REVIEW: Nailbiter #11

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Mike Henderson
Colors: Adam Guzowski
Review: Cody "Madman" Miller

This book came out of nowhere. One fateful day it just randomly appeared in my folder at the local comic shop. Art Bee reviewed this book awhile ago and he liked it. The guy on the cover was chewing the fingernails off a severed hand, and the fact it was the first issue of a new story arc were the three selling points that kept me from putting this one back on the shelf.

As it turns out it was a good decision. I really dug Williamson’s writing. He does a great job of going almost too far, but then not. There were a few times I was stared at a page wondering what the hell I was doing reading this comic, that’s for sure. Serial killer books are usually not my forte. There’s no doubt that if you don’t prefer your comics saturated with profanity and gratuitous gore you will want to pass on this title because that is exactly what we have here.

Mike Henderson’s art was freaking fantastic and his page layouts are my favorite. Every page has a unique layout, from the two page spread of 2x2 panels depicting the WTF Killer hacking up some poor old bastard into tiny parts with a cleaver and Nailbiter professing his love for murdering and eating people, to the three panel page of The Butcher of Buckaroo dragging Barker into the darkness.

You see. The deal here is a shit-ton of serial killers come from the same small town in Oregon, and “The Fuzz” is here to find out why and lay down some law. That’s pretty much it except for the bat shit crazy stuff that happens cover to cover. The phrases “uncomfortable joyous nightmare” and “I just threw up in my mouth but it’s fine” best describe my Nailbiter experience.

Like I said before this isn’t my usual type of funnybook, but these fellas have all the bases covered and are forcing Nailbiter into a permanent spot on my pull list. I need to know more. I’m going to have to pick up the first trades and catch up because having just read this single issue I’m admittedly lost as to what the hell is actually going down and who the hell any of these people are.