Riqui may not believe in monsters, but she saw Erica injured by something invisible. Will she bring Gabi to the police, and will she take Erica with her? Find out in Something is Killing the Children #27 from BOOM! Studios.

SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #27

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Werther Dell’Edera
Colorist: Miquel Muerto
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 21, 2022

Previously in Something is Killing the Children: Erica is on her own with no backup against a terrifying Duplicitype. After she was injured, Riqui took her home to the reservation outside Tribulation where her mother stitched her up. She wants to know more, but Erica cannot tell her. Riqui needs to go to town and warns her brother Johnny not to let Gabi see Erica. Instead, he goes to get his videogame system and Gabi eavesdrops on Erica and Octo. In town, Riqui gets a call from Sheriff Carter. He has security camera footage placing her, Erica, and Gabi at one of the murder scenes. And Cutter shows up at his office, purporting to be from Interpol.

NO GOOD CHOICES

One of the things I like about Something is Killing the Children #27 is that although Erica is tough, she is undeniably flawed. She tries to make the best decisions she can but is usually in a situation that has no good decisions. Considering she grew up within the Order of St. George, she has more compassion than most, but there is no denying that her background was traumatic.

Trauma shapes those who experience it. The issue opens with Riqui remembering her girlfriend Fernanda who died of cancer. Fern’s mother did not approve of their relationship, and her family did not always make good decisions, but she still asks Riqui to look out for her sister – and her sister’s little girl, Gabi. Riqui is in this now because she is trying to keep this promise. She thinks long and hard about Sheriff Carter’s call.

When she returns home, she tells Gabi they are going to the police. Gabi jumps to the conclusion that she is being arrested. Riqui is trying to keep her from being arrested and she intends to bring Erica in as well. She goes upstairs to find that Erica overheard her. Erica claims they do not have time for this. The monster gets hungrier and more powerful the more it feeds, and she needs to kill it sooner rather than later. Riqui says she will try to get the Sheriff to help, and she wants to keep Gabi away from it. But the only way Erica can keep Gabi safe is to keep her close, and it may be the only way she can lure it in. But she agrees to go.

Somewhere nearby, Cutter is on the phone with the Sheriff who apparently tells her that Erica is coming in. She requests that he hold her there. Meanwhile, she has a boy tied up, gagged, and in a swimming pool. She is using him to attract the Duplicitype for her own nefarious purposes. Cutter is an amazing villain. She is cruel and dispassionately sadistic. There is nothing about her to like. But as written, she is very clever and manipulative.

RUNNING OUT OF TIME

The art of Something is Killing the Children #27 captures the raw emotions of the characters. Considering that the monsters in the world feed on emotions even more than blood, I think this is symbolically important. It feels like we see what the monsters seek. The characters also feel solidly grounded in the real world. Riqui, for example, puts some trust in Erica, but not her whole trust. She wants to do what she can to protect Gabi. Erica’s story is sensational, but there is no better explanation for watching people die a horribly violent death with no visible cause.

Riqui is a stoic character who keeps a lot of herself hidden, and in this issue, we start to understand why. Her flashback has a different feel to it. The art is drawn with a much heavier line. The shadows are deep, deep enough to obscure fine details. But this is an intense memory that hits Riqui hard, and I think the style reflects some of that intensity.

BOTTOM LINE: NERVE-WRACKINGLY TENSE

Something is Killing the Children #27 is intense. The Duplicitype is cunning and dangerous, but those adjectives also apply to Cutter. I look forward to the next issue with a mix of anticipation and dread.

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