A community is in shock and fear due to a murder, and a gruesome one at that. Meanwhile, a seemingly kindhearted serial killer is worried their comfy life slaughtering will be upended. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees has been a horror story, a psychological thriller, and a commentary on suburban peace. In the fourth issue, out March 13, the story becomes a cat-and-mouse game between two killers.
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #4 opens with Sam, a mild-mannered bear who happens to be the protagonist and a serial killer, riding their bike down a usually busy street. The people of her town are in hiding, thanks to not knowing who could have slaughtered their friend. Sam is onto the real killer after the events of the last issue, and in an early scene, Sam takes herself directly to them to send a message.
Through captions, Patrick Horvath explores Sam’s point of view on things. They liked the town as it was, right down to their favorite seat in the movie theater. Clearly a creature of habit, her habits are now in disarray, and something must be done with the newbie killer.
As the story progresses, Horvath further explores Sam losing themselves as they obsess over what has become their perfect little ecosystem. We get that via a chaotic parade scene as the townsfolk smother Sam in the street or crowd around her as she does her killing work. You always feel for this character, save for them being a homicidal murderer. Sam’s disheveled nature is shown via cracks in her response to a shadow or by letting slip one of her stash spots. Something has to give, and things will go from bad to worse.
Credit: IDW
Horvath puts you inside Sam’s head via great visuals, such as character emotions and layouts. On one page, we see Sam’s face via four panels, mixed in a nine-panel grid of the action around her. Her shock is palpable and intense in the moment. In another scene, Sam loses their temper, and a shock of red in the background reveals their rage in well-placed three panels. Little details show the townsfolk in disarray, too, like the shaking of a coffee cup with well-placed “Rattle” sound effects or Sam’s utterly unamused face. A lot is being said in scenes where characters simply stand or sit.
On the reverse side of how well Horvath puts you in Sam’s head is a lingering problem of not knowing who to root for. Not that narratives must have a hero or “good guy,” but that so many are deplorable, with Sam being even less likable after this issue. I don’t get the sense we should want Sam to be caught, which is far from it, yet I ponder if they do get caught, will I even care? The stakes don’t seem so high when the protagonist probably should be stopped.
Lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou continues to be intriguing, adding to the dialogue. A strung-out word balloon tail adds a sense of worry in one scene, or the wavy balloon of a mother who is sickly and tired conveys their weakness. The way Otsmane-Elhaou draws the tail of a word balloon going right into Sam’s mouth as they scream out “Ahhh” in their sleep is another interesting choice. There’s a lot here to unpack in the lettering department!
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #4 ramps up the intensity of the narrative as a killing has turned into a war between killers. They may be perfectly sensible and withhold violence, but the drama is on high and can be cut with a knife.
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