Comics
5 Skull Advance Review: “Nailbiter” #1
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.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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