After the longest break the series has had, “Nailbiter” is back with a brand new jumping on point and new story arc. Read on for our review of “Nailbiter” #21 but be warned, there are some mild spoilers within.
Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Mike Henderson and Adam Guzowski
NEW STORY ARC ‘BOUND BY BLOOD,’ Part One Alice now knows that the Nailbiter is her father. Does that mean she will grow up to be a serial killer?
For two years now, Joshua Williamson, Mike Henderson, and Adam Guzowski have been putting out one of the best horror series in comic books, and a personal favorite of mine: “Nailbiter”. This month’s issue is the return of the series after a lengthy but understandable hiatus and it wastes no time jumping right back into things. “Nailbiter” #21 is very obviously setting up for something bigger but has enough meat in it to make it feel more substantial.
“Nailbiter” #21 follows up the big bombshell of the last arc. Alice is not just a local kid with a connection the the Buckaroo killers, she’s the daughter of Sheriff Crane and the Nailbiter himself, Edward Charles Warren. The two were high school sweethearts and Crane gave her up for adoption shortly after she was born. Seventeen years later, Alice knows, and so does the rest of the town. In “Nailbiter” #21 the impact of this is examined a little bit. Along with this, Finch and Warren start to find their way back to the town to finish Carroll’s work.
I’ll be completely honest, while the back page description fill you in on the events of “Nailbiter” up to now, you’re still going to be missing out on a bit of character work. Over 21 issues, Williamson has really built up this whole story in ways bigger than the narrative. There are a few different storylines going propelled by the characters’ personal struggles. The complexities of this town are always on display and, with “Nailbiter” #21, there are great moments of this in a few places. Some of these moments that click so well are the ones with Crane and Alice, Alice and her classmates, and Finch and Warren. Finch and Warren, in particular, is a place where Williamson touches on the dark comedy that’s existed throughout the series. In “Nailbiter” #21, he has some fun with the already established relationship between the two and it’s something you only get from reading the series from the start.
Alice is becoming a true standout in this series as her origin has finally been revealed to us. Williamson is starting to really dig into her traits and personal arc. Alice is scared of becoming a killer and with her father being who he is, it’s fair to see why this is a fear of hers. The way the other kids react to her news and the way they feel about the town’s reputation is turning into this weird cult-like thing and I dig it. Williamson is positioning Alice in a pivotal place and while I have faith in what he’ll do with her, I do hope she’s able to buck the town’s reputation and follow her own path.
Mike Henderson continues to do a great job on the series. He is able to really play with tension and fear in a very unique way. Doing this in comic books is tough because, unlike something in motion, you can skip ahead; you also have a limited amount of space to work with. Henderson does this group of pages near the end that is minimalist but so, so effective. It’s similar to the scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1 where The Bride is covered completely in the shadows and all we see is the violence without all the detail. Henderson and Guzowski especially are able to convey this brutal violence without needing to get too bogged down in the details. The lettering over this is the right amount of creepy and it comes together for a truly effective scene.
There are many transitions in “Nailbiter” #21 but Henderson doesn’t lose a step. He’s able to set the right scenery immediately to not confuse the reader. One of the things he does so nicely in this issue is balance violent madness with the mundane life of a small town. We get a bunch of shots of killers being killers but then we also get to see the normal suburban citizen behind all that. There’s a nuance to the way he crafts his characters and it’s more on display than here in this issue. Guzowski has established a constant overcast on this town and it’s one of the things that has become a staple for the series. Buckaroo has a truly established look as far as the colors and when we’re taken outside of that, we get to fully understand the use of it.
“Nailbiter” #21 is a very solid return for the series. After over two years going, it’s still a strong series with a truly realized premise, a concrete sense of place, and characters with real personalities.
Final Verdict: 8.1 – A strong issue that serves as a new era for the book but not the best jumping on point for someone brand new to the series.
