Erica and Aaron must work together even they’re opposed, and the Sheriff concedes that monsters must be real. Tensions are rising in Something is Killing the Children #8 from BOOM! Studios.

SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #8

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Werther Dell’Edera
Colorist: Miquel Muerto
Letterer: Andworld Design
Editor: Eric Harburn
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 8, 2020

Previously in Something is Killing the Children: Erica Slaughter killed the monster in the woods, only to learn that it has babies. And those babies aren’t material (and cannot be killed) unless they are actively feeding. Aaron, Erica’s mentor from the House of Slaughter, arrives and insists they need to wrap up things here. They must set a trap for the monsters, and Aaron reminds her that the only thing that will work for bait is someone who has been touched by the creatures. Who is it going to be – James or Bian?

NO EASY CHOICES ANY MORE

James awakens in the hospital as Something is Killing the Children #8 opens. The Sheriff is there and James wonders if he is going to be arrested. The Sheriff just wants to talk with him, and he wants him to tell him everything, no matter how bizarre. James tells him what he knows, including the little he knows about Erica, and lets it slip that Tommy can now see the monsters too.

Aaron and Erica head to the police station were Gail is keeping an eye on Bian. Erica asks Bian kindly to come with them, and she asks if she can take her markers for drawing. Aaron is rude and condescending, and neither of them notice the Deputy, until he shows up with his gun drawn to take Bian himself. He overheard Aaron and Erica in the woods. Aaron knocks Gail out, which upsets Bian. The Deputy tells her they want her to see the monsters again so they can kill them and, in an interesting twist, Bian gets upset about them killing the babies, because they’re little, because they don’t understand that what they’re doing is wrong. Erica slugs Aaron, knocking him out briefly, and lets the Deputy take Bian as long as he promises to keep her safe.

Meanwhile, the families of the missing children are finally being allowed in to identify the bodies. Tommy is there with his mom, but steps away to call a friend, when he sees something in the woods by the school. He goes to investigate, and what he sees is enough for him to call his friend and tell them to find Erica – and quickly!

THE HORROR OF UNRELENTING TENSION

The level of emotional complexity in Something is Killing the Children #8 is impressive. Nearly every character is going through some kind of emotional upheaval, whether it is James awakening in pain in the hospital, or the Sheriff coming to grips with the fact that there is something otherworldly in his community, and denying its existence won’t make it stop. Characters are weary, haunted, or (in Bian’s case) just trying to process everything she has gone through.

Already, Erica is redeeming herself from agreeing with Aaron to use Bian as bait for the monsters. It is apparent that she didn’t really want to in the first place, or at the very least she was trying to come up with a way to keep her safe. She is so driven, but she has moments where she is more human, more compassionate than the other members of the House of Slaughter.

BOTTOM LINE: A RACE AGAINST TIME

Something is Killing the Children #8 makes it clear to us that the monster babies are on the cusp of becoming adults, and while Erica has Aaron’s help, their alliance is tenuous at best. People are starting to fall apart right as the danger is peaking.

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