Something is Killing the Children is finally set to address one of its biggest mysteries, and it all begins here. Issue #41 kicks off part one of All Her Monsters, and from the looks of it, James Tynion, Werther Dell’Edera, Miquel Muerto, and Andworld Design are finally pulling the curtain back on a pivotal and tragic moment in Erica’s past. A hallmark of the series has been its ability to define its characters and convey a wealth of backstory and lore in the quieter moments, and issue #41 once again showcases that in spades. This is the calm before the storm, but the series has consistently shown that the calm can be and often is just as compelling.
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One of several critical events in Erica’s life is the loss of her mentor Jessica, and over the course of the past 40 issues, fans have seen how much Jessica’s presence meant to Erica and how Jessica’s death has affected her from that point on. While we’ve seen glimpses of the aftermath, the series has never revealed what happened to Jessica or the events that led up to that fateful encounter, which is why issue 41 means so much to longtime fans.
Tynion is a master at creating small moments that leave big impressions, and issue 41’s first few pages are a brilliant example of that in action. An encounter at a funeral early on epitomizes this, being equal parts heartwarming, intensely awkward, and delightfully funny, and Dell’Edera’s animated expressions and Muerto’s crisp colors breathe life into these moments and raise them to an entirely new level.
The same is true of Erica’s interactions with Aaron, or Aaron’s brief exchanges with Adda, though those take on a different tone. Those sequences dip into an eerie tension that starts to build towards the end of the issue, and those small moments will likely feel massive as more revelations are made about Jessica and Erica’s next mission.
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These interactions are also the primary way you learn more about the world, and it’s always impressive how much you can glean from small asides in the midst of bigger conversations. Adda, for instance, doesn’t say a word, and yet not only do we have a better understanding of her relationship with Jessica, but we also might have a hint as to what happened to her and Jessica in the past, as well as a better understanding of how Adda sees Erica and Aaron. All of that is conveyed through expressions, eye movement, and one-way conversations, and while the series has pulled this off in the past, this is simply on another tier.
Something Is Killing the Children #41 is revealing some long-awaited answers, but there’s no doubt that even more compelling questions will follow, as there are few books I trust more implicitly to deliver than this one.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Published by BOOM! Studios
On April 30, 2025
Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Werther Dell’Edera
Colors by Miquel Muerto
Letters by AndWorld Design
What did you think of Something Is Killing the Children #41? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things comics with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
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