For good reason, I gave Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1 a rare 10/10 score as it blended a richly fresh visual style with a darkly disturbed story. Focusing on the small town, we met a bear named Sam who is a serial killer. They’re quite good at it, but a slaying has brought attention to the town and their entire killer ecosystem. With Beneath the Trees Where Nobody See #2 out this week, we learn their next steps in stopping the killer from ruining their perfectly good lifestyle of regular murders.
The second issue opens in the town church, where the sheriff speaks to everyone with confidence they’ll find the killer. The townsfolk are skeptical at best. We quickly meet Cherry, an angry pig woman who also happens to be on the cover. She’s rude, loud, and entirely sick of the proceedings. It’s a good starting point as it sets the stage for a town on the verge of losing its cool. And why should they stay calm? One of their own was displayed on a parade float with their guts hanging out!
Intercut within this scene are Sam’s thoughts and understanding that the town is losing it. Creator Patrick Horvath captures their voice splendidly. They’re cool, calm, and entirely in control. Throughout the issue, we follow Sam as they attempt to find the killer and put an end to the investigation, or else get found out themselves.
This issue ends up feeling more like a detective story than an exploration of the mind of a killer, as the first issue had. That’s thanks to Sam noodling around and asking some locals questions while clues seem everywhere. Even the sheriff seems to drop one, so if you like mysteries, you’ll dig into the layered nature of the mystery being unveiled here.
There’s also a murder, which looks like the best you’ve seen on TV. A key character brashly goes for a run and soon finds themselves with a knife pointed at them. It leads to an exciting chase and a gruesome reveal the next day. It’s too early to say who the killer is, but it’s pretty clearly going to be a big moment when it’s revealed who they are.
Credit: IDW
For how good the internalizing of a killer like Sam was in the first issue, I felt a bit let down that their solo story takes a sidestep from the mystery. The detective work, which includes a flashback, takes us out of their head, making us feel distant from the main character. I’m all for the mystery, but the story structure seems to have shifted, which, in turn, affected my expectations.
Horvath continues to do great work anthropomorphizing animals. Somehow, a large bear-like Sam looks natural in the coat they’re wearing. The fact that a turtleman also happens to have a pet dog only adds to the strange yet believable character design. The type of animal seems to add to the character traits, like a bloodhound being a sheriff.
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou continue to be a delight. Word balloon design is always inventive and hand-drawn. The lettering choices have a down-home feel that suits the setting and vibe of the story.
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #2 takes a surprising turn as the story shifts from a serial killer’s inner monologue-driven horror tale into a detective narrative. It works mainly because the mystery of who the killer is tantalizes with key clues dropped left and right. Now, it’s a matter of solving the crime along with Sam, who also happens to be a killer himself.
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