By Chris Fenn
This is something I originally picked up at the suggestion of Mr Inter-Comics himself (@InterComics) and I did the forbidden thing of judging the first issue by its cover. I didn’t really want it; I thought it would be needlessly gory without any substance.
Holy crap how wrong I was. Top Gear top tip people: when Mr. Inter-Comics recommends a book to you, give it a buy because he’s spot on!
The world of Nailbiter is so fleshed out and complete; the town feels real and every one of the inhabitants has had proper characterization despite their small appearances. It’s interesting that the person who I feel has the least characterisation is Nicholas Finch, the main character, but I don’t view this as a bad thing because he acts as a conduit for the reader to exist in this book. His reactions are what I think a lot of people would wish they could do, and it offers relief to some situations.
Now I think relief is a smart phrasing, if I do say so myself, as I found the opening pages of this book to be exceptionally tense. After listening to the Inter-Comics Podcast (@intercomicspod) after the release of the first issue Free (@Free_Costin) commented how the comic managed to get to her and creep her out so much, and I have to agree with her. I felt utter chills when we saw a glimpse of what Warren does to his cattle, and his dialogue about cow’s mooing was so haunting.
I really loved how the masked killer slashed the face of Robby, the way it was drawn made it feel so real and gave me chills. Then this is really juxtaposed by the dinner conversation of the other Buckaroo Butchers; how their methods are mocked and seen as jokingly admirable by two defenders of the law.
This series has got a lot in it, it’s barely scratched the surface and I’m already in love with it. I can see twists, turns and blood curdling scenes on the horizon and I’m happy to fully embrace it. I honestly cannot recommend this comic high enough, especially if you’re into chilling thrillers.
I mentioned this about C.O.W.L. #1, but this does have a feel of True Detectives to it, only instead of the main focus being on the relationship between the two cops it is more about the almost supernatural murders before them.
Please, anybody who is reading this; get on behind this title.
For more comic views and reviews follow Chris on Twitter at @fenneth1989
Posted on June 5th, 2014
Category: OUT OF THE LONG BOX, REVIEWS
Tags: Chris Fenn, Comic Reviews, Image Comics, Joshua Williamson, Mike Henderson, Nailbiter #2 Review