After a brief run of one-shot stories and character detours, Something Is Killing the Children #41 marks the start of a new arc titled “All Her Monsters.” But instead of the explosive momentum fans might expect—or crave—from a fresh storyline, this issue strolls out of the gate with all the urgency of a whisper in the dark.
Longtime readers of James Tynion IV’s critically acclaimed horror series have likely come to expect a certain ebb and flow in pacing. At its best, this rhythm produces a masterful tension, like a string being slowly pulled until it snaps. Unfortunately, issue #41 seems to have forgotten the “snap” part altogether. It’s all tension with no release, all set-up with barely a hint of a payoff, even down the road.
Rather than continue immediately from the prior arc—one that already overstayed its welcome with drawn-out plotting and an unsatisfying finale—Tynion smartly opts to revisit Erica Slaughter’s past. It’s a move that could have injected the story with a shot of narrative urgency and emotional clarity. Instead, we find young Erica and her mentor Jessica worn down from a recent monster kill in New Jersey and promptly reassigned to another job, this time at a ski resort. And… that’s about it.
To call this issue a slow burn is generous—it’s more of a matchstick that fizzles out before the flame takes hold. Dialogue-heavy and painfully expository, this chapter reads like a prolonged prologue, the kind that might have worked better as the opening five minutes of an episode rather than the full episode itself. The tone is moody, the atmosphere bleak, but there’s little movement, little threat, and little reason to turn the page with bated breath.
It doesn’t help that the script leaves artist Werther Dell’Edera with almost nothing dynamic to illustrate. That’s a shame, because Dell’Edera has been a cornerstone of the series’ unique visual identity. His scratchy lines and emotive character work have helped Something Is Killing the Children feel personal even when dealing in the fantastical. But here, aside from drawing a younger, more vulnerable Erica, there’s little opportunity for him to flex his storytelling muscles. There are no monsters, no action sequences, and no haunting splash pages—just somber stares and tired expressions in muted settings.
Of course, it’s worth remembering the early magic of this series. The first 15–20 issues of Something Is Killing the Children weren’t just good—they were generation-defining horror comics. They pulsed with urgency, fear, and an emotional honesty that cut deeper than any monster’s claws. Those issues elevated Tynion into a premier comics voice and birthed a wider Slaughterverse. But since then, it seems like Tynion’s expanding creative empire has taken priority over the series that helped build it.
Perhaps that’s the core issue here: a feeling of creative fatigue. The larger mythology of the House of Slaughter has grown increasingly dense, yet the central engine of the story—Erica’s drive, her pain, and her war against monsters—has felt diluted. And now, at a time when a bold new direction could’ve reignited reader enthusiasm, we instead get a quiet sigh of an issue that drifts instead of drives.
Still, there’s a cautious hope that this issue might be planting seeds that will later bloom. Maybe this is the necessary breath before a plunge into something harrowing and meaningful. The title of the arc, “All Her Monsters,” hints at a deeply personal reckoning. If the creative team can harness that potential and give Dell’Edera more to work with than quiet conversations in snowy woods, then perhaps we’ll look back on #41 as a moody but necessary starting point.
But that future isn’t promised, and as of now, Something Is Killing the Children #41 is a frustratingly tepid return to form. The bones of greatness are still here—the voice, the characters, the raw visual style—but this issue never dares to bite. For a comic built on childhood nightmares, this one feels far too sleepy. Let’s hope it wakes up soon.