If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Dexter moved into Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town, Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees delivers the answer with gleeful, gory precision. This debut graphic novel takes the charm of anthropomorphic animal life and smashes it against the raw brutality of serial murder, resulting in one of the strangest, most unsettling, and oddly entertaining horror comics of recent years.
At the heart of the story is Samantha Strong, a hard-working brown bear who runs a local hardware store in the idyllic town of Woodbrook. To her neighbors, she is the perfect citizen: friendly, reliable, and always ready to lend a paw. What they don’t know is that Sam harbors a dark secret. Every few months, she ventures into the nearby city to find a human victim, kill them, and return home to her quiet, picture-perfect life. Her golden rule is simple: never murder the locals. But when a gruesome killing occurs within her own community, everything begins to unravel. Determined to protect her secret, Samantha must track down the new killer before the sheriff or the town turns on her.
Horvath’s world is built on unsettling contradictions. The art style is pastel, cute, and deceptively wholesome, echoing children’s storybooks like The Berenstain Bears. Yet every page hums with menace. Cozy kitchens and tidy storefronts coexist with images of dismembered bodies and dripping blood. It’s this juxtaposition between innocence and horror that makes Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees so psychologically jarring and visually unforgettable.
The brilliance of this story lies not only in its bizarre premise but also in its execution. Horvath perfectly captures the eerie charm of small-town life everyone knows everyone, yet no one really knows what happens behind closed doors. Samantha’s internal monologue is chilling in its calmness; her detachment from morality makes her both fascinating and terrifying. When a rival killer emerges, the tension escalates into a bloody power struggle that exposes just how fragile her carefully constructed façade really is.
The supporting cast of animal townsfolk adds both humor and unease. Watching cheerful pigs, foxes, and bears gossip about murder while sipping tea is surreal in the best way. Sheriff Patterson’s investigation brings in the procedural element, grounding the absurdity with just enough realism to make the horror believable.
The artwork itself is stunning. Horvath’s linework and use of color elevate the story beyond typical horror fare. The choice to use soft, pastel tones for such brutal scenes amplifies the shock, creating a lingering discomfort that mirrors the moral decay beneath the story’s surface. Hidden visual clues pepper each panel, rewarding careful readers who take their time rather than racing through the dialogue.
While some readers may find the gore or moral ambiguity too intense, those who appreciate twisted, genre-bending storytelling will find Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees deeply satisfying. It’s equal parts charming, creepy, and thought-provoking a rare combination that leaves you questioning your own empathy for a literal killer bear.
If you’re a fan of dark humor, psychological horror, or offbeat graphic novels like I Hate Fairyland and Happy Tree Friends, this book is a must-read. Horvath’s debut proves that even in a pastel-colored town full of smiling faces, darkness always finds a way to seep in.
Verdict: A macabre masterpiece of contrasts adorably drawn, brutally told, and disturbingly addictive.
👉 Grab your copy of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees here: https://amzn.to/46WrzSg
