I’ve been reading comics for decades, and no character makes my skin crawl quite like serial killer Samantha Strong. Created by Patrick Horvath, who handles the rare triple threat of art, colors, and writing, she’s one of those evil villains you can’t take your eyes off of. In Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #5, her madness reaches a tipping point as her past atrocities finally catch up with her.
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The Origins of the Woodbrook Serial Killer
The original Beneath the Trees series introduced us to Samantha, a brown bear who lives in an anthropomorphic world ripped straight out of a children’s book. All seems ideal in her quiet little town until we see her brutally murder a duck, methodically cutting him into pieces and burying him in paint cans. Her cold detachment and cunning nature were met with critical praise, so it was no surprise Horvath announced a sequel series.
Tension Peaks: Samantha and Monica’s Dark Journey
This issue opens with Samantha and the sister of one of her victims, Monica, searching for his body. Samantha has slowly drawn Monica into a dark web, getting a sick thrill from being close to her prey’s family member. Horvath uses her inner monologue during these scenes, constantly keeping you in the mindset of a killer.
Monica soon finds a clue tying Samantha to her brother’s death and takes off, leaving the murderer behind to be exposed. When the cops finally come to arrest her, Samantha moves to full-on spree killer as she guns down the sheriffs. Bullets fly, catching law enforcement and innocents alike, but Samantha maintains the same cool disinterest. This is all just a game for her. It’s absolutely chilling and made worse when she makes her escape, ending on a heart-wrenching cliffhanger.
Patrick Horvath’s Masterful Horror Storytelling
Horvath does an incredible job showing Samantha’s dual nature. He seamlessly weaves ordinary interactions with fellow citizens together with her psychotic episodes, raising a magnifying glass to her inner workings. Her POV is terrifying, and I get goosebumps when Horvath draws her seamless switch from smiling at a neighbor to her default blank stare. Letterer Hassan Otsmane-Ethaou portrays her calm recollections of horrible deeds as diary entries, cleverly visualized in notebook yellow with lines for the text.
Horvath wisely doesn’t focus solely on Samantha. He also shows the lives of the other townsfolk. These scenes provide a needed breather, but also endear us to Samantha’s potential victims. You feel cozy among these characters, like they’re your own neighbors. It makes it even more tragic when he focuses on the family members of Samantha’s previous victims. You see them cope with pill addiction, get ostracized, and yearn for a normalcy they’ll never have. The trauma is fresh as ever, and seeing the devastating long-term effects of Samantha’s actions is another feather in her evil cap.
Visual Contrast: Adorable Art vs. Brutal Violence
Horvath’s artwork continues to be fantastic. The village of Woodbrook is classic small-town American, lined with Mom and Pop stores where locals have casual conversations and go about their day. The animal citizens are intentionally adorable, covered in soft watercolors and pastel hues that evoke childhood innocence, and directly contrast with the violent themes of this series.
Horvath shows us the full brutality of Samantha’s violence as each murder is more gruesome than the last. Pigs get run over, police dogs get shot in the head, and foxes take bullets to the neck. The colors amplify the horror as he uses dark crimson blood and sickening gore to accompany each death. These scenes burn themselves into your retinas, sticking with you long after you’ve finished.
Final Verdict: A Must-Read Before the Series Finale
Samantha Strong’s cruelty has finally been exposed, and her response is what makes her one of horror’s great villains. Her madness has increased throughout this series, and she’s pushed past her limits here. No one is safe. The last issue arrives in March, and the wait is going to be agonizing. February’s going to feel like the longest month of the year.
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‘Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring’ #5 Unleashes Samantha Strong’s Full Madness
Samantha Strong’s cruelty has finally been exposed, and her response is what makes her one of horror’s great villains. Her madness has increased throughout this series, and she’s pushed past her limits here. No one is safe. The last issue arrives in March, and the wait is going to be agonizing. February’s going to feel like the longest month of the year.
