Comics

5 Skull Advance Review: “Nailbiter” #1

Published

10 years ago

April 24, 2014

Why do we have such a fascination with serial killers? Why do small towns harbor so many secrets? And why did the small town of Buckaroo Oregon birth sixteen of the world’s meanest murderers. Joshua Williamson slowly builds the answers to these questions in his unbelievably chilling and stellar new series “Nailbiter.”

WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson

ART BY: Mike Henderson

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: May 7th, 2014

It’s clear where Williamson draws his influence. David Fincher’s Se7en comes to mind, along with Twin Peaks, and Zodiac. Yet, these influences are left in a pot to simmer for some time and birth something entirely new. It’s a beautiful concoction that lingers on what makes a serial killer. We’d like to think it’s nurture and the town of Buckaroo Oregon certainly seems like the place to push someone into serial killing, but what if it’s more than that?

That’s the general conceit of the series. Within short order we’re introduced to Edward Charles Warren, the titular “Nailbiter” and the man who took him down, officer Carroll. Yet, after a gruesome confrontation with Warren’s crimes the story fast forwards three years later to a man obsessed with unraveling the town’s secret. He calls Nicholas Finch in a huff; sure he’s figured it all out. So Finch packs up and leaves for hell on earth.

Except when he arrives Carroll is no where to be found. He’s left to wander the haunting city on his own accord and meets some of the more colorful townsfolk. We learn that Finch may not be the all around good guy he says he is, and seems to have a dark history all on his own.

So within this complex narrative you’ll be constantly searching for answers. Williamson does a beautiful job at balancing the narrative between his intense cast of characters and ensures that the town itself is given the most time to develop.

Mike Henderson has seemingly mastered the task of being an horror artist. He plays with paneling to brilliantly pull off some major genre tropes from film, and gets away with them squeaky clean. His work is chilling and moody, and manages to instill the horror in the expressions of his characters. He begins the issues with the bombastic debut of The Nailbiter, and while the whole display is chilling in and of itself. It’s the small moments like the sting of a bee that really stays with you after the issue is over.

Speaking of which. This issue ends with a complete smack to the side of the head. Easily one of the best final pages I’ve ever seen. I was left in awe, and completely taken aback. Everything I thought I knew about the book was called into question with the final page.

“Nailbiter” will get under your skin. That’s where it’s most comfortable. It’ll fill you with a vague sense of dread as it drags you into the fascinating world of serial killers. It’ll hold you tightly in it’s grip and compel you to think about the more unsettling parts of human existence. It’s chilling, unique, and a total revelation for horror comics.

Zac Thompson

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

6 days ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.