SDCC ’25: The Slaughterverse keeps expanding and “Feeling the Black Mask”

By Gabriel Neeb

Sami DeMonster, moderator of “The Slaughterverse: Expanding the World of Something is Killing the Children” on Saturday at the San Diego Comic-Con 2025, started by asking which “mask” the writer and editors responsible for overseeing the Slaughterverse series of comics would wear. Writer James Tynion IV chose the Black Mask (solo hunters and Mask of series lead, Erica Slaughter, hence the “feeling it” quote). Editor Eric Harburn chose White (Pack Hunters), and editor Ramiro Portnoy went with Azure (Weapons and Tech).

All of this led up to the reveal that, with new Boom Studio owner Random House, Tynion’s series Something is Killing the Children is contracted to run at least 100 issues (the series is currently at around #50).

The series about a clandestine organization hunting down monsters of all types (the most common being the “oscuratype”) has been published by Boom! Studios since 2018 and will continue to be for some time.

The panel began with a survey of masks that audience members would wear, with the handful that raised their hands for White Masks being singled out for special attention by the moderator. DeMonster also asked about the “totems” the panel (the in-universe marker that hunters of the Slaughterverse get when they kill their first monster; they’re also possessed by that monster) members would have. Tynion said his would probably just end up in a bag since the totems tend to be untrustworthy. Eric chose Chucky, the killer doll from the Child’s Play movie series, and Ramiro went with a plush that he thought was a lot smaller when he ordered it (it’s rather big).

The panel continued on to discuss the intense emotional nature of the series, especially since the current stories, flashbacks to Erica Slaughter’s early days as a Hunter, were leading up to issue #50.

Issue #50 is significant for a number of reasons. For Tynion, fifty issues is the longest run of any series he has ever done; his Batman and Detective Comics runs being fifty issues each. It is also significant because it will mark when the series returns to the present day and set up the next major storyline, or novel, as the editors refer to them.

Another remarkable fact about the series, as Ramiro pointed out, is that there are few comic series that get to, or even surpass, fifty issues and the reveal that Boom will do at least fifty issues even more amazing.

The panel did take a few moments to discuss the current story arc of flashbacks. The next year will be spent setting the stage for the next fifty issues. In the current arc, Tynion is exploring what he called “Baby Erica Slaughter”–her early days dedicated to becoming a Hunter.

In these issues, we’ll see Erica’s relationship with her mentor, Jessica, and one of Jessica’s associates, Cecilia. James described Cecilia as a complicated villain that is both elegant and precise but is also cold to humanity.

Around this time, Eric mentioned that series artist Werther Dell’Edera said “Hi” and would have done a video call but was driving at the time.

The panel ended with questions from the audience, with the first coming from Erica herself.

(Okay, not really)

“What kind of pants does Erica wear?” Given the intense monster-fighting activities of Erica Slaughter, the issue had to arise. James replied that she wore leggings instead of jeans or slacks as some have guessed. Cosplayers, take note.

Another hint at an upcoming story appeared when one fan asked about why almost all of the Slaughterverse stories have involved monsters in rural America, as opposed to the cities. Tynion’s response was a bit cagey as he stated that the topic is one he’s keeping up his sleeve for the moment but will be dealt with when the series gets around to the “missing house” of the series’ Order of Saint George (which encompasses the House of Slaughter, House of Butcher, and House of Cutter): the House of Blood which started in New York City in Colonial America.

Coinciding with this was a question about monsters of other cultures appearing as the series has largely focused on the creatures of its American setting. Tynion responded that the series will touch on this when it deals with international areas in the future. Tynion also likes yokai monsters so that’s a narrative possibility.

With another sixty or so issues to look forward to, we’ll all find out soon enough.

Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from SDCC ’25.

Tags: sdcc ‘25