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After the Wisconsin slaughter, Something is Killing the Children is diving into the history of the monster-killer, Erica, detailing a tragic origin.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Something is Killing the Children #16-18, on sale now from BOOM! Studios.
BOOM! Comics’ Something is Killing the Children has been diving deep into the history of the monster-killer, Erica. The hunter was able to save Archer’s Peak from the Oscuratype monsters, who are invisible to adults but not kids, but after she told the Old Dragon (the boss) off, Erica left Wisconsin to find herself again. Now, come Issue #18, by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, Miquel Muerto and AndWorld Design, we get a lot more insight into her real origin.
The previous stories had flashbacks indicating the House of Slaughter, the Chicago arm of the Order of St. George, took Erica in as a 12-year-old after a monster killed her family. She in turn murdered it and became potential to them. It’s revealed Jessica, not Cecilia, was the person who found Erica suffering PTSD at the site after her parents and friend, Becca, got maimed.
Jessica convinced Erica she had a warrior within and by unleashing it, she would help save other kids. Erica agreed and Jessica took her to the base in Chicago for training, even giving her a stuffed octopus to comfort her. This explains how Octo came to be and why Erica had it with her as an adult — it’s a totem that stores dark energy. That energy is revealed in a trial in the Midwest at a farm. As Erica’s prepped for the initiation, she meets Aaron just before, who she bullies a bit as he’s a White Mask while she’s a Black one. Still, she befriends him, which explains why she took it so hard when he died in Wisconsin and also why he was bitter Erica abandoned them and went broke the rules.
More so, we see that she and Cecilia hated each other, explaining their banter in the present. Meanwhile, Jessica guides Erica on how to survive the trial at the farm. In an occult ritual, Big Gary Slaughter extracts the monster that killed Erica’s family and it bonds with her. We know she survives to fight on, but it remains to be seen how she puts the beast into Octo.
Interestingly, apart from losing Aaron as a sibling, it sets the stage to see how Jessica eventually died. An angry Erica told the Old Dragon he sent Jessica to her death in the past, so it seems this is the defining moment that got her to hate the Order. She also met Addie, an older hunter who was suffering PTSD, so all this will inform why she rejects their doctrines. Most of all, the way Jessica was kind to her, the way Cecilia spared Archer’s Peak’s citizens years later and helped cover up the killings, and how the Old Dragon eventually offered Erica a spot at the high table, is all important backstory that may be context for her coming back to effect change within.
The council needs young blood and Erica could be primed to be a mother like Jessica was to her. Cecilia may want to honor her fallen colleague as well, while the Old Dragon could see this as the best way to evolve, especially as they appear to be in conflict with other chapters.
It’s worth noting that Erica could also be tempted to use Bian and James (the children she saved in Archer’s Peak) to mentor because they’ve got her gift and are willing to embrace this path after being injured and losing loved ones themselves. Thus, as more of Erica’s origin unravels, it’s foreshadowing a future where she can create a better Order and increase the number of Black Masks.
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