Tempers flare between the Butcher Shop and the House of Slaughter, and the Old Dragon insists he should be allowed to direct the next mission. What will this mean for Jace? Find out in House of Slaughter #23 from BOOM! Studios.

HOUSE OF SLAUGHTER #23

Writer: Tate Brombal
Artist: Antonio Fuso
Colorist: Miquel Muerto
Letterer: Andworld Design
Editor: Ramiro Portnoy and Eric Harburn
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 15, 2024

Previously in House of Slaughter: The Butcher Shop, grudgingly accepting some help from Slaughter, sets up an ambush for Jace. Jolie sweetly talks Sunny into being their bait and sets the mission up at an abandoned amusement park. The day arrives. Jolie takes a place high in a Ferris wheel where she can see everything. Sunny has a balloon, which is also his signal in case anything unplanned happens. Hunters from Butcher and Slaughter have their roles and places set. Jace enters the park and approaches Sunny, who releases the balloon at the last second, just before the Silvers from Slaughter attack. When everyone regroups, it is Butcher’s own scout who is dead, along with several others. And Jace is nowhere to be found.

THE AFTERMATH

House of Slaughter #23 opens at night at Maven’s house. Jace picks his way carefully among the sleeping children. Maven tells him not to wake them and tartly suggests he visits them by day. He tries to tell her how successful he was at the park, but she accuses him of changing, of becoming exactly what he was trying to avoid becoming. What has happened to his heart, and to his soul? Then she talks about the monsters, and this is worth paying attention to. She has always lived in the swamp, and her people understand that there is more to the monsters than what the hunters who came from across the sea believe. But she fears that the Order prefers it that way.

Again, she urges him to leave the area, to go anywhere else, to survive. To survive against the Order would be the best revenge against them. But to Jace this fight is personal. They have killed his family and his love, and now they threaten his children. He leaves, determined to take out all his enemies.

Meanwhile, at the Butcher Shop, Vionette and Cassius conclude a video call with the Great House while the others, including the Old Dragon, listen. Vionette hangs up and turns to the others. They have to end this and quickly, or the Great House will take over. The Old Dragon blames the Butcher Shop for screwing things up and says it is his turn to lead the mission. The blame starts flying back and forth until the Old Dragon tells them all that he planned their previous war, backed Cassius, and supported his claim to be their Dragon. His plan is to unleash all their strength, arm everyone, and go after Jace. No sneaking, no traps; just direct hunting. And he insists they partner together so no one house can claim a sole victory. What has he got up his sleeve?

Afterward, Jolie is furious. The Old Dragon accused her of being a good recruiter, but not a good enough fighter. She thought she understood Jace. She thought she had the perfect plan. Her totem, a life-sized marionette that she addresses as her daddy, urges her to do her best.

Vionette is also furious and wants the Old Dragon dead. Cassius urges her to be patient. He chose her for this role, but she still has much to learn. He says that the Old Dragon is playing with her, but when all is said and done, he came to them even while he is very ill. He must be desperate. They should let him lead and let him fail where the Great House can see. And they may yet be able to take over the House of Slaughter.

DECISIONS AND CHANGES

The art of House of Slaughter #23 brings a subtle symbolism to the story that visually echoes the underlying themes. Maven’s cabin is not just a safe place in the swamp. It is a visual representation of the contrast between innocence and experience. As Jace takes on more guilt, he turns it into vengeance at the loss of his own conscience. As if to reflect that, when we see Jace, he is in strong shadows as though he is surrounded by darkness. Yet whenever we see the sleeping children, the ones he saved, their faces are lit by moonlight. The colors around them, while dimmed by night, speak of brightness. They appear peaceful. Everything they represent is the opposite of what Jace has become.

The conflict between Butcher and Slaughter runs deeper than the Dragons who lead them. In all of their scenes, the hatred and resentment are clear. These are two Houses of the same Order, but having a common goal has only made the divide between them deeper. Yet they are forced to unite, to work together if they want to outfox the Great House. No matter how strongly anyone tries to put forth a reason they should work together, we can see that no one trusts anyone else. Their partnership is far too fragile.

BOTTOM LINE: MONSTERS AND VENGEANCE

House of Slaughter #23 dives beneath the façade of the Order to show us just how monstrous the monster hunters can be, even to each other, even when they are supposed to be part of the same organization.

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