Nailbiter

With issue 5 of Joshua Williamson’s Nailbiter, we dig deeper into the dark mysteries within Buckaroo, Oregon – adding more pieces of the puzzle and raising more far more questions than I fear Williamson can answer with satisfying results. Only time will tell, and we can only hope for the best, but with powerful imagery and a strong, unpredictable story, Nailbiter continues strong: The result is a challenging psychological thriller within a gripping crime procedural.

Finch and Crane go digging for answers, and what they find isn’t pretty. This is sort of an in-between issue in which we as readers learn a few answers, but so many more questions are raised that we are still sitting in limbo. Time to just kick back and enjoy the ride, because even when it’s slow, this comic is good.

The body count in Buckaroo is steadily climbing as Finch and Crane try to figure out who is responsible for all of these murders. The series is finding its own darkly amusing voice that sets it apart from a lot of other horror comic books being written today. While we’re no closer to unwrapping the mystery of Buckaroo, this is a really enjoyable book that is taking off.

The last paragraph of the review of Nailbiter #1 says, “No matter what genre this series falls into, it is sure to be a bloody, fun read.” A read-through of the second issue only confirms that as a fact. While there are still elements of a police procedural within the story’s plot, there is now no doubt about the likely gore-fest to come. This is verified within the text when Officer Finch tells the Nailbiter, “This isn’t Silence of the Lambs, murderer. We’re not teaming up.” This seems to be writer Williamson’s way of saying, “This plot isn’t really about catching criminals.”