House of Slaughter #3 stays true to form by exploring love amid monsters. Unlike Something is Killing the Children (SIKTC), which focuses more on children’s loss of innocence and the unfair responsibility when they learn about monsters, House of Slaughter (HoS) is shaping up to be a love story — one which SIKTC readers know will not end happily. Despite knowing how Aaron’s story concludes, the series will draw readers in because of its emotional depth and artistic vibrance.
House of Slaughter #3
Andworld Design (letterer), Tate Brombal (story and script), Miquel Muerto (colorist), Chris Shehan (art), James Tynion IV (story)
BOOM! Studios
December 22, 2021
Spoilers follow for House of Slaughter #3
HoS #3 opens with the kind of scene you’d expect from SIKTC. As adults in the woods, Aaron and Jace battle a monster who has just killed a young girl’s parents. The typical gore of these books is present, with the series’ signature red blood spraying thanks to artist Shehan and colorist Muerto.
The book shifts to some exposition that is less exciting, but necessary for moving forward. We learn that Jessica, Aaron’s mentor, wants to push back the first hunt of the year until her student is more prepared. Although Jessica is always supportive of Aaron, it’s a sign that she, and the other leaders of the house, are uncertain of his progress and readiness.
While the leaders discuss Aaron and Jace, the boys themselves are exploring the city and ignoring the rules. Aaron and Jace’s relationship is rightfully the heart of the comic and receives more time than in previous issues. They go past the designated city boundaries the Order of St. George allows the children, which is an apt metaphor for Aaron’s attempts to test the rules of emotional regulation.
The issue uses a compelling technique, where it cuts between Aaron and Jace’s adventure in the city and their future fight with the monster in the woods. A line of dialogue from one scene will end halfway and complete when the next panel jumps in time. This approach plays with temporality and spatiality of the page to collapse past and present and show how contexts may have changed, but Aaron and Jace still have an unbreakable bond.
HoS #3 also clarifies something that had been confusing–although it seemed Jace was the one having a nightmare of his parents dying in a car crash in the last issue, it’s actually Aaron who lost his parents that way. Jace is a “legacy,” a person from a St. George family, and he lost his parents to monsters.
The art in HoS once again does not disappoint. While past issues have focused on the woods and the house itself, Aaron and Jace’s journey into the city allows Shehan to show off a smart take on architecture. The settings have a satisfying depth that gives a sense of danger and thrill to Aaron’s and Jace’s leaps across rooftops.
House of Slaughter #3 finally expands on the romance hinted at in the first two issues. Although Aaron’s feelings have been far more transparent in the first two issues, and Jace’s were unclear, his aren’t anymore. He brings Aaron to a special spot at the top of a building overlooking the city and brings him in for a kiss. This is paired with the future scene where, despite his assignment to kill Jace, Aaron still takes him in his arms. It’s a sudden and emotional moment for the book, shifting the intensity from the near-constant violence and stress to one of intimacy and vulnerability. If SIKTC is a “colder” book, more focused on Erica’s weariness and distance from the work, HoS plunges into the warmer depths of the monster-hunting life. House of Slaughter #3 is the best issue yet, and left me not only wanting #4 but also excited for the return of SIKTC.
