The idea of blending the storybook world of Richard Scarry and the covert serial killer thrills of Dexter was a gamble, but for Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees and publisher IDW, the bet has more than paid off. Now hurtling towards a killer-vs-killer showdown in its finale issue, this original series has already cemented its status as a critical and commercial success story.
For writer and artist Patrick Horvath, that means far more impact than the “modest success” originally hoped for. With the finale Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees #6 ending the story on May 8, Screen Rant spoke with Horvath about the story thus far, the surprising response from comic readers, the explosive finale on the way, and more. There may be reason to hope this isn’t the last we see of protagonist killer Samantha or the town of Woodbrook. But first, either she or her own serial killer rival must come out on top.
Screen Rant: With the final issue on the horizon, I’ll start with the most obvious question: could you ever have imagined that this story would have gotten the reception it has? Did you dare to hope it could become a ‘critical darling’ or watercooler conversation when you started this journey?
Patrick Horvath: Nope! Ha! I honestly had no idea that it was going to be as well received as it has been. The most I had hoped for was for some modest success that at the very least just put my name on the radar in some corners of the comic-reading public. I really wasn’t sure if the story was going to resonate with readers, especially once it got past the initial hook of the first issue and started diving into the weirder corners of Woodbrook and Samantha’s mind.
SR: One of the coolest things about this series is that, even if the setting was a normal world, with normal human beings, I think the mystery and premise would be every bit as compelling. What do you think makes the difference with this anthropomorphic animal setting, long after any sort of genre or tonal ‘shock value’ would have worn off?
HORVATH: Weirdly it seems like there’s a little more identification between readers and anthropomorphic characters. There are obvious character traits that I’m either leaning into or playing against based on what types of animals they all are, and I feel like the reader is doing a lot of the work to round out what they think about them all as well. It also seems to do a really interesting thing with how the violence is perceived when it shows up in this cute little town.
There’s something almost profane about it, and strangely I think the violence wouldn’t land quite as hard as it should if the setting was a normal world. It also just allows for a lot more flexibility in giving a little more curiosity to otherwise boring questions like, where does this meat come from? And if you’re left mulling that one over, you may start wondering where your meat comes from, etc..
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SR: Sam’s murder MO was shown to be cold, methodical, and passionless. But that scene of her witnessing the gruesome wild bear fight unlocked or accessed something completely different. What do you want readers to take from that sequence, and its effect on Sam?
HORVATH: I’m hesitant to hand readers an explanation of what exactly is going on in Sam’s mind, but it’s a moment that’s definitely communicating with her on a deep level of understanding. Whatever it is, it’s reaching in beyond the analytical architecture that forms the most of her thinking.
SR: It was a scene that was almost teased in the very first issue, somehow confirming the world of this story is one where bears are effectively people… but also, there are just bears. Returning to that juxtaposition (and then some) the dichotomy is just as potent and strange, so what are you digging at?
PH: It’s one of those elements that I very much borrowed from the Busytown of Richard Scarry. I remember specifically looking at a cover of one of his books and seeing the butcher standing in their butcher shop (who was a pig, framed by sausage links in the window!). I just kept wondering what the other folks all thought about that!
And to go further, there were other characters that had their pets that they would be walking around, etc. It just seemed like such a wonderful element to include, and it allowed for a deeper exploration in all these questions about what’s driving Samantha. I love the idea that these animals would see the truest side of us when we’re unguarded.
SR: You’ve spoken about the true crime inspirations for the premise and paranoia of this story, but now that we’ve moved from a small-town killer into the realm of dueling murderers, double-crosses, and set-ups, what did you tap into for this far more dramatized/Hollywood style game of cat and mouse?
HORVATH: To be honest, I haven’t been digging into much for inspiration so much as just playing out this confrontation of psychopaths in my head. I’ve mostly been thinking about it as setting loose Lawful Evil vs Chaotic Evil, and playing out how that would rip up a small town like Woodbrook. That said, I no doubt have decades of pop culture just bubbling around in my head.
SR: It’s wild to say that Issue #5 ended with ‘our hero preparing for one last battle’ since it’s a serial killer preparing to kill another serial killer. Safe to assume that incongruity is intentional… is it wrong that people might now find themselves rooting for a cuddly killer?
PH: Ha! Well, I definitely took inspiration from that sort of strange identification the audience has with Norman Bates in PSYCHO. I don’t know if it’s wrong, but it’s a weird compulsion we have as readers when we find ourselves emotionally invested. I very much wanted to tap into that weird space where you find yourself rooting for the killer who has been destroying the lives of families for decades, and maybe you start questioning some other things in your life that you’ve always been rooting for.
SR: With one issue left, the question must be asked: could this possibly be the real ending of the town of Woodbrook? If so, please let us all down gently. But if there’s a chance, or there are more stories that could be told…?
PH: As soon as I got into the meat of putting together issue 1, I quickly realized that there was a lot more that I could do with this world. It was pitched as just the limited 6 issue series, and to be honest nobody really knew how well it was going to be received. All that said, IDW has been incredible to work with and if there’s an opportunity to do more, I’d love the chance to dive back in.
Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees #6 brings this series to its finale when it arrives on May 8, from IDW Publishing.
