The Pen & Ink rerelease of BOOM! Studios’ Something Is Killing The Children #1 is not a fun read. In fact, it’s creepy and disturbing, and that’s a good thing.
Written by James Tynion IV, and illustrated throughout by Werther Dell’Edera, SIKTC begins with a scene of bullying, then links quickly to an uneasy atmosphere of fear and confusion, and slithers along from there. NO spoilers, okay?
What is so different about the Pen & Ink version, and is it worth $7.00?
Well, there is a good foreword written just last month by Tynion. Furthermore, there is a running commentary by Dell’Edera at the bottom of each page of line art. He comments about his thought process, the importance of symbolism, and various metaphors that he employed. It’s clear that the two creators collaborated freely during the initial stages of issue one.
Dell’Edera’s art is clearly and crisply printed, without colour, obviously. We can admire the scratchiness of the lines, the carefully placed black areas, the way he changes the characteristics of his drawing line to emphasize certain aspects of the story.
In a sense, removing the colour from this first issue of the well-regarded series is revealing, but it also feels stripped of some power. That said, it’s a nice treat to see the black-and-white high-contrast artwork and learn more about its making. No lie, it honestly makes me want to revisit the series in colour!
BOOM! Studios, Something Is Killing The Children Pen & Ink #1, $6.99 for 34 pages of content.
Newsdesk