Though disguised as cozy, anthropomorphic animal fable, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is anything but, with the juxtaposition of its charming storybook art and the explicitly gory, serial killer subject matter being one of its primary selling points.

Anthropomorphic bear Sam hides a very grisly secret; though a kindly and helpful member of the local community on the surface, she gives in to her dark urges to gruesomely murder and dismember innocent animals on a regular basis. Given that small town Woodbrook, where she resides, is a peaceful haven for all, she deliberately chooses victims from the city, in order to ensure that they’re just one of many animals who simply go missing, all the time.

So when animals in Woodbrook start showing up in very public places, gruesomely and purposefully displayed, Sam seeks to find the ‘new’ killer, before her own clandestine, horrific activities are discovered.

In this issue, the townspeople of Woodbrook are angry and out for justice, with pig Cherry Perkins furiously leading the charge. Sticking her head above the parapet when there’s a killer on the loose is probably not the wisest thing to do, however. Can Sam find any more clues before more townspeople find themselves becoming the next victims of a newly begun murder spree?

What a tense and thrilling issue this was. Despite Sam not being a character you should be rooting for, given the shocking display of her methodical murdering activities in the first issue, the central mystery of who’s responsible for the current spate of killings in Woodbrook is something you do want her to solve.

The Richard Scarry-meets-Dexter concept is beautifully executed (pun intended), and the writing is sharp as well as surprising, with a jaw-dropping, shocking climax.

It’s so good, and it’s very easy to see why Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees has been such a big hit. Though not for the faint of heart, it’s a wild, shocking and thrilling ride so far; let’s see if it can keep this fantastic momentum up as the series continues.

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