuses to believe the plant growth she saw on her mother when she peeked into her casket. A former classmate tells her the legend of Clementine Biddle, a woman who became a nature spirit and periodically demands a child sacrifice. It all comes to a head at the town’s annual Autumnal Equinox celebration. Kat learns why her mother sent her away as a child, and tries to save Sybil. But it all goes horribly wrong in the terrifying conclusion. Thie is really powerful horror story telling, given atmospheric life in the impressionist art of Shehan and Wordie.