This week’s Wednesday Comics Reviews column digs into a fantastic follow-up with Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees – Rite of Spring #1, something entirely new from David Marquez with The Unchosen #1, and more. We also look ahead at a trio of new titles eligible for pre-order in our FOC Watch section. Plus, as always, The Prog Report!
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees – Rite of Spring #1
Writer, Artist, Colorist: Patrick Horvath
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: IDW
Review by Ricardo Serrano Denis
The relationship between serial killing and technology is a fascinating one. All it takes is a new invention — say a ground penetrating scanner — to make a killer’s confidence take a nosedive. Hiding spots become more easily exposed, microscopic DNA easier to retrieve, and motor vehicle trajectories quicker to track.
Patrick Horvath’s sequel to his massively well-received comic Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees takes this idea on the impact of tech advancements on crime and turns it into a storytelling device. Subtitled “Rite of Spring,” this new chapter sees an an 8-year leap in time to land in the ’90s, where the internet had started its march towards reshaping the ways through which we acquire information. All of a sudden, message boards became exchange hubs, a kind of soft opening for social media that connected people in an entirely different manner. For the families of missing or murdered loved ones, it meant their searches for answers had a whole new space to explore.
This is what serial killer bear Samantha Strong is faced with in “Rite of Spring”, and it looks like it will be pushing the concept of consequence even more aggressively than before. A duck woman called Monica is looking for her missing brother with the full force of the 1990’s internet behind her. Those who’ve kept up with the series will know who this victim is and what happened to him. Samantha is now the sole serial killer in Woodbrook, VT, and she seems to be going about her life until one day she notices an out-of-towner roll up to the police station, the aforementioned Monica. And therein lies the conflict that will seemingly take up the 6-issue arc.
“Rite of Spring” feels angry. This is owed to the amount of time we spend with Monica. Samantha is mostly relegated to the last few pages of issue #1. This means we get the full force of Monica’s frustrations regarding her brother’s case. Horvath establishes her personality quick, as if the story’s pace will depend largely on her and her desperate mission. That we get to spend so much time with her in the opening of the arc really makes the reader want to root for her. It kind of puts Samantha in a weird spot. Questions on whether she’ll be forced to kill Monica to keep her secrets from spilling out crop up immediately.
Horvath does a great job of migrating the same sense of gruesomeness and viciousness found in the first arc over to the sequel, albeit with a bit more spite. Monica’s online investigation means she’s exposed to crime scene photos and violent images that speak to the harsh realities of the world that took her brother. If you were a fan of the Hannibal-esque crime scenes Horvath came up with for the previous story, then you’ll be glad to know the same level of carnage is on display here.
The duck/bear dynamic isn’t lost on the story either. If anything, Horvath makes it more obvious. There are several instances in which Monica’s brother is referred to as an “adult male white duck” victim, a clever reminder to also engage with the narrative on its terms. We know the animal people are stand-ins for humans, but this emphasis on descriptive language asks readers to go deeper into the elements at play. It’s something that the great Blacksad series also excels at, and Horvath wants to make sure it comes across in his work here.
From the start, “Rite of Spring” proves to be a very different story than the first one. Things feel uglier and more fatalistic, but it’s never at the expense of dragging the comic’s tone down to unbearable levels. Horvath is onto something quite special with this sequel. The stakes are immediately high, and the moral conundrums operating behind the scenes are exquisitely unnerving. Pick this one up knowing you’ll be reading one of the best comics of the year already.
Verdict: BUY
The Unchosen #1
Writer/Artist: David Marquez
Colors: Marissa Louise
Letters: DC Hopkins
Publisher: Image Comics
Review by Clyde Hall
Post-Apocalyptia is still trending, and variants of the Chosen One trope never go too far out of style whether it’s Poorly Chosen, Anti-Chosen, or even the Anti-Anti-Chosen. Mix in the power of words, or maybe more precisely Words of Power, and you have the essence flowing through The UnChosen #1.
Words of course do have power, and David Marquez has plied ones like ‘Who’, ‘What’ and ‘Where’ across the start of his 4-issue series. Most of the answers will be revealed within the issues to come. But the initial entry travels between a traumatic moment of destruction with 13-year-old protagonist Aida a catalyst of chaos, an ensuing chase by soldiers and individuals with superhuman powers, and finally a school run by other, seemingly benevolent, super-powerful people who have what is called the Gift of the Word.
Besides the military opposition and the Other Side mystics, Aida draws hostility from some of her fellow students. Like Ezra, a bully swaggering and sneering enough to pass a Malfoy paternity test. In her corner is empathic schoolmate Daniel and teachers/guardians Alex and Vasha. These relationships are briefly hammered out, though the lingering questions leave open possibilities for flipping that script and reassigning almost every White Hats and Black Hats role presented.
Marquez’s script has a nebulous aura to it. Much is presented and at a fast pace. Little is revealed regarding underlying reasons or motivations. Dialogue is brief but occasionally sparkles with nuggets of humor.
For older readers, there may be a resonance of ‘been here, done all this before’. But that could also kindle nostalgic echoes of everything from Star Wars to Lord of the Rings. The difference might come down to a matter of style and charm. The Chosen One or Unchosen One tropes depend fully on how the writing embraces and speaks the mind of its target audience. When done well, it makes fans for life.
And for younger readers, those encountering the tropes perhaps for the first time, the premiere issue narrative may sing the songs of their various tribes. Loners, outcasts, the confused, the targeted. This is the strongest vibe running through the book, and I think its main force as far as the script goes.
Which leaves the heaviest lifting to art. And readers really should appreciate Marquez’s performance here no matter their generation. He mainlines eye-popping, explosive action into the fight scenes and the chases. He even makes the delivery of a well-deserved broken nose an event. In the quieter scenes, there’s an underlying element of fear and tension etched across body language and expressions of every character.
A big chunk of credit for how beautiful the book looks goes to Marissa Louise as color artist. The otherworldly forces unleashed crackle with neon pulses. Quiet moments in the forest become watercolor works you’d proudly hang over your desk. Letterer DC Hopkins intuits the differences between such scenes with corresponding fonts which perfectly temper the aesthetics. You can literally see all these visual talents collide for a splash page of fireworks in the final quarter of the issue.
The UnChosen is the debut of David Marquez’s first creator-owned series and as both writer and artist on the title. Thanks in part to Louise and Hopkins, it comes in a stunning art package that will draw in an audience. For younger readers it could easily become their first Chosen One variant story ever, and that is a powerful thing. Whether or not Aida’s odyssey draws in a wider readership depends on how it unfolds in the next issues.
Return to Skull Island #1
Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Christopher Jones
Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: Titan Comics
Review by Jordan Jennings
Back in 2023 following the success of Kong: Skull Island, Netflix debuted the animated Skull Island series. The 8 episode series detailed the adventure of a shipwrecked family and group of mercenaries trying to survive on the eponymous Skull Island. Despite a positive reception, Netflix has seemingly shelved the series despite leaving on a cliffhanger of sorts. Return to Skull Island #1 picks up where the series left off.
Legendary comics scribe Simon Furman is a strong fit for this project with his deft touch of pacing and capturing the tone and voice of the material he is adapting. Based on how the events of the issue unfold, I am assuming they are adapting the original story ideas for the unproduced season 2 for this comic. To be upfront, I only watched the Netflix series after reading this issue, but it wasn’t necessary. Furman does an admirable job recalling the Netflix series to this point without sacrificing the issue’s own plot. This issue feels like an episode of the series thanks to its structure and pacing.
The only real issue I have with the writing is the structure of the issue. It opens in media res literally following the end of the Netflix series without much context until a flashback sequence later in the issue. I understand the desire to have King battling Kraken to be the opening page but it would have been less jarring to have some context for the uninitiated a bit sooner. This is admittedly a personal preference and not an objective problem.
Artist Christopher Jones does a stellar job capturing the look of the series all while being something unique to itself. The world of Skull Island is a fantastic setting that has some unique monster designs and Jones delivers. The scope of the battle between Kong and the Kraken is as titanic as you would want in this comic. The body language Jones imbues into the characters is highly expressive and helps complement Furman’s dialog and emotion. Charlie Kirchoff’s colors further aid in capturing the spirit of the tv series. All the while, giving the book this vibrant and saturated look that makes it stand out from the rest of the Kaiju-centric titles you can find on the market.
Return to Skull Island #1 is a great spiritual successor to the tv series that was cancelled far too soon. Fans of the show will be happy to see the storyline continue under the effective stewardship of Furman and Jones. At the same time, casual fans of the Monsterverse Kong Movies will find something to like here. The issue is snappy and inviting. Minor issues with the plot structure aside, I found this issue easy to pick up.
Ensign’s Log Stardate 782025
As IDW’s Star Trek comics continue to expand, Ensign Avery Kaplan has enlisted here to keep a careful log!
- Star Trek: Lower Decks #9 (IDW Publishing): In Star Trek: Lower Decks #9, D’Vana Tendi gets the spotlight for a truly excellent issue. Written by Tim Sheridan with art by Vernon Smith, colors by Charlie Kirchoff, lettering by Clayton Cowles and design & production by Johanna Nattalie, “A Pound of Flush” represents a tour de force by everyone involved. After you’ve finished admiring the Jaws homage main cover, you can dig into the first Lower Decks comic to put our beloved Tendi front and center. This issue has it all. Predatory student loans borrowed from a Ferengi? Check. Further insight into a dimension of Orion culture that we’ve yet to see explored? Check. A banger joke involving Moopsy? Check! And there are plenty of other unexpected Franchise allusion gags, as well (including a cameo from… well, wouldn’t want to spoil it). This fantastic (and unfortunately horribly relatable and timely) story will keep you engaged throughout and waiting at the edge of your shuttlepod seat for part 2 next month. Sheridan continues to knock it out of the holosuite with his script, and Smith delivers excellent art, balancing interior scenes on the U.S.S. Cerritos with more surreal story elements. Kirchoff’s coloring remains impeccable (his colors perfectly capture the sonic shower) and as with the previous issues of the series, Cowles lettering remains unimpeachable. Watch for an appearance by a very familiar Federation President (who bears a striking resemblance to a Cerritos crewmember in Warp You Own) and remember: the only thing that could improve this series would be some back matter! —Avery Kaplan
FOC Watch
These books are available for pre-order now.
Orla #1
Writer: John Lees
Artist: Sally Cantirino
Colorist: Dearbhla Kelly
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Publisher: Mad Cave
Due Out: August 6, 2025
Our first book up for FOC this week is a real oddball stunner, which means it’s exactly my type of comic. It’s called Orla, and the high concept is that a woman who believes deeply in true love has a man-eating monster inside her who keeps getting in the way (for the perfect visual representation of this, just look at that amazing cover above). Making this all the more exciting is that this book is from just a wonderfully-perfect creative team, all of whom are among the most thoughtful storytellers in comics.
Indeed, Orla #1 is written by John Lees (regular readers of my reviews likely know by now how much I like Lees-penned comics like Sink and Mountainhead), Sally Cantirino (one of the best artists in comics for complex and unnerving horror tales), colorist Dearbhla Kelly, and letterer Lucas Gattoni. And the worked they produce in this first issue of Orla lives up to their billings. Orla is the perfect monster movie-rom com mash-up. You really feel for the lead character and her looking for love…and you also end up loving it when her monster makes itself known to a bad date.
I think Kelly’s color work and Gattoni’s lettering go a long way throughout this one to keep the tone as light and playful as it needs to be, right up to the moment when it gets bloody. It’s really a tricky balancing act, and they nail it perfectly. This is also the sort of story that would probably only work as a comic, which gives it extra points in my book. Definitely do yourself a favor and schedule your own date with Orla by putting this one on your pull list now.
Event Horizon: Dark Descent #1
Writer: Christian Ward
Artist: Tristan Jones
Colorist: Pip Martin
Letterer: Alex Ray
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Due Out: August 20, 2025
Also up for FOC this week is another horror book, Event Horizon: Dark Descent. Personally, I think Event Horizon is a truly scary film (cosmic horror always gets me), and it all came rushing back to me while reading through this comic. The creative team has just done such a great job of not only capturing the vibe of the original film, but also translating it perfectly into this new comic.
Writer Christian Ward and artist Tristan Jones are inspired choices to captain this journey, joined as they are by Pip Martin and Alex Ray. Ultimately this comic has everything you’d expect from a new Event Horizon comic along with some surprises. You’re going to want to board the titular ship and make sure you’re along for the ride.
The Prog Report
2000AD 2440 (Rebellion Publishing): This week’s Prog brings us one beginning and one ending. The beginning is the new story, The Ravilious Pact from writer T.C. Eglington, artist Steven Austin, colorist John Charles, and letterer Simon Bowland. I really enjoyed The Ravilious Pact. It feels initially like a straight crime comic about a mob enforcer before slowly moving into macabre territory, but the artwork really excels at working in both genres. There’s also intriguing character dynamics laid out in this first strip that should make for some fun (and quite messy) chapters down the line. For the ending, we get the third and final part of Far Down Below Eden. Falling under the Tharg’s 3rillers umbrella, this one is from the team of writer Alan Kerr, artist Ian Richardson, colorist Pippa Bowland, and letterer Simon Bowland. This story has been a fun and twisty sci-fi romp that involves alien plant/fungus possession. The cartooning and plotting are both top-notch, and overall it’s the exact sort of tight 3-part story you want from this feature, with no beat wasted and a satisfying end. This week’s cover (above) is by Tazio Bettin. As always, you can pick up a digital copy of The Prog here. —Zack Quaintance
Column edited by The Beat’s reviews editor, Zack Quaintance. Read past entries in the weekly Wednesday Comics reviews series!
Next week the Wednesday Comics Review team tackles a full slate, including Dread the Hall H, the return of Falling in Love on the Path to Hell, the tragedy of Star Trek: Red Shirts #1, and much more!
