Nailbiter #2

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Pencils by: Mike Henderson
Colors by: Adam Guzowski
 

In my review for Nailbiter #1, I said something along the lines of, “the serial killers are the real stars of the show, not the main characters.” In that issue, despite it being ghastly entertainment, I thought that the main characters presented hadn’t been fleshed out well-enough. They were mostly cardboard cutouts. Now that I’ve read issue #2 I’d like to retract that statement. Finch, Warren, and Shannon are really made into their own characters in this issue. They all have very distinct, and very entertaining voices. The bits of flashback here are used well (particularly a hilarious prom photo) and pad the story with just enough info without being an exposition dump. What’s surprising is the delicious dark humor spread throughout, most stories like this might get caught up in the darkness, but Nailbiter manages to gracefully bring scares, shocks, and humor together.

The real draw here though is the mystery and gorgeous artwork by Mike Henderson. The dreary atmosphere makes me feel like I’m actually in the Pacific Northwest. Everything feels rained on. There are plenty of beautifully drawn scenes here that even Henderson’s missteps don’t bother too much. There are a few faces here and there that seem off, but, like I said, it’s not anything that is truly bothersome.

What issue #2 does here expertly is prove that issue #1 was not a fluke. We’re being given an impressively crafted horror-mystery that, when all is said and done, might actually be worthy of the comparisons to Se7en and Twin Peaks. Read this one with the lights off and a flashlight under your sheets.

F.D. White doesn't scare easily, unless it's centipedes. Ew. You can follow him on Twitter @fdwhite19