Warning! Light spoilers for Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees

IDW Publishing's sublime horror series Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees has sold nearly two-hundred thousand issues so far, making it one of the most commercially successful comics of the year, in addition to its critical success – and in the process, proving that there is a huge appetite among readers for smart, self-aware genre mash-ups like this one.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees – created by author and illustrator Patrick Horvath, with lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou – is a striking tale of murder, set in a seemingly idyllic community of cartoon animals. Screen Rant is thrilled to exclusively share that individually, and in their collected form, the six issues of Beneath the Trees have combined to sell over 180k issues, qualifying it as a "breakout hit" and then some.

With a highly-anticipated Beneath the Trees sequel already announced, it is worth taking a closer look at the book's success, as many publishers will hope to replicate Horvath and IDW's success.

IDW's Success With "Beneath The Trees" Proves That Sometimes A Great Story Is All It Takes To Get Readers' Attention

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees #1-6 – Available Now From IDW Publishing

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is creator Patrick Horvath's debut comic book series, and there was little pre-existing anticipation for the book prior to the launch of the first issue. In an era where the predominant share of audiences' attention is devoted – or perhaps, diverted – to major franchise IP, the emergence of exciting, novel stories like Horvath's tale is always worthy of attention. Yet while that might be enough to get readers to invest reading time, and more importantly, the cost of a comic book, in picking up the first issue, it takes more than that to keep them hooked.

[Beneath the Trees] continued to grow in popularity and readership as its release progressed, and ultimately garnered two much-sought-after Eisner Award nominations as one of the best titles of the year.

That is, for readers to keep reading, and even more crucially, to become fans, the story must be worthwhile – and with Beneath the Trees, that is absolutely the case. Horvath's story is inventive, and can be, at turns, hilarious and shocking, while also managing to deliver a degree of pathos that makes its surface-level hooks seem almost "Trojan horse"-like. The series continued to grow in popularity and readership as its release progressed, and ultimately garnered two much-sought-after Eisner Award nominations as one of the best titles of the year.

How Beneath The Trees' "Shock And Aww" Story Led To Critical & Commercial Success

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite Of Spring Coming In 2025

The success of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees stems, first and foremost, from its unique premise, and its refreshing blend of familiar elements – as artist Patrick Horvath skillfully mixed the cutesy and the profane, in what amounted to a "shock and aww" style. Described by critics as "Dexter Meets Animal Crossing," the series is an ode to the appeal of genre flexibility. The tonal incongruities of the book are, in fact, one of the great joys of reading Beneath the Trees, as the seemingly innocuous imagery makes the grim reality of the story all the more unnerving.

The reception of Beneath the Trees has resulted in multiple printings for the series, and the year-end sales date of approximately 180k will only continue to grow as more people discover the series. With a sequel already in production, to be released next year, Beneath the Trees is one of 2024's best examples of the organic birth of a franchise. Fans should expect its growth to continue over the next several years, as IDW Publishing looks to parlay the success of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, one of the best new comic books to hit shelves this year.