At this point, it goes without saying that Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees from writer/artist Patrick Horvath has been a bona fide hit for IDW Publishing selling more than 400,000 comics and collections. This mix of bone chilling horror and cute, cuddly animals chronicles the escapes of anthropomorphic bear and serial killer Samantha Strong.
As teased at the end of the most recent miniseries, her story is far from over. Sure enough, during San Diego Comic-Con weekend, the publisher announced details for Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: The Summer and the Fall, a six-issue miniseries arriving February 2027 that is promised to be the final volume of the franchise.
The success of BTTWNS has gone beyond Horvath’s expectations. As he explained:
“When I initially pitched the first arc, I honestly thought that would be the end of it, but about halfway through writing and drawing that, I had the spark of what would grow into a second and third installment. It’s bittersweet to be bringing this to a close now, but mostly I’m filled with a lot of gratitude for IDW taking a chance on me and the global comics community for giving me such an insanely warm welcome.”
Set in 2004, a decade from the last volume, the Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees finale miniseries sees Samantha Strong living off the grid in the desert. Still indulging in her extracurricular activities, it’s only a matter of time before she’s recognized.
As Horvath teased:
“Samantha Strong now finds herself having to answer for all of her deeds to a world that has become obsessed with true crime, global terrorism, and the slippery notion of righteous violence. It might all lead to a major change for her, or this might just be the end of the road.”
In his approach to the cover of the first issue, Horvath revealed.
“With the cover, I wanted to allude to the notion that Samantha’s past life has been abandoned, sort of like a gunslinger burying their pistols, but there’s also that idea in there of excavation and forensics.”
Fans chomping at the bit for the release of The Summer and the Fall will be excited for the recently announced Halloween Special arriving in October.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more news from SDCC ’26.
