‘Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring’ #4 review

The walls are closing in on Woodbrook as Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #4 pushes Patrick Horvath’s unnerving tale of small-town horror toward its breaking point. In the previous issue, Horvath peeled back the curtain on Samantha Brown’s origins, revealing how a seemingly mild-mannered bear became one of comics’ most chilling killers. Now, with Monica ready to cross any line to uncover the truth, Rite of Spring enters its most suspenseful stage yet.

Out this week, the fourth issue focuses on Monica’s attempt to gain information about Nigel. In order to do so, she must sneak into a house now owned by a loving family, unconnected to Nigel. You see, Sam wants to use Monica to pin everything on Nigel, and the best way to do that is to be a silent “helper.”

While Monica lies her way into the good graces of an unsuspecting family, Sam sits nearby scoping her out with binoculars. She’s having a delightful time enjoying the manipulation of it all.

Intercut with Monica trying to find dirt on Nigel, writer-artist Patrick Horvath focuses attention back on the turtle who saw the wild bear enter. For the most part, these scenes humanize the turtle, who seeks extra internet minutes while he makes friends online. We also get a check-in on Lewis and his rather emotionally unstable mother. Lewis and his whole family are reeling from the loss of their father at the hands of Sam. Between these characters, we get plenty of humanizing of characters, likely to set up some rather disturbing murders in the future.

Monica’s intrusion is a reminder this small town trusts folks too much.
Credit: IDW

As far as Monica, the plot moves forward effectively, with a rather tragic and possibly murderous end to her mission. Given how her story ends, this issue is not looking great for her as Sam continues to pull the strings.

Something missing from this issue is Sam, who is more of a bystander in this issue. Last issue featured a full flashback backstory, but here she’s relishing manipulating Monica, likely with the goal of getting rid of her. Between the lack of Sam and the check-ins on other characters who don’t seem particularly relevant to the ongoing plot, this feels like a table-setting issue more than a self-satisfying chapter.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #4 slows down to let the dread breathe, trading gore for manipulation and groundwork. While Samantha’s reduced role makes this installment feel like a lull before the next blood-soaked crescendo, Patrick Horvath’s world remains as meticulously crafted and psychologically haunting as ever. The calm before the kill is still captivating, it just leaves you hungry for the next strike.

‘Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring’ #4 review

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #4

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #4 slows down to let the dread breathe, trading gore for manipulation and groundwork. While Samantha’s reduced role makes this installment feel like a lull before the next blood-soaked crescendo, Patrick Horvath’s world remains as meticulously crafted and psychologically haunting as ever. The calm before the kill is still captivating, it just leaves you hungry for the next strike.

Reader Rating2 Votes

9

Horvath keeps the psychological suspense simmering, letting readers feel the predator’s quiet pleasure in manipulation.

Side characters like the turtle and Lewis’s grieving family add texture and realism to Woodbrook, expanding its emotional landscape.

Monica’s increasingly desperate actions make her both sympathetic and doomed, deepening the story’s sense of inevitability.

The absence of the series’ most compelling figure makes this chapter feel less intense than previous entries.

With so much groundwork laid for future payoffs, this issue reads more transitional than transformative.

7.5

Good

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