BOOM! Studios recently announced its San Diego Comic-Con 2026 exclusives, and one comic immediately caught my attention:

Something is Killing the Children #1.

Wait...

I had to stop what I was doing and start digging because I distinctly remember something from back in 2021.

And apparently, I wasn't the only one.

A fellow collector messaged me on Instagram, and we both remembered hearing that the Francesco Mobili 8th Printing was supposed to be the final printing of Something is Killing the Children #1.

I remember Ross Richie mentioning it on Instagram, although I haven't been able to locate the original post or comment. It may have been deleted, or perhaps I'm remembering a comment rather than the post itself. Either way, the idea stuck with a lot of collectors.

The "Final" Printing

Released in April 2021, the 8th Printing featured a cover by Francesco Mobili and was distributed as part of BOOM! Studios' promotion with BRZRKR #2. Fans who purchased BRZRKR #1, brought it back to participating comic shops, and bought issue #2 received the special Something is Killing the Children #1 8th Printing.

With a reported print run of around 75,000 copies, it was one of the largest printings the issue had received.

For many collectors—including myself—that felt like the natural end of the reprint cycle.

Then Came the Slaughter Pack

Just when it seemed the story was over, BOOM! surprised everyone.

The website Comics Heating Up reported at the time:

"Just when you thought that Something is Killing the Children #1 8th Print was going to be the final printing of #1 in floppy form (well BOOM said it was)…"

That line immediately caught my attention because it echoed exactly what I remembered.

In January 2022, BOOM! released the Something is Killing the Children Slaughter Pack, collecting issues #1–5 with new David Mack covers.

The issue #1 included in that pack is generally recognized by collectors as the 9th Printing.

So much for the "final" printing.

But It Didn't Stop There

Since then, BOOM! has continued celebrating the series with numerous special editions, including:

• Something is Killing the Children Deluxe Edition #1
  
• Something is Killing the Children Archive Edition
  
• Something is Killing the Children: Pen & Ink #1

Those aren't simply reprints—they're new ways to experience one of modern horror's defining independent comics.

Then there are the convention exclusives.

Every year seems to bring another limited edition of Something is Killing the Children #1 for conventions such as C2E2, New York Comic Con, and San Diego Comic-Con. Looking through the list is almost like watching the comic evolve into a collectible line all its own.

Now... We're still on the 10th Printing?

Fast forward to San Diego Comic-Con 2026, and BOOM! has announced two more Something is Killing the Children #1 exclusives:

• Numbered Metal Embossed Cover (Limited to 100)
• Yellow Variant (Limited to 350)
  

Here's what I find fascinating:

If collectors generally recognize the Slaughter Pack as the 9th Printing, and BOOM! is still releasing convention exclusives years later, why are so many 2026 convention exclusives listed as the 10th printing here? There were convention exclusives released in 2025. Did we skip some printings?

Edit: After further research, I learned that the 2025 convention exclusives were actually variants of the Archive Edition which doesn't count as a separate printing of #1 because adding the words Archive Edition makes it a separate title (even though it also reprints #1).

So, the 2026 reprints, including the convention exclusives, are the 10th printings.

Confusing? Well, whether it's a direct Something is Killing the Children #1 reprint or a reprint with a subtitle, there's no shortage of Something is Killing the Children #1. And apparently no plans for a "final printing" ever. 

It's an unusual publishing history, and I can't think of many other modern comic titles that have managed to reprint their first issue in some way every year since its release.

The Mystery Continues...

I'm still searching for definitive proof that BOOM! officially called the Francesco Mobili edition the "final printing."

Maybe it was an Instagram post.

Maybe it was a comment.

Or maybe it's simply one of those pieces of comic book history that's been lost to time.

If you remember seeing it—or better yet, have a screenshot—post a comment below.

Sometimes the best comic book stories aren't inside the comics at all.