Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1

If IDW Originals continues to put out comics like Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, many Eisner Awards are in their future. Horvath and Otsmane-Elhaou create a truly unique experience following a serial killer whose way of life is upended. There's a cool and calculated feel to the pace and character work, akin to Silence of the Lambs,which should rocket to the top of comics fans' top ten lists of 2023. A great read for the psychological horror fan who wants something different. Read Full Review

The artwork in this book is another aspect that holds your attention. The character designs are adorable and charming, making it easy to forget that they are murderous animals. The use of color is also noteworthy, with a warm and cozy palette of earthy tones that add to the setting's charm and create a stark contrast to the gruesome events that unfold. Read Full Review

For a company perhaps best known for their licensed content, IDW are doing some absolutely stellar work with their Originals creator-owned line, and this new series deserves a place near the very top of that list. Feeling like Sylvanian Families meets Dexter, this is a beautifully disturbing concept executed to absolute perfection. Highest possible recommendation. Read Full Review

Unspeakable violence invades a childrens storybook paradise in Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees #1. Read Full Review

Horvath delivers some beautiful art that perfectly complements the quiet tension of the story. The picturesque landscapes and characters are visually charming and the murderous, violent reveals are a visual jolt after being drawn in by the quiet tone of the art. Read Full Review

This is a slightly unsettling story because of the contrast of the script and initial illustrations, but it is a strong debut for a new series to see what else will unfold in the hunt for the true killer. Read Full Review

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees takes everything you know about cute animals and suburbia and twists them into a bloody mess, and its awesome. Read Full Review

The most regrettable aspect of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1 is that the solicit pitches the entire miniseries and so acts as a synopsis for the entire first issue. It's unfortunate because this debut establishes its tone and identity so well that the lack of discovery undermines this excellent aspect. Read Full Review

AlterEgoMarc

Oct 18, 2023

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1 is one of the best first issues that I've read in years. And when you find out that this is writer/artist Patrick Horvath's first comic book series, it's even more impressive! The pitch of "Dexter" meets the World of Richard Scary is accurate. The cute animal characters in a Mayberry-esque setting lull you into a false sense of security before Horvath shocks the heck out you. Highly recommended!

MoonKnight313

Oct 21, 2023

What a great start to a wild series! The art is incredible. The line work is super clean and very fitting for the story. The coloring is fantastic. The plot is great and the writing/dialogue is as well. Definitely pull worthy and can’t wait to see what happens next!

JerBearMI

Nov 14, 2023

Dexter meets the Berenstain Bears. So much is enjoyable about issue one, the art is subtle yet haunting and beautiful. The story moves at a great pace and sucks you in right away and the last few pages bring about the set-up to a series you want to just enjoy voraciously

Moolissuh

Dec 12, 2023

I wanna be in Patrick Horvath's brain when he thought of this concept (Why the FUCK are some animals "people" and other ones just "animals?").

ResearchReader

Dec 17, 2023

I feel like the indie writers of late have been knocking it out of the ball park. This issue goes from so wholesome to so terrifying and wtf? so you get whiplash. I mean this in the best possibly way. It sucks you in. I would also like to add that besides the major point of horror, there is also a quite sad horror, an every day suffering, if you will that the author Patrick Horvath touches on really well. The local in a small town with dementia, a close friend who has a degenerative illness so you can only watch as they fall apart, the fact that the killer started off with those who would be considered 'undesirables'. It is scary cause it can hit close to home and it is scary cause of the twisted pure horror aspects. Additionally the main character is a really interesting sort. Art is also quite nice. I am strapped in and ready to be scared and sad (in a good way). more

Rapid Fire Reviews

Oct 21, 2023

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees #1 IDW W:Patrick Horvath A: Patrick Horvath L: Hassan Otsmane-Olhaou Don’t. Murder. The locals. This is small-town serial killer, upstanding citizen, and adorable brown bear Samantha Strong’s cardinal rule. After all, there’s a sea of perfectly ripe potential victims in the big city just beyond the forest, and when you’ve worked as hard as Sam to build a cozy life and a thriving business in a community surrounded by friendly fellow animal folk, warm décor, and the aroma of cedar trees and freshly baked apple pie…the last thing you want is to disturb the peace. So you can imagine her indignation when one of Woodbrook’s own meets a grisly, mysterious demise-and you wouldn’t blame h er for doing anything it takes to hunt down her rival before the town self-destructs and Sheriff Patterson starts (literally) barking up the wrong tree. Thoughts… When I looked at the cover of this comic I thought this is something a little bit twisted. I started reading the issue and thought how quaint this world is. This is the town where everyone wants to live in nice and peaceful, friendly neighbours, everyone just getting along and eating apple pie. Then the trip out to the city happened and turned it all on its head. I sort of knew it was coming from the solicitation but the change from cute to gruesome was so quick it took me by surprise. This is Care Bears meets American Psycho in small town America. The introduction to the characters is done in such a way, that coupled with the art, will have you thinking you are reading a completely different book to what has been described. But that's the beauty of this book. The hiding in plain sight, the innocent persona all lends itself to making the more gory moments of the issue that much more terrifying. I would recommend once you have read the issue to go back again and look at a few of the moments throughout that mirror later parts of the story. This is written really well, it has such a calming tone to it and all the while you are surrounded by a warmth even in the killing, it's not until the last few pages that the feeling is shattered. The art work contributes a lot to that sense of peace and tranquillity. All the characters are cute and cuddly, smiley and bright eyed and bushy tailed. It's like if there was a comic of Sylvanian Families being released. You would not think that anything sinister or evil could ever happen in this world. The colours are all very pastel and make it all seem very unassuming, none of the panels really stick out, until you look closer. That is except the panels where there is the murder, that will stick in your brain for sure. Something that did seem odd, all the characters are animals, our main character Samantha is a cuddly bear but throughout the issue there are animals in their more real world state including an actual bear. Is there something more to the setting and the character design going on? As I go over the issue to write this review I find that I am finding more and more about the issue that I find intriguing and realise there is more going on here than my initial read led me to believe. While I was going to give this a 7 originally I think that would be a disservice to it, and I am actually going to give this a 9 out of 10. There is much more to this than meets the eye and it has been quite a while since a comic has made me go back over it and think deeper about what is really going on. I recommend giving this comic more than one look over as there is something about this story that has captivated my mind. more

arickabamboo

Oct 24, 2023

Solid. Not for kids! I will be staying on board for the next issue for sure!

daspidaboy

Aug 17, 2025

not a fan of murder mysteries. But I'm hooked.

2birdsstoned815

Oct 18, 2023

https://youtu.be/IDL47xhxzyg?si=QnyxV3WlmL98deMR Review at (3:35) in link!

DDJamesB

Oct 22, 2023

It's delivery is great. I like the art and how it comes across as a wholesome book. I do think that's the selling point because the premise, if not done with animals, has been done before.