Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Nailbiter” #8 Superbly Stings With Tense Thrills
I’m running the risk of sounding like a broken record but “Nailbiter” #8 is another absolutely superb issue. This book is consistently outstanding and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, which is a blessing.
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson
ART BY: Mike Henderson
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: Dec 3, 2014
Reviewed By Torin Chambers
We’ve been with these people for 8 months now and it shows. We have an excellent sense of who these people are, what drives them, how they see themselves, and in turn how the world around them sees them back. Our care for their safety and wellbeing is at an all time high, which makes life or death situations altogether more immediate and visceral.
Williamson is on track to cover as many phobias as possible over the course of Nailbiter’s run. He’s done body horror, cannibalism, fire, stabbing, and now this month we’ve got bees thrown into the mix. That also means another potential serial killer/at the very least an incredibly unhinged individual. We open on a sight that should intimately familiar to any psychopaths out there: cutting off the wings and pulling out the stinger of a bee with an x-acto knife and tweezers.
Well at least it’s all set to the tender humming of “I’m bringing home my baby bumblebee,” that keeps it at a special level of unsettling. The especially cryptic dialogue that follows may initially come off as a madman’s ramblings but don’t take it lightly. There’re a couple other hints throughout the issue that make it almost sound like he’s really onto something. I’m sure we won’t understand the implications fully for some time.
This issue does an excellent job of juggling Finch and Crane in separate situations that don’t intersect. They’ve spent most of the series in more of a buddy cop capacity, so it’s super interesting to see them go about their own business. Finch especially because his scene would have gone down infinitely different if Crane was present. Without Crane to act as a moral compass of sorts for Finch, he’s free to dig even harder and get his hands dirty. Warren also gets a lovely moment this issue but that’s his extent of involvement.
“Nailbiter” is the pinnacle of horror in comics right now, it’s also a tense thriller, an emotional drama and it’s got a wicked sense of humor. The complete package any way you look at it, even under a tree this holiday season.
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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 @TorinsChambers
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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