The hunt for Jace Boucher has high stakes for both Slaughter and the Butcher Shop. As tempers continue to fray, who will strike the next blow in the fight? Find out in House of Slaughter #24 from BOOM! Studios.

HOUSE OF SLAUGHTER #24

Writer: Tate Brombal
Artist: Antonio Fuso
Colorist: Miquel Muerto
Letterer: Andworld Design’s Justin Birch
Editor: Ramiro Portnoy and Eric Harburn
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 19, 2024

Previously in House of Slaughter: Jace eludes Jolie’s ambush and returns to Maven’s cabin where the children are currently staying. Maven accuses him of becoming exactly what he wanted to avoid becoming. She urges him to leave the area, to survive against the Order. But Jace wants to take out all his enemies. Back at the Butcher Shop, the Great House calls in and threatens to take over the hunt if the Dragons there cannot manage it. There is a lot of finger-pointing, but the Old Dragon has a plan. Cassius urges Vionette to be patient for a while. After all, if the Old Dragon fails, Vionette is well-placed to become a Dragon herself.

HUNTERS AND THE HUNTED

As House of Slaughter #24 opens, the swamp surrounding Maven’s house is unusually quiet. Jolie is approaching, and the crows warn Maven. Meanwhile, Jace continues to fight René.

Back at the Butcher Shop, the Old Dragon agrees to dine with Vionette and Cassius. Vionette speaks of indulging, as long as everyone else is out on the hunt. The Old Dragon replies, speaking of not celebrating too early. It is a polite, but not convivial, meal. Vionette shares that a staged body was planted, and now all the local police are on a manhunt looking for Jace. A young man in a red mask interrupts their meal. Jolie, he tells them, has gone dark. She has taken all the White Masks and headed into the swamps. Is this yet another loose cannon in the Order?

Jolie finds Maven’s cabin and exults. She has heard legends about Maven, but never believed she existed. She seems unusually high-spirited. Maven warns her off. Then, dispassionately, she snaps a crow’s neck and throws it toward the White Masks, then another. They become monsters. She is determined to protect the children as best she can.

René is inebriated, but not only has he heard stories about Jace all his life, he has been training to kill him. We learn a little about his background. His parents were killed by people, not monsters, and Cassius has told him they were criminals who deserved to die anyway. When he has formed attachments, Cassius makes him kill them. He has taken these negative reinforcements and told himself that it makes him stronger. Jace, he says, is nothing special.

The Old Dragon continues to get into Cassius’ head. He tells Cassius that his problem is not so much the plans that go awry. It comes down to fear. Cassius is too content to stay in his lair and let his people do the work around him. He reminds Cassius that even St. George, when he slew the dragon, took it on when it was sated. Then a couple more Red Masks interrupt. Benoit performed an autopsy on the scout from the park. He was dead before the Silver Masks attacked him. The corpse showed signs of possession.

WHAT PROWLS IN THE NIGHT

Jolie continues to be terrifying, as we see from the art in House of Slaughter #24. Our first glimpse of her pack hunters is the glow of their eyes in the dark undergrowth of the swamp. But as she walks towards the cabin, Jolie hums a tune. She is leading a hunt, but at the same time, she sees herself as the new mother to all those children, and she acts like this is a big game of hide and seek. Her attitude leads her to underestimate Maven, who has been keeping quiet for years. It does not take long for Jolie’s persona to change back into that of a single-minded hunter.

The other thing that comes across so well is the interactions between the Dragons. We know the Old Dragon is sick, but how weak is he really? He appears frail, but he does not hesitate to sling innuendos at Cassius. He also lets on that he knows a lot about the inner workings of the Butcher Shop, and their in-house political struggles. Cassius is voiceless, but he fumes under this treatment. He holds onto the hope that if they succeed, his House will be recognized by the Great House. He is ambitious, but he must bide his time. To discover now that he has a rogue in his Order must be torture.

BOTTOM LINE: THE PLANS START TO CRUMBLE

House of Slaughter #24 is a tale of conflict and revenge, but on top of that it is an exploration of the consequences the characters must face after years of making the decisions that have led them to where they are now.

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