BOOM! Studios announced a new chapter in Erica Slaughter’s past will be unveiled this September in Something is Killing the Children #0, a prequel story from James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera that takes place before Erica’s arrival to Archer’s Peak.

The issue will feature a main cover Dell’Edera, as well as variants by Jenny Frison, Dan Mora, Jeff Dekal, Jae Lee, Sean Gordon Murphy, and more. Check our the covers by Dell’Edera and Murphy below!

From BOOM!:

This crucial mission in Erica’s past details the brutal hunt preceding her arrival in Archer’s Peak. It ends with Erica walking out of the woods to meet a little girl waiting by a red wagon–now James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera take you back to where it begins.

Official Press Release

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 13, 2024) – It’s been five years since the debut of the smash hit, Eisner-winning series Something is Killing the Children. A half decade, and forty issues since Erica Slaughter arrived in Archer’s Peak and changed the world of comics. Now, a critical chapter from her past is revealed in SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #0, coming to comic shops in September 2024.

This crucial mission in Erica’s past details the brutal hunt preceding her arrival in Archer’s Peak. It ends with Erica walking out of the woods to meet a little girl waiting by a red wagon–now James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera take you back to where it begins.

“It’s a real thrill to be going back to the very beginning, and telling a story that I never thought I’d be able to tell,” said writer and co-creator James Tynion IV. “Something is Killing the Children #0 is going to be one to remember, a comic worthy of a fifth anniversary!”

“We have devoted most of the year to telling Erica’s earliest stories,” said artist and co-creator Werther Dell’Edera. “With issue zero, we complete the tour.”

SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #0, the first such zero issue for any BOOM! Studios original series, features main cover art by series artist and co-creator Werther Dell’Edera, and variant covers by highly acclaimed illustrators Jenny Frison (Grim), Dan Mora (Once & Future), Jeff Dekal (Dune: House Atreides), Jae Lee (The Dark Tower), Sean Gordon Murphy (Tokyo Ghost), and more.

“Five years ago, Erica Slaughter emerged from the woods, bloody and battle-worn, to change the comics landscape forever,” said longtime series editor Eric Harburn. “This is a story of that battle–and I guarantee you are not ready for what James, Werther, Miquel, and AndWorld have in store.”

SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; Grim by Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano; Stuff of Nightmares by R.L. Stine and A.L. Kaplan; Damn Them All by Simon Spurrier and Charlie Adlard; Once Upon a Time at the End of the World by Jason Aaron, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Leila del Duca, and Nick Dragotta; A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo; Ghostlore by Cullen Bunn and Leomacs; Sirens of the City by Joanne Starer and Khary Randolph; Coda by Simon Spurrier and Matías Bergara; Rare Flavours by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Underheist by David and Maria Lapham; and Animal Pound by Tom King and Peter Gross. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Corrino from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Simone Ragazzoni; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice; and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth by Andy Diggle, Rubine, and Francesco Pisa.

SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #0 will be available in comic shops September 25, 2024. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play.  

For continuing news on SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on X.

About James Tynion IV:

James Tynion IV is an Eisner Award-winning, New York Times bestselling writer and publisher of comic books. He is best known for co-creating hit horror comics series like Something is Killing the Children, The Nice House on the Lake, and The Department of Truth. He is also the writer of Young Adult adventure series, like multiple GLAAD Media Award-nominated Wynd, and the 2017 GLAAD Media Award winner The Woods. He spent ten years writing various Batman titles at DC Comics, where he co-created exciting new characters like Punchline and Ghost-Maker. He lives and works in Brooklyn, and is represented by United Talent Agency.

About Werther Dell’Edera:

Werther Dell'Edera is an artist based out of Italy. He has worked with publishers in Italy and the US including BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, DC Vertigo, IDW, Image, and SergioBonelliEditore. He was an artist for Brian Azzarello's Loveless and Ian Rankin's Hellblazer: Dark Entries from DC Vertigo. Dell'Edera also worked alongside famed illustrator Gabrielle D'Otto on the graphic novel Spider-man: Family Business for Marvel Entertainment. He is currently working with co-creator James Tynion IV on Something is Killing the Children and House of Slaughter from BOOM! Studios.