I am sure we all have childhood memories of watching shows or movies about anthropomorphic animals.
I doubt you could find someone who has not at least heard of iconic Disney characters like Mickey Mouse or Winnie the Pooh.
Well, just imagine for a moment that, instead of being obsessed with honey, Pooh was obsessed with murder (and no, I am not referring to that god awful Blood and Honey movie).
It is this imagination I suggest having when beginning Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.
With the title taken from the classic Teddy Bear’s Picnic lyrics, Horvath’s graphic novel twists both this line and the trope of anthropomorphic animals, transforming them from something wholesome into something deathly morbid.
Beneath the Trees is set in the small town of Woodbrook, where we follow the cuddly looking bear Samantha Strong, a hardware store owner.
To the citizens of Woodbrook, Sam is a beloved member of the community, who is always ready to lend a hand, along with a kind word, whenever she is not going on a trip to the city, that is.
What they do not know, and would be horrified to learn, is that on these trips Sam indulges her hobby of abducting and murdering people, before dissecting them and burying their remains in the woods; “Beneath the trees where nobody sees,” if you will.
Sam only has a few rules, and one of the most important is that she cannot kill anyone in Woodbrook.
If someone was murdered there, it would be all the town talked about for years.
So, when another serial killer emerges in Woodbrick, brutally killing residents and posing their bodies in gruesome fashion, Sam is none too happy.
The first volume follows her investigation to find who among the citizens of Woodbrick is the murderer.
This is only the first part of Samantha’s story, however, for there is also a sequel volume, Rite of Spring, along with a brief prequel, Praludium.
There has also been a third volume announced, so we can expect more murder mayhem in the future.
Speaking of that mayhem though, I would definitely only recommend Beneath the Trees to those with a strong stomach.
The comic is especially disturbing with its numerous dismembered victims shown in full display.
This is somehow made me even creepier with these murdered characters looking like animals you would expect to see in a Disney film.
That makes Sam all the more despicable for her crimes.
Make no mistake, Sam is not an anti-hero.
She does not only kill bad people, like Dexter.
She does not have a traumatic backstory to explain why she is the way she is.
No, Sam is a born psychopath.
In the nature vs nurture debate, she lands squarely in nature, with her every action being used to further her killing spree.
While this does make the reader constantly root for her downfall, I will hand it to Patrick Horvath, he has crafted a fascinating character in Samantha Strong.
Her opponents are just as interesting, with the killer she hunts in the first volume, and the sister of one of her victims in the second making for compelling adversaries.
As for the quality of the two volumes, I would definitely say I prefer the first one.
Although, this is mostly down to the ending.
Not that I think there is anything wrong with the second conclusion.
It is just that the ending to Volume One felt pretty standalone, while the ending to Volume Two relies on the series’ eventual continuation.
I will have to see how Horvath delivers Volume Three before I have a full opinion on the current end point.
That being said, I have seen that a fair amount of people think Horvath went a bit over the top with the ending of Rite of Spring, with some even saying he jumped the shark.
So maybe my opinion is in the minority on that.
Overall, though, I absolutely love Beneath the Trees.
It is gruesome, compelling, and its main character somehow remains fascinating, while also being completely deplorable.
I could easily see this story being adapted into a movie or show in the future, and I would definitely watch that on the day of release.
Until that possible day, however, I will continue to recommend the comics.
So go and read Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees… if you think you can stomach its brutal violence and gore, that is.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 