What really happened on the night the monster came to Erica’s family? Find out in Something is Killing the Children #19 from BOOM! Studios.

SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #19

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: August 25, 2021

Previously in Something is Killing the Children: We meet Big Gary, who takes care of the farm, a huge, rambling estate on many acres of land. He also raises dogs. When Jessica and Erica arrive, he offers them breakfast and Erica spends some time playing with the dogs. Too soon, breakfast is over. Erica puts on her black mask. Jessica tells her she needs to give Octo to Gary. In the dark barn, Gary puts Octo on an altar and has Erica step into a circle. He asks her to remember the monster, and she does. As Erica’s memories crash around her, she collapses. Gary picks her up and puts her on the alter with Octo on her chest. Her monster was much more powerful than the ones new recruits usually face.

THE MONSTERS OF THE MIND

Something is Killing the Children #19 opens in Chicago as Aaron is woken up to find a knife in his face. Paris and Tybalt, red-headed twins who are part of the White Mask group, come to torment him for a while until Cecilia orders them out, or at least orders them not to let her catch them doing this again. Cecilia does not yet have any word about Erica.

Meanwhile, at the farm it is dark. Erica lies on the altar with Octo on her chest, and she remembers. She remembers seeing her mother dead and the monster killing her father. She cries, but then she sees the knife block. She pulls out a knife and slashes at the monster. It turns its attention toward her, and she sees its glowing, reddish eye. It is an irresistible target. She stabs.

Her mother tells her to get out, to get to the neighbors and call the police. She is surprised for a moment, but when her mother tells her again to go, she goes. She races out of the house and remembers what Aaron and Jessica told her. She stops and we see the resolve in one green eye as her blonde hair falls over half her face. She knows this isn’t what happened. “You’re trying to trick me,” she says, and the simple reply of, “Yes,” comes from a giant, glowing octopus that envelops her house.

The monster is trying to frighten her, to hurt her. It is trying to get inside her head. Erica is stubborn, but we knew that, and she is fierce in her hold upon the truth. She will not settle for the comforting lie, which is the natural human tendency. She recognizes that the monster is trying to hide from the truth – the truth that Erica and Jessica beat it.

And then we see the rest of the fight as Jessica breaks down the door and Erica feels a little bit of hope. Erica grabs onto Octo and holds him hard, then Jessica asks her the strange question of whether Octo is hers and if she loves him. She does, and Jessica asks her to hand him over. Erica kisses him goodbye and does so. Jessica uses some kind of magic to pull the monster into Octo where it couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.

And Erica decides it must be time to wake up.

MYSTICAL AND TERRIFYING

Something is Killing the Children #19 features a harrowing memory and a magical battle and the art brings both of them to life. The linework is heavier in the memory than it is in the normal world. The layers of crosshatching and strong lines used for shading give it the appearance of an etching. It’s also an effective way to have a dark scene where the monster has to both be visible but appear so black that it is almost invisible. Bright color sparingly important features, drawing our eyes inexorably through the panels.

Throughout, Erica stands out. Her pale skin and blonde hair are always bright in the dark, perhaps looking like an innocent here. But speaking of bright, who doesn’t love a giant, octopus monster? I do! I read this as the monster, now trapped in Octo, takes on that form from Erica’s mind. Shaped through her, the monster has a recognizable form rather than the horrifying, insect-like creature with many eyes and so many horrible, skittering legs.

BOTTOM LINE: AN INNER BATTLE ROYALE

Something is Killing the Children #19 takes Erica’s ordeal and uses it to great effect to show us what a remarkable young woman she was and is. Her insistence on sticking to the truth, no matter how painful, tells us a lot about her strength and character.

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