Nailbiter – 2014-2017 (Image Comics) – Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Action
Author: Joshua Williamson; Mike Henderson
Art: Mike Henderson
Series Contents: Nailbiter #1-30
Dark, moody and bringing buckets of blood, Nailbiter delivers a plethora of serial killers to your fingertips with a disturbing yet thrilling story that is very hard to put down. Focusing on a small town in Oregon named Buckaroo, which just so happens to produce the most serial killers per capita in the nation, and the margin isn’t even close. With a whopping 16 serial killers from the town, something is definitely wrong with the people…
Story:
I have read many-a-review that state they begin to become somewhat sympathetic to the Nailbiter star, Edward Charles Warren, aka “Nailbiter,” as the series progresses. Why is he named that? Well… horrifically it is what he does, chewing off victims’ fingertips down to the bone, leaving them bleeding out. He has killed at least 46 times, choosing his targets by those he notices in public chewing their nails, of which he has a compulsion over.
After being taken down by FBI profiler Eliot Carroll, he turns to the town of Buckaroo next, which has produced killer after killer. He thinks he has cracked the code, and discovered the town’s secret, so he dials his friend in Army Intelligence, Nicholas Finch. He demands his friend join him, since he needs his help, but when Finch gets to Oregon Carroll has disappeared.
Finch begins snooping around the odd town, and finds an ally in local cop Shannon Crane. The pair get swooped up in a tale of conspiracy, crime, scandal, murder, chilling characters, endless heart pounding thrills and a mystery killer, or sixteen. It’s gotta be more than something in the water…
The story is told at very fast pace, and whipping through an issue becomes the norm as each page makes the reader need to flip to the next. The story is tight and contained, yet thoroughly interesting despite its graphic and awful murder-focus. While I have heard Edward Charles Warren described as sympathetic, I personally never found him as such. This did not ruin the tale for me, as there is so much mystery and intrigue here to keep most any thriller reader happy.
The characters are all quite complex, including the Nailbiter killer. I can see why people would want to look for a reason for the behavior, or wind up looking to humanize him a bit, but based on his actions I could never move the needle much in that regard. That being said, I loved the complexity of the character and that there was a lot of grey moral area presented in the story.
A dark, bloody mystery thriller, Nailbiter is worth a look if you can handle the gruesome chills that come with.
This story does have a mostly satisfying ending, however… it does come with a follow up series that I will eventually get to, Nailbiter Returns.
Art:
Henderson’s art is absolutely stellar, bringing death and carnage to a dark Oregon town setting. I love it. Importantly it brings details and mood to the writing, while conveying strong movement and action in needed moments. This story delivers the thrills through words and visuals extremely well.
Reasons to Read:
Most fans of anything serial killer or thriller mystery types will find a lot here. There is definitely disturbing material presented throughout, so it’s not a feel-good tale, but the pacing and action keeps the pages turning fast towards its conclusion. While it is 30 issues, it feels like such a quick story, which is nothing but praise for the comic.
I have not read Nailbiter Returns yet, but look forward to a continuation of this Nailbiter tale, despite its first series ending. Nailbiter Returns is a 10-issue series which ran from 2020-2021.
Similar Titles:
Something is Killing the Children; The Black Monday Murders; Night Fever; Severed; Revival; Gideon Falls; Snow Angels; The Autumnal