Brombal and Shehan Talk SIKTC Spinoff House of Slaughter (Interview)
Warning! Spoilers for Something Is Killing the Children by BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios House of Slaughter has arrived, as the much-anticipated Something is Killing the Children spin-off series is on comic book store shelves now. The series expands on the mysterious House of Slaughter first introduced in the James Tynion IV and Werther Dell'Eldera series and focuses on Aaron Slaughter, a character who appeared initially but was shockingly killed off in SIKTC.
Something is Killing the Children by Tynion IV and Dell'Eldera has been a smash hit for BOOM! Studios. The comic tells the story of Erica Slaughter, a monster hunter who arrives at a small town to investigate a series of murdered children. The first issue went to eight different printings, and earlier this year, Mike Flanagan and Netflix revealed they are adapting the comic into a live-action series. House of Slaughter by Tate Brombal and Chris Shehan is the first spin-off from the SIKTC series.
We spoke to Brombal and Shehan about House of Slaughter #1 about how the project came to be, what readers can expect, and the record-setting sales of the spin-off.
How did this project come about for you guys?
Tate Brombal: Basically, I had been talking to James and Eric, the head editor on Something Is Killing The Children separately about it, because they had read Barbalien: Red Planet, my Black Hammer spin-off at Dark Horse, and they both really connected with it and enjoyed it. I was talking to Eric about possibly doing something at BOOM!, and then I guess James and Eric connected behind the scenes while they were trying to spit ball names for this series. They realized that they had both been talking to me, and there was that happy coincidence.
They connected over that and brought me into this - I think possibly because of my experience with Barbalien as a spin-off. And a lot of the queer storytelling and narrative of House of Slaughter is probably why they wanted to bring me in and work with me on this. I'm super happy and blessed to be doing so.
Chris Shehan: Eric had reached out to me right as I was finishing my last project, The Autumnal, and they told me that I would be a fit for this. I was already a fan of Something Is Killing The Children, so I very quickly rearranged my schedule just enough so I could fit this in.
It just sounded awesome, and it sounded like something I wanted to work on. It's right up my alley, so I'm glad they reached out to me, because I guess they saw that it was also right up my alley. I don't know why they chose me specifically - I'm not really sure, but I appreciate it.
How exciting is it to build on this world created by James Tyson IV and Werther Dell'Edera?
Chris Shehan: For me, it's really exciting and very nerve-wracking. Because I know that there's already a fan base, and I want to make sure that people still feel like they're in the same universe while experiencing something new. And so, I try very hard to get everything right while also bringing fresh new things - as much as I can - into it.
Tate Brombal: Yeah, it's ridiculous. I still can't believe it. It is super exciting, and I feel very privileged to be allowed into this universe. I've been really surprised with how much they've let me get away with, and how much I've been allowed to bring myself and my own point of view to the world through these characters.
And the fandom, I still cannot get over. I knew Something Is Killing The Children was huge when I signed on to this, but that was last spring. Since then, the fandom has only gotten even bigger and bigger as the months have gone on. When the House of Slaughter news broke and the first wave of people's reactions came in, I was just so blown away.
I'm still just wrapping my head around it, so it's super exciting. Like Chris said, it's a bit nerve-wracking, but I'm really happy with the story we're getting to tell. I hope it connects with people and they enjoy it.
What was it like to take on Aaron Slaughter? We know his fate in the main series, but what's it like to tell his story?
Tate Brombal: Chris and I will never forgive James for doing that to Aaron slaughter. Basically, our mission became to make people also never forgive James. We are really delving into him; we want people to understand him and just really love him.
It's been really cool to add a lot to this character, and just more dimension. We learn some key things from his background even before he got involved with the House of Slaughter, and the story is a pretty major event in his in his lifetime. It will hopefully help explain why he is the way he is in the present, when we first met him in Something Is Killing The Children.
I've been super grateful to build on top of this character. Even in his short lifespan in the main series, he really left a mark on readers. I remember getting to his death and just being like, "That's it? I want more from him!" I'm just so glad that we got to be part of building him up and stuff.
The story centers around Aaron and the House of Slaughter, Aaron and Erica, and Aaron with a new character. I was wondering if you could talk about those relationships.
Tate Brombal: You're definitely right. His relationship with the House of Slaughter is a big one, especially through Jessica. And their relationship is gonna be just as big, I think, as him and Jace's relationship. It's her kind of motherly role as their head of house, which I love delving into. His relationship with Jace is going to be a big one that really carries out across his life as they impact each other, and it sets Aaron off on his road towards the present when we first meet him.
But this is very much Aaron's story; we tried her best to make that clear in the first issue. Erica has her appearances, and we talk about her. She is important across the series in various moments, but the relationships I really wanted to take the opportunity to delve into were his relationship with Jessica and the House, and then his relationship with Jace.
Chris, what was it like to take on this world? It must be daunting for you as well.
Chris Shehan: Yeah, definitely. It's a bit of a challenge. There's a lot to it and a lot of little details that I want to get right, and I'm always constantly having to ask like, "Would this be here in this room? And what would this room even be like? What would this look like?"
I like the challenge, though. I have to do a lot more research than I normally would because I'm looking very closely at Werther's art in Something Is Killing The Children. I also was lucky enough to be sent his all of his reference folders, all of his sketchbooks - everything. Or at least most of it, I'm pretty sure. I have a lot of it. I get to dig through all of that to see what his reference is, what his inspiration is, so that I can get it right but in my own way.
The challenge has been fun because I'm kind of getting my own behind-the-scenes look at one of my favorite comics while also being able to add to that universe.
How does it feel to expand on the actual House of Slaughter, which has been long teased in the main series?
Chris Shehan: Yeah, I love it. It's awesome being able to explore the house in my own way and add to it. Tate's scripts add a lot to what's going on and what's in the house, and what it's like to be in the house. For me, it's almost like I'm attending the school myself and being able to learn and explore it as I work on it and as I draw it,
The pre-orders were pretty enormous beforehand. How exciting and important was it that a queer story brought those kinds of numbers?
Tate Brombal: That really blows me away, and I honestly still haven't fully wrapped my head around that. Obviously, the importance of this being a major title centered around what is essentially a queer love story, to be honest, is huge and so cool.
And I love that it's not just a queer love story. It's not just about a queer narrative; there's so much more to it. The queerness is layered in just as delicately and nuanced as anything else in horror and other genre books. I love that we can play with so many of the things from Something Is Killing The Children, and then Chris and I can bring our own queer perspectives to a lot of it. That's incredible.
The numbers just blew me away. I did not imagine that ever. I feel so blessed and privileged to be working on this book.
Chris Shehan: I have a bit of imposter syndrome about the number. It's a lot, and I've never seen anything like this. I still don't even really fully understand how variant covers work. I'm watching, and people are like, "Oh, there's this incentive cover, and then there's this variant cover." And I'm like, "Cool. I don't really know what that means." But it's cool. It's exciting.
I'm very happy that people are excited about something that is essentially a queer love story. Obviously, it's fun - there's monster fighting and there's teen drama. But for a queer love story to take front and center in this story arc, and for it to see this much love even before it's even out, has been really nice. The fan base has been very welcoming to me, and I love it. And it's scary.
What are you hoping people get from the book?
Tate Brombal: First of all, I hope it adds another dimensionality to the universe - especially to the perspective of this story. So much of what the main series is about is these traumas and these terrible horrors that exist; who believes they exist, and who takes care of them and why.
I think in the first issue, you keep hearing, "There will always be monsters." The House's motto is kind of "There must always be those who hunt." This series, hopefully questions a lot of that. Why are there monsters? Where do they come from? And what is this society really doing: are they actually taking care of them, or are they just another bureaucratic mess? Hopefully it questions and explores a lot of that, and people can bring that to our own world and question the same things.
And I really hope the romance and the connection between these two boys resonates with people, because it's very special and it means a lot to me.
Chris Shehan: I think one of the big reasons that we fall in love with characters is by witnessing their relationships with others, whatever we're watching or reading or viewing. I hope that people will fall in love with Aaron and Jace and all of our characters by seeing how they relate to each other and how they connect with each other.
Then I hope that readers get mad at James for doing what he did to Aaron, because we're all going to really love Aaron after this series. That's my hope, anyway.
Thanks to Tate Brombal and Chris Shehan for discussing the new series with us. House of Slaughter #1 by BOOM! Studios is in comic book stores now.