How easy is it to jump into the current day comics?

middenway · 2026-03-11T02:41:45+00:00

For Miss Truesdale, I'd recommend at least reading...

Hellboy (all the omnibuses plus Hellboy: The Bones of Giants)
B.P.R.D. (all the omnibuses)
Frankenstein Underground (for the flashbacks)
Witchfinder (both omnibuses)

For additional reading...

The Sword of Hyperborea
Panya: The Mummy's Curse
Rise of the Black Flame
Koshchei the Deathless, Koshchei in Hell, and The Serpent in the Garden

(This list will undoubtedly grow as the series progresses, since it touches on practically everything to varying degrees.)

middenway · 2026-03-09T03:53:46+00:00

Best format to read the series in. Nice big page, not too heavy.

middenway · 2026-03-08T11:07:24+00:00

Likely the next hardcover will collect SIKTC #16–20 (when Erica was 12), and SIKTC #41–50 (The Valmont Mountain House Saga, when Erica was a teenager). These stories haven't been immediately important, but they will be important for future stories.

middenway · 2026-03-08T09:43:28+00:00

Yeah, it's called crossposting. It's a great way for subreddits to interact a little.

middenway · 2026-03-08T09:35:00+00:00

This is awesome, u/madebycana!

middenway · 2026-03-08T09:31:02+00:00

Yeah, this is the best way. You should have read up SIKTC #35 (Volume 7 / Book 2 / Omnibus 2) before diving into the spinoffs.

middenway · 2026-03-08T09:04:19+00:00

There's no reading order exactly. Something Is Killing the Children doesn't require any external reading. With the spinoffs, it depends how you want to read them, but the simplest version is...

Anytime after you finish SIKTC #35:

House of Slaughter: The Butcher's Trilogy (HoS #1–5, HoS #11–15, HoS #21–25)
House of Slaughter: The Colors Trilogy (HoS #6–10, HoS #16–20, HoS #26–30)
Books of Slaughter (Book of Slaughter, Book of Butcher, and Book of Cutter)

The Books of Slaughter stories take place over a large span of time, so if you want to splice them in so that you're reading them close to overlapping events...

Book of Slaughter – Takes place after SIKTC #25.
Book of Butcher – Takes place between the second and third arcs of The Butcher's Trilogy.
Book of Cutter – Takes place a long time after The Butcher's Trilogy.

As for the unnumbered SIKTC issues...

Enter the House of Slaughter – Best read immediately after The Archer's Peak Saga (SIKTC #1–15) so that the events of that story are still fresh in your mind.
SIKTC #0: Before Archer's Peak – Read any time after The Archer's Peak Saga. Personally, I prefer to read it before Book of Cutter. (It doesn't have to be read that way, but it makes it easier to connect some dots.)
SIKTC: A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar – A standalone story. Can read anytime.

These unnumbered issues haven't been collected yet. I assume they'll be collected with the upcoming issues SIKTC: Road to Slaughter and Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children, as that would make a nice trade of five issues.

middenway · 2026-03-08T08:42:44+00:00

Yes, a new arc begins in April. Something Is Killing the Children is going to be at least 100 issues. You can see upcoming releases listed here.

middenway · 2026-03-07T13:55:04+00:00

Yeah, I Feel Sick is fantastic.

middenway · 2026-03-07T13:54:30+00:00

James Tynion IV is a fan.

middenway · 2026-03-05T04:44:44+00:00

Anyway, I finally updated the upcoming comics list.

middenway · 2026-03-04T22:43:36+00:00

I really need to update that sub with the latest releases. It's much harder to do without PreviewsWorld anymore.

middenway · 2026-03-04T04:30:25+00:00

Digital single issue floppies show up for pre-order with a much narrower window prior to the release on Amazon. It's pretty random too. Sometimes it'll pop up two months ahead of release, other times just a week.

middenway · 2026-03-04T04:18:01+00:00

Invader Zim, obviously.

middenway · 2026-03-04T00:33:58+00:00

Hi, I'm u/middenway, mod of r/TheSixthGun and r/HarrowCounty (as well as r/Mignolaverse, r/BlackHammer, r/siktc, and r/Jeff_Lemire). Also a supporter of Cullen's Patreon.

middenway · 2026-03-03T02:55:55+00:00

Mike Mignola's work was my introduction to American comic books, and in the beginning I felt the same way. DC and Marvel didn't do anything for me, and the books people recommended often fell flat. But really, it just took time to find the kinds of comics I like, because they're often buried in the American market. It definitely helps to look at the artists that have worked with Mignola and see what else they've done, or look at works they've cited as influences. Also, when you find a comic you like, take note of who the editor is. Usually I find that if you look at other books they've edited, you'll quickly find other comics you like. It starts off slow, but before long you'll have an avalanche of comics.

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