Something Is Killing the Children #50 Review: Erica Slaughter’s Past Comes Knocking

Fifty issues, fam! FIFTY! Something Is Killing the Children just hit that milestone, and James Tynion IV ain’t throwing Erica Slaughter some cute anniversary party with balloons and a cake. Nah, we’re going backward, digging into the kind of childhood trauma that makes you understand why somebody grows up carrying knives and looking at everybody sideways. This issue, appropriately titled Past Is Prologue, reminds us that before Erica became the monster-hunting badass we’ve been following, she was a kid caught up in some seriously twisted business. Welcome to the family, right? Madre mía!

Tynion pulls a slick move here, splitting our attention between a younger Erica and the machinery of the House of Slaughter. We get a glimpse of Erica before all that experience hardened her, alongside Jessica Slaughter, whose relationship with the kid carries enough tension to make even the quietest exchange uncomfortable. There’s affection buried in there somewhere, sure, but this ain’t exactly the Brady Bunch. Everybody’s got secrets, everybody’s measuring their words, and the adults have a real talent for making terrible situations sound perfectly reasonable. Sounds familiar, Brooklyn?

The conversations between Erica and Jessica carry this issue. Tynion doesn’t need to throw another giant creature through somebody’s living room every three pages to keep things interesting. He’s got two characters trying to figure each other out while carrying baggage neither one can properly unpack. Young Erica is already sharp, stubborn, and observant. Jessica has that exhausted, guarded energy of somebody who’s seen too much and still has to pretend everything is under control. Their exchanges get uncomfortable, occasionally funny, and downright heartbreaking when you consider the future waiting for this kid.

Meanwhile, Werther Dell’Edera is out here reminding everybody why this series has such a recognizable visual identity. His characters don’t stand around posing for imaginary movie posters. They slouch, glare, flinch, and communicate entire arguments with their eyes. The early bedroom sequence, the abrupt violence, the cramped conversations, all of it has this beautifully uneasy rhythm. Dell’Edera knows when to crowd a panel and when to let a face do the heavy lifting. That monster confrontation early in the issue? Nasty work, hermano! The sudden explosion of movement hits harder because the surrounding pages have been so controlled.

Miquel Muerto’s colors deserve their flowers too. Those bruised purples, sickly greens, aggressive reds, and warm interior tones aren’t just there to make the pages look pretty. They separate emotional spaces and give the violence a different temperature from the quieter character work. The House of Slaughter material feels especially cold and institutional, while Erica’s personal moments have this deceptive warmth that almost tricks you into relaxing. Almost. This is Something Is Killing the Children, people. Relaxing is how you end up on a missing-person poster.

The lettering by AndWorld Design keeps the conversations moving without turning these densely packed pages into a reading assignment. The dialogue has room to breathe, the sound effects land when the action gets ugly, and those quieter exchanges never lose their intimacy. That’s the kind of craftsmanship readers sometimes overlook while admiring a splash page. Not over here, baby. Everybody in the credits box gets their respect.

Now, here’s where I gotta give Tynion a little side-eye. For a landmark fiftieth issue, this is a surprisingly restrained chapter. Readers expecting some gigantic, continuity-shattering celebration might finish wondering where the fireworks went. The story leans heavily on established relationships, institutional history, and the emotional fallout surrounding Erica’s upbringing. New readers aren’t getting much hand-holding either. Personally, I respect the decision, although a little more forward momentum would’ve given this milestone some extra bite.

Still, there’s something beautifully messed up about celebrating fifty issues of this series by reminding us that Erica’s greatest battles didn’t necessarily begin with monsters. Some started with the people responsible for teaching her how to survive them. That final stretch, especially the jump forward and the unsettling glimpse of what comes next, leaves plenty hanging in the air. Tynion and Dell’Edera aren’t interested in giving us a victory lap. They’re reminding us how deep this mythology runs and how much damage can hide behind the word family. Fifty issues deep, the nightmare still has teeth.

CRUSADERS SCORE:
4.5/5

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Werther Dell’Edera
Colorist: Miquel Muerto
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Cover: Werther Dell’Edera
Editors: Ramiro Portnoy and Eric Harburn
Assistant Editor: Maya Bollinger
Editor-in-Chief: Andy Schmidt
Publisher: BOOM! Studios