Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees was undoubtedly one of the most original crime dramas introduced in comics in some time, and now a sequel, Rite of Spring, is on the way. Out July 9th, I had an advance look at the follow-up series, and it’s got a great hook. You may have already gotten a taste of it from the Free Comic Book Day comic, and it sets up a new dynamic for serial killer Samantha to interact with.
Smartly, this issue ties to a specific murder in the first series. It’s smart because it shows that every murderous act by Samantha can have real consequences. The murder comes back to haunt Samantha due to the sister of the deceased never giving up on finding her brother. Is it a haunting, or is Samantha up to something? As an advance review, I’m not going to spoil it, but it’s an interesting angle.
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #1 feels like a mystery, largely due to the focus being on the sister looking for her missing brother. She knows he’s probably dead, and the reader knows for sure, but she can’t give up. Writer and artist Patrick Horvath focuses on her life and what it has become, making her story quite sad and lonely. This is a person who is dead set on a goal and likely is capable of going outside of what is expected. Even with danger absent from her day-to-day, Horvath keeps the reader on their toes as it’s hard to gauge what happens next.
Courtesy IDW
That isn’t to say the body horror isn’t present. In fact, we get a shocking visual on the very first page. Horvath’s realistic rendering of humanoid animals continues to add a layer of weirdness similar to the previous series. And yet, they’re still deeply human, which is tricky considering the sister is a duck, yet has an expressive bill as if it’s a mouth.
While Samantha is in the issue, it’s about the victim’s sister. Considering her lifestyle and what Horvath puts her through at one point, we’ve got a heck of a volatile element for Samantha to deal with. This issue establishes a strong lead character and then gets her to Samantha’s town, but then it ends, making the next issue a must-read.
There’s also a cultural thread that Horvath explores. In a world where the police can’t seem to help, where does one turn? Our lead character turns to one option, which may be putting her on a road to getting killed herself.
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #1 successfully builds on the original series with a compelling new protagonist, emotional depth, and chilling visuals. The tantalizing mystery being uncovered feels rife with danger, and Horvath’s now iconic and unique art style maximizes this danger.
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