WARNING: The following review
contains descriptions of a disturbing violent act. Please read with
caution.
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Mike Henderson
Nailbiter
focuses on the town of Buckaroo, Oregon, home to a whopping 16 serial
killers. Nicholas Finch gets a call from FBI Agent Carroll, who
tells Finch he's figured out the mystery as to why there's so many
from one town. But when Finch gets there, Carroll is missing, and
the only lead he has is Edward Warren, aka the Nailbiter, an
acquitted serial killer who bit the fingernails off of his victims.
A
book that builds itself around a mystery like this has to pay off
big, which unfortunately means it's too early to tell anything about
the long game. The plus side: there are enough other mysteries being
set up that there is plenty to keep you coming back. Every small
detail and every new plot twist seems like it's building up for
something bigger and bigger. While this leaves the first volume as
primarily setup, it's a fantastic setup. And we also get introduced
to the town of Buckaroo as a whole. There's support groups for
people who were relatives of the serial killers. There's a man
running a gift shop of killer memorabilia and trying to get a
convention to come to the town. And then there's the people who just
want to go through a normal life in an abnormal town. It's a
fascinating locale that I want to see more of.
And
Henderson's art brings it to life. The best word I can think of for
it is dynamic. His less realistic art style means that the book
stays vibrant, but when there's acts of violence he brings blood and
darkness to it. And the character designs bring extra to the
characters' personalities. Warren's so carefree that it's hard to
believe he's a killer, and Henderson's art makes him charming and all
the more dangerous.
There
Will Be Blood is creepy, unsettling, and fascinating. If the book
can keep up its level of personality, Nailbiter will be a winner of a
horror comic.
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