Something is Killing the Children #50
Top Pick: Cover C Blind Bag Variant
Finally.
We're back to present-day Erica Slaughter.
Don't get me wrong—I loved Something is Killing the Children when it first launched. In fact, I was buying copies from the very beginning because it checked every box for a breakout series.
A monster hunter with an unforgettable design? Check.
A creepy premise? Check.
Fantastic cover artists? Double check.
The idea was brilliantly simple: children can see the monsters... adults can't. Erica Slaughter can, and she's the one who shows up to clean up the mess with a machete (or chainsaw) in hand.
It was horror with a great hook.
Then things got... complicated.
The House of Slaughter.
The Order.
Endless lore.
I'm sure some readers love diving into all of that mythology. Personally, I always found myself thinking, "Can we get back to Erica hunting monsters?"
One of my favorite storytelling tricks is the well-placed flashback. You don't need five issues explaining every corner of the world when a few pages sprinkled throughout the story can accomplish the same thing while keeping the momentum going.
Hopefully issue #50 marks a return to what made this series special in the first place.
The solicitation certainly suggests we're getting back to Erica's present-day story, and that's enough to get my attention.
What About the Covers?
Surprisingly...
I'm not in love with any of the standard covers.
Werther Dell'Edera's main cover is clever. Erica slicing through the logo is a nice visual, but it doesn't rank among my favorite covers from the series.
Jenny Frison's variant is good—because it's Jenny Frison—but she's produced some absolute masterpieces for Something is Killing the Children, and this isn't one of them.
The black blank with the gold foil logo is classy.
The Unlimited black-and-white edition is exactly what it sounds like.
There's also an unrevealed FOC Variant, but until we actually see it, it's hard to recommend.
Which leaves...
The Blind Bag Variant
Yep.
I'm picking the mystery option.
Maybe BOOM! is playing the FOMO game a little.
Maybe I'm falling for it.
But if you're charging $14.99 for a blind bag, I'm hoping there's something inside that's worth the gamble.
Call me curious.
Is It a Spec?
Potentially.
With both an animated series and a live-action film reportedly in development, issue #50 could become an important milestone if the franchise reaches an even bigger audience.
That said...
I don't think it's ever going to reach the heights of those legendary early issues.
If you own the first six issues, you probably remember how wild the market became in 2021. Those were the books to own.
Could they get another bump when adaptation news heats up?
Absolutely.
Just remember you'll have plenty of company. A lot of collectors have been sitting on those books waiting for exactly that moment.
💰 Spec Pick
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mirage Facsimile #1
Top Pick: Cover B Foil
Some comics deserve another printing.
This is one of them.
There have been previous reprints of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, but this is the first facsimile to recreate the original oversized magazine format from 1984.
That's a pretty big deal.
For anyone who wasn't around in the '80s—or anyone who doesn't have six figures lying around for a first printing—this is probably the closest you'll ever come to experiencing the comic the way readers originally did.
The original TMNT #1 was self-published by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird with a print run of roughly 3,000 copies.
Nobody expected it to become one of the biggest entertainment franchises in the world.
Now here we are.
Is It a Spec?
Maybe.
Facsimiles usually aren't retirement plans, but they can surprise you.
Just look at the 2019 Amazing Fantasy #15 Facsimile, which sells for respectable prices on eBay.
Will this oversized TMNT edition follow that path?
It's certainly possible.
Either way, I think it's worth owning simply because of what it represents.
Cover Pick
Normally I'd choose the classic cover every time.
Not here.
The Cover B Foil gives the original artwork just enough extra presentation to make it feel special without losing what made the 1984 cover iconic.
It'll also look fantastic displayed next to any TMNT collection.
🎨 Cover Pick 💰 Spec Pick
🏆 Wrath's FOC Pick of the Week
If I could only preorder one comic from this week's Final Order Cutoff...
Something is Killing the Children #50 – Cover C Blind Bag Variant
Yes...
It's a gimmick.
And yes...
BOOM! Studios knows exactly what they're doing.
But I have to admit I'm curious.
Will it contain one of the incentive covers?
An exclusive surprise?
Something completely different?
I have no idea.
That's exactly why it's my Pick of the Week.
This Week at a Glance
💰 Spec Picks: 2
📖 Read Picks: 0
🎨 Cover Picks: 1
🏆 Pick of the Week: Something is Killing the Children #50 – Cover C Blind Bag Variant