An bloody new spin-off series in the acclaimed Eisner Award-nominated Something Is Killing The Children “Slaughterverse” – titled Book of Butcher – will follow monster hunter Maxine Slaughter on her journey to becoming a Black Mask for the House of Slaughter. During Maxine’s deadly adventure, she will uncover dark, dangerous secrets about the mysterious House of Butcher, which will have huge ramifications for the future of the “Slaughterverse.”
Maxine Slaughter, a White Mask in the powerful Chicago-based House of Slaughter, debuted in Something is Killing the Children #13 when Maxine and a group of other White Masks were tasked with securing the town of Archer’s Peak amidst Erica Slaughter’s monster hunting.
BOOM! Studios reveals that Book of Butcher #1, from series writer James Tynion IV and artists Werther Dell’Edera and Miquel Muerto, will “set the stage for Year Five of the Slaughterverse,” sharing that, “With New Orleans as her destination, only time will tell what Maxine will uncover about House Boucher…and what she will learn about herself in the process.” The announcement also revealed three absolutely stunning covers from Dan Mora, Werther Dell’Edera, and DANI with Tamra Bonvillain for Book of Butcher #1.
Maxine Slaughter Continues Her Journey To Becoming A Black Mask
Maxine Slaughter debuted as a minor side character in SIKTC but quickly became a fan-favorite background character. Since her debut Maxine has starred in the one-shot Book of Slaughter, which saw her journey towards becoming a Black Mask begin. Inspired by the death of the iconic Aaron Slaughter, and feeling disconnected from her fellow White Masks at the House of Slaughter, Maxine approached her boss Cecilia to request a transfer to the Black Masks. There are several different colored Masks in the Order of St. George, with the two prevalent being the White Masks, pack hunters who work as a team, and Black Masks, solo hunters who journey alone.
It is very rare for members of the Order of St. George to switch to a different Mask color once they are initiated into one, but it is possible. Maxine has become disillusioned with the toxic pack mentality of the White Masks, and even though she knows that by journeying to become a Black Mask she will need to redo her entire brutal, deadly initiation into the Order, she is still willing to undergo these tribulations. After Aaron’s death and Erica’s abandonment, the House of Slaughter does not have any more Black Masks, meaning that Maxine will need to travel to the House of Butchers in New Orleans to get her Black Mask training in Book of Butcher.
House Of Butcher’s Many Secrets Will Finally Be Explored
The House of Butcher – also called Le Maison de Boucher or “The Butcher Shop” – is the mysterious and little-explored second sect of the Order in the United States, and the little that is known about it is from the popular character Jace Boucher, who stars in House of Slaughter as Aaron Slaughter’s lover. House of Slaughter #13 sees Maxine Slaughter in a background shot of House of Butcher, confirming that is where the character is headed in Book of Butcher for her Black Mask training.
Series writer James Tynion IV says that Book of Butcher will continue Maxine’s path to becoming one of the most critically important characters in the entire SIKTC “Slaughterverse,” and emphasizes that the series will explore dark new corners of its monster-filled mythos. Deadly monster fights, brutal initiation trials, and conniving politics all await Maxine Slaughter as she continues her journey, walking along a winding path that will lead directly into upcoming chapters of both Something is Killing the Children and House of Slaughter.
Book of Butcher #1 from BOOM! Studios debuts on December 27th, 2023.
