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[Comic Book Review] “Nailbiter” #9 Builds A Terrifying World

Published

9 years ago

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I’m beginning to think Joshua Williamson derives a sick pleasure from toying with us in between the pages of “Nailbiter” #9. As the issue picks up exactly where the last left off, there are a lot of questions to be answered but in the vein of any good mystery the answers to the questions are just more questions.

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WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson

ART BY: Mike Henderson

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: January 7, 2015

This issue is primarily devoted to showing just how much the past of Buckaroo has affected the present. The tangled history follows every citizen and hangs around their neck like a noose. Williamson reminds us of this with a brilliant opening page, it shows a school bus driver who is beaten down over time, he’s driven some of the world’s sickest maniacs to and from school every day and he’s had just about enough. The match cutting between panels by Mike Henderson is nothing short of his best work, well that’s until we get back to Finch’s story.

Because holy shit. The bees. Why the bees!? Although Nicholas Cage’s birthday was yesterday and his most famous scene in the past few years was The Wickerman “Not the bees!” performance, one can only assume it’s a happy accident that Williamson and Henderson make bees terrifying again. There is a full page spread of death that will have you on the edge of your seat with Finch as he escapes the clutches of the little bastards.

And, just as you think you’ve got everything figured out he falls into some more underground tunnels. This calls everything we’ve known about the city thus far back into question and only helps to complicate matters even further than before. Pepper in some generally unsettling moments with Warren being a total creep and you’ve got an issue designed to keep you guessing.

See, that’s the brilliance of Williamson’s approach to “Nailbiter.” He encompasses that small town paranoia through each of the incredibly realized characters he’s thrown onto the page. Each of them have their own reasoning for why the town is the way it is, and what exactly could be going on behind the scenes to make a town fill with serial killers.

The cover image shows a bus driver with a sinister smirk. His goal is to right the wrongs of his past, by preventing any of this children from growing into Buckaroo’s primary export. He doesn’t realize that he’s becoming the exact thing he loathes in order to prevent it. It’s brilliant poetic symmetry and great flawed reasoning for a character to act.

Williamson and Henderson dare to play the long game in this series, and the world is better for it. I can tell we’re circling around something, but how long it takes us to get there is anyone’s guess. Williamson is particularly gifted at seeded his future plot points in his series long in advance so the payoff may already be right in front of us. I can’t wait to see where we go next, and can’t possibly anticipate the direction of this book, making it one of the most thrilling buys every month.

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Comics

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

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14 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

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.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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