In this review of Fall of the House of Slaughter #1, the Old Dragon is on his way off of this mortal coil, and the selection of a new one is set to begin.
Fall of the House of Slaughter #1
Writer: Tate Brombal
Artist: Adriano Turtulici
Main Cover: Sam Wolfe Connelly
Variant Covers: Gerald Parel, Werther Dell’Edera, Elsa Charretier, David Mack, Tula Lotay, Adriano Turtulici, Sam Wolfe Connelly
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: May 6, 2026
This review contains spoilers
Fall of the House of Slaughter #1 picks up in Chicago, where Cecilia is having a meeting with Maxine. She starts off talking about the founder of the House of Slaughter, before going into the Old Dragon’s impending demise. She has a job for Maxine in regards to this.
Mid-meeting, the pair are interrupted by Tybalt and Paris. There’s been a monster sighting, and it’s a relatively low-level threat, something that can be taken on by a single Black Mask. But the trouble is the House of Slaughter only has a single Black Mask in Maxine, and she’s needed there. So, a team of White Masks is sent to deal with it.
As for the job itself, Maxine is tasked with staying by the Old Dragon’s bedside to ward off anyone looking to take advantage of his impending death.
We get a glimpse into what the selection process for a new Dragon entails, and find out that Dragon isn’t really a rank anyone wants, per se. But it’s still vital.
As the selection proceedings are going on, Cecilia gets a call from Tybalt and Paris. As it turns out, the low-level Oscuratype they were dealing with was a bit more of a threat than anticipated, having left a gymful of corpses.
Maxine gets to the Old Dragon’s bedside, still a bit frustrated with this gig. He murmurs Erica’s name, at which point Maxine states that she’s dead. Only for the Old Dragon to state that she’s not, much to Maxine’s shock.
If someone were to go into reading this title without having read Something Is Killing The Children first, they’d definitely have a few questions concerning the significance of mask colors. But at the same time, there’s enough here in Fall of the House of Slaughter #1 that a newcomer can at least get the gist of what’s going on. Of course, familiarity with the main series gives a much richer and satisfying experience.
Seeing what the selection process of a Dragon entails was fairly intriguing. The process involves a representative of each Mask type, secret ballots, the house being on lockdown until a decision is made, and the need for that decision to be unanimous. Also, the gold teeth need to be accepted. If someone wants to opt out of being the Dragon, it looks like they have only one real opportunity, and that’s during the initial nomination.
I did notice that there’s no mention of Emerald Masks. It makes me wonder if they’re just so rare that they’re exempt, too busy dealing with the biggest threats of all, or if it’d just feel weird for a rank that kills dragons to help elect a Dragon. But instead, we see Violet Masks brought in to run the proceedings.
The story itself looks like it’ll hold a unique blend of political intrigue and monster hunting. The monster hunting is more of a subplot at this point in time, what with the main focus being the Dragon selection process.
I do wonder if one of the Scarlet Masks is a bit untrustworthy. They’re the ones that keep the House running, handling all the administrative and housekeeping tasks. It’s said that one of them gave faulty information about the monster’s threat level. While that could be just a mistake made thanks to being busy with everything else, it could also be a means of getting some of the actual hunters killed. So, in addition to the succession and the monsters, there may also be a whiff of conspiracy.
The artwork in Fall of the House of Slaughter #1 works well for it, I think. Semi-stylized without going too far, and the eyes are nicely expressive, a necessity when most character’s faces are covered from the nose down.
Final Thoughts
Fall of the House of Slaughter #1 gives a promising start to a tale of succession. I’m interested in seeing where it all goes, between the selection and the situation with the monster.
