Back in 2021, James Tynion IV announced on his Substack that he would focus on his creator-owned work. Decades ago, this would have been a mistake. This isn’t then. Today, creators hold the power thanks to digital comics and writers and artists being able to sell directly to the consumer without big companies. With that comes stories that appeal to an audience that wants something different. That’s where the subject of this article comes in, writer James Tynion IV and artist Werther Dell'Edera’s creation, Something is Killing the Children.
Something is Killing the Children (a Boom! Studios exclusive comic book) was given the thumbs up by Netflix back in 2021. At that time, the comic book was only two years into its run. Nevertheless, it was obvious the series was going to be popular and profitable because it was an original idea with a lot of dark and intriguing storylines.
The idea of monsters being real isn’t a new concept, having them created by the fear of children and their imagination creating them is. Also, using the monsters as a way to explain unsolved disappearances and murders made the stories more tragic. Especially since adults can’t see the monsters but can be killed by them. It’s no wonder Netflix signed up early.
The comic book series is more than the main title. Some of the comic’s spin-offs helped explain what was going on in the universe. Among them are House of Slaughter (a Free Comic Book Day issue), House of Slaughter, and Book of Cutter have all helped build the already incredible world. Within these comic books, you see the intricacies of what goes on behind the scenes. While that may seem boring, it’s far from it.
The 2022 Eisner Award-winning series for Best Continuing Series series has spin-off titles too. Within it is enough cut-throat behavior to make a reality TV show character blush. It’s full of the most brutal insults and sassiness you could want from a comic book.
Thankfully, it isn’t all catty nonsense. There’s a purpose behind every quip, slight, and physical attack. It’s all a way to build up the heroes by making them overcome adversity. It also makes the antagonists hateable. And, in this series, there’s a lot of people to despise. In a lot of ways, they’re more monstrous than the beings they’re trained to kill.
A lot of you reading this may already know most of this. And while a show is one thing, a franchise is another. It wasn’t until I read 2025’s Book of Cutter No. 1 that a franchise made sense. Yes, the other spin-offs and characters are phenomenal and could have proved this last year. But reading the Book of Cutter told the story of the Order of St. George and that's when it all came together.
James Tynion IV took the time to write out the origin of each of the houses in an interesting way. He did so by making it seem like the readers were privileged to see sacred texts for the Orders’ eyes only. Each of the tales was told and written from the perspective of someone born centuries ago. It allows the past and upcoming betrayals to make sense thus furthering the story and leaving for room future projects.
Adding to that were artists Werther Dell’Edera, Antonio Fuso, and Letizia Cadonici and colorist Miquel Muerto. They drew the texts and made them look like something out of an Uncharted treasure hunt. At first, it was annoying that it went from a comic book-style issue to something written in a 14th-century ink pen and diary. However, I immediately felt myself pulled into the story and wanted to know more.
According to Popverse, Something is Killing the Children is set to have a 75-issue run. As this article is being written, there are 40 issues (plus a No. 0 released late last year). That means there’s plenty of time for the universe to expand. That expansion in the comic books should lead to Netflix dedicating time and resources to making James Tynion IV and Werther Dell'Edera’s universe a franchise. Not only does this help Netflix establish itself as a landing spot for comic book projects, but it’ll remind future creators that their stories can go from a five-part limited series to a streaming TV show.
Stay tuned to BamSmackPow.com and our social media sites Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more news on Something is Killing the Children as it comes out.