“Nailbiter” inches close to its grand finale. Read on for our review of the explosive “Nailbiter” #28, but be warned, there are some spoilers within this review because it’s hard to talk about this without them.
Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Mike Henderson and Adam Guzowski
The new Murder Store is having a grand reopening in Buckaroo! But a returning serial killer has other plans…
It was only a couple of weeks ago that writer Joshua Williamson revealed that “Nailbiter” would be ending at issue #30. While it’s always hard to say goodbye to a great series, it isn’t hard to believe that he and artist co-collaborator Mike Henderson have told their story. “Nailbiter” had a mystery to explore with these characters at the center and it was never meant to last forever but what it’s done over close to thirty issues has been nothing short of amazing. “Nailbiter” #28 raises the stakes to their highest level and it quite literally, explosive.
“Nailbiter” #28 picks up right from the cliffhanger of the last issue. Crane has been stabbed by Agent Barker (who’s now completely out of her mind) and Alice is all that stops her. Thankfully, Crane doesn’t die but things are far from okay as the Murder Store finally opens but in a glorious Cersei Lannister style explosion, everything goes up in flames.
The thing about this issue is that it is a piece, a step to the ending and so as a single issue, there isn’t a ton to dissect. Williamson and Henderson put together a fantastic, fast and exciting issue but all by itself, it is just a step because “Nailbiter” is now concerned with finishing the tale it set out to tell. At the risk of sounding impatient, I do hope that “Nailbiter” #29 hits us with lots of answers. The series is ending at #30 and I’d like to see it go out on a high note and not feel rushed. It’s in this issue that things really begin to feel like they are ending and there’s a great amount of tension because of that. “Nailbiter” #29 needs to come in swinging so the finale has some space to breathe.
That’s not to say that this is by any means bad, it’s just clear that this isn’t meant to stand entirely all by itself and that’s okay. What does stand out about this issue is how evident the changes in Alice are. It could kind of be said that “Nailbiter” has been her story. She’s a next generation citizen of this town with ties to its secrets who’s gone through the most changes over these twenty-eight issues. She was your typical alt chick with a bad attitude but as turned into this complex young woman who has kind of found a family in all this mess. Williamson has held on to a lot of the qualities that make teenagers teenagers but he’s added depth to Alice that some writers struggle with. In this particular issue, Alice really gets to take charge in a chaotic situation.
As Williamson’s star continues to rise, I want to bring attention to the great work that Henderson and Guzowski do here and have done throughout the series. Henderson has a very distinct style in regards to how he draws people. He doesn’t quite go all the way with realism and it allows him to have some fun with big expression and even bigger violence. He really toys with hyper violence in an interesting way because never once does it become exaggerated to the point that it becomes silly. Everything in “Nailbiter” feels earned. Finch, in particular, is facing something gruesome and Henderson doesn’t hold back in what he shows us, but he knows how to set a scene. Through various angles, Henderson pulls the reader into each act of violence and that’s what creates the horror in “Nailbiter”.
The way the explosion plays out is paced very nicely. I referenced Cersei Lannister above and I can’t help but be reminded of that scene when I think of this sequence. Henderson goes back and forth between the characters and the looming explosions in a tense, anxious way and someone less capable would not be able to handle this. The positioning of the serene town next to the dark secrets and the fire that’s consuming it all is brought to life in such a beautiful way. Henderson really nails the panic that sets in without losing the almost supernatural things that are at play.
Continued belowAdam Guzowski’s colors in this issue continue the trend of the series thus far. “Nailbiter” is a dark story but it doesn’t really live in that darkness from a visual standpoint. Guzowski’s colors are flat and lighter than you’d expect. The color scheme of this book is why people tend to compare it to Twin Peaks. It retains what this kind of town actually looks like but Guzowski uses shadows in a way, particularly in this issue, that reflect what’s happening in the writing. He shifts gears frequently here and his explosions and fires are bright and engaging.
“Nailbiter” #28 is a very strong issue when settled into the rest of the series. It marks the beginning of the payoff for all of this and I’m eager for these final two issues.
Final Verdict: 8.3 – “Nailbiter” #28 is the windup to what will hopefully be a perfect strike.
