I wish it never stopped, I want more and I want it now. Williamson and Henderson have reached sensational new heights with “Nailbiter” #5. There are more “HOLY FUCK” moments in this issue alone than all the comics I’ve read in the last month. It was on the ground as much as it was in my hands, from the amount of times I was taken aback and blown away.
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson
ART BY: Mike Henderson
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: September 3, 2014
Reviewed By: Torbin Chimners
It’s hard to know where to start. This month we’ve got reveals, introductions, questions and, of course, a healthy dose of death. I’ll do my best to keep all of those juicy surprises out of this review, as much as I’d love to dig into them.
There’s not a single scene in Nailbiter #5 that isn’t sowing the seeds for the future and the opening is no exception. We get a neat flashback to, presumably, one of Carroll’s first interrogations with Warren, The Nailbiter, about why there are so many killers from Buckaroo, Oregon. Carroll doesn’t get any answers but what he does get is a threat, one that we’ve already seen catch up with him. We’re also informed that Warren had a very nice childhood, not what one would expect from what he’s done.
The only other plot point I feel comfortable talking about here is one of this issues introductions. Agent Abigail Barker is an FBI agent sent down to Buckaroo to sort out the huge mess that’s beginning to pile up in our ‘Serial Killer Hometown.’ She’s no-nonsense and to-the-point, but she doesn’t come off as a total pompous, elitist prick as FBI agents generally do. She’s got my curiosity peaked and I’m eager to see how she factors into Nailbiter’s web of characters. I’m also eager to see what secrets she’s hiding and how much she’s already wrapped up in the Nailbiter world, because at this point I trust no one.
Henderson’s art is on point as always, looking better in some regards. There’s another extremely dark scene but, unlike issue #3’s morgue scene, this time it’s executed perfectly. What you’re supposed to see and what you’re not supposed to see are one and the same with what the creators are going for. The violence and gore are gorgeously rendered, as always and as always I can’t wait for whatever horrific scene Henderson’s going to render next issue.
At this point there’s no way this isn’t an EPIC in the making. I’m not throwing that term around lightly, like when I was 15, I really mean it. This is just the sublime tip of the iceberg that is “Nailbiter.”
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Torbin Chimners AKA Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter@Vulgar_Rhombus