Horrified to learn that she’s not the only serial killer in Woodbrook-and insulted, frankly, by the rookie’s flare for the dramatic-Samantha hits the pavement to silence the competition before they ruin her quiet, perfectly curated life. But the insufferable latte-chugging local busybody Cherry Gherkins is poisoning the town with her own theories about the murder, and things are about to get messy. The debut issue was fantastic and Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #2 is an amazing second that ups the tension.

Written by Patrick Horvath, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #2 is a slasher story at its core. But it’s done with a slight twist and done so well. There’s the cute exterior, with the comic featuring cute anthropomorphic characters that look more like it should be a Berenstain Bears story. Then there’s the fact that the main character Sam, is in fact a serial killer herself. It’s a killer hunting a killer, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because she doesn’t want to get caught.

Horvath has taken a simple premise and genre we’ve seen so many times before and elevated it in multiple ways. There’s twists and turns that beg to be examined and debated. The choice of the animals themselves can be thought about and discussed for hours. Which are victims? Which are killers? Does the type of animal matter when it comes to that? It’s all intriguing choices that feel like there’s an “order” begging to be dissected.

The art helps it all too. With Horvath handling that with lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the visuals deliver a cute and quaint style that’s disrupted by grisly murders. Horvath choices of look to the comic is part of the success and charm. Normal humans, there wouldn’t be quite the impact. It’s the cute aspect that disarms the readers making a “Karen” that much more of a villain or a peaceful scene that turns into a bloody mess even more of a shocker. I’m also convinced the animal types deliver hints as to who the killer really is.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #2 is a hell of a second issue of a triumph of a series. It stands as one of the best of the year. Top notch writing plus top notch art take a familiar concept and just launches it to new levels. This is a can’t miss and has us excited to read more in 2024.

Story: Patrick Horvath Art: Patrick Horvath Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle