Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the complementary comic book blog to the ODPH podcast. On this edition, FINALLY…….Erica Slaughter has come back to your local comic shops! Something Is Killing The Children #21 by James Tynion, Werther Dell’edera, Miquel Muerto & Andworld Design for Boom Studios is hitting shelves this week. With the success of the spin-off book, “House Of Slaughter”, how does the flagship series fare in it’s return? Let’s check it out, shall we?

Something Is Killing The Children #21 - On Sale March 30th
Creative: James Tynion. Werther Dell’edera, Miquel Muerto & Andworld Design
Credit: Boom Studios

*** POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING ***

This issue kicks off with a girl named Gabi talking to a detective named Carter. Gabi appears to have been thru a struggle of some sort and the conversation eludes to Gabi being the sole witness of whoever/whatever it was that slaughtered her entire family. They wind up going to a dive bar in Tribulation, New Mexico where Carter knows the bartender Riqui. As he’s explaining the situation, readers get the whole picture of events with Gabi’s family and the imagery is none for the squeamish. During this sequence of events, Gabi is outside the bar reliving what she’s witnessed. Readers will be left with a final page that’s sure to get them very hyped up for the next issue.

Tynion sets up a great story and I’m here for this. Keeping the focus on Gabi and the people around her really helped build this beginning up nicely. There is definitely more going with on her but this issue’s story is just the groundwork for what’s coming. Not complaining about that one bit. As shown recently with “House Of Slaughter”, the slow burn payoff is always best. Considering the events of the last page, there’s many directions this story can go in and the readers are going to win in the end,

Dell’edera’s art was solid as ever. Seeing the emotions of Gabi added a good layer to the story’s build. The one panel with a certain two word phrase is prime example of this. The flashback sequence of what happened to her family didn’t pull any punches. Readers really got how brutal that moment was. Even who/what is behind that attack was teased enough without giving anything major away. Everything was clicking with this issue and it ended with a very cool final page.

Overall, Something Is Killing The Children #21 delivers on a great set-up for a bigger story coming. Excellent story telling and art throughout this issue. The story of what happened to Gabi’s family appears to be only the tip of a bigger iceberg. I can’t wait to see how this all plays out. There is a lot to really enjoy so make sure to get yourself a copy at your LCS when it drops.

Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you thought of Something Is Killing The Children #21.

Thanks for reading.

SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #21 (BOOM STUDIOS)

Ken M