By Svetlana Fedotov
Of all the evil creatures to grace the human imagination, none is more feared than those closest to humanity’s irrationality: other people. While we safely assume that the people who pass us every day are just as sane and well-adjusted as us, we only have to turn on the TV to see horrid tales of child abusers, rapists, mass-shootings and of course, the serial killer. A remorse-less, well-planned murderer who is so ingrained into our world that even Ann Rule can get a best seller just by feeding off the hype. So it’s no surprise that comics would want to get into the murder business as well, most recently with Image’s chilling title, Nail Biter. A bit noir, a bit horror, all gruesome, this new series is not for the squeamish…or the paranoid.
The comic opens up with our main antagonist Edward Charles Warren aka Nail Biter as he is busted in by the cops, interrupting a very lovely meal made from the body parts of his victims. Cut to three years later. A lone detective sits on his bed with a gun to his head. As he’s about to pull the trigger, a phone call blasts through the room, shocking him back to reality. It’s his partner, a man still obsessed with Nail Biter slayings, and says he’s got some great information about the town where the killings happened. You see, dear reader, the town of Buckaroo, Oregon is known for its murderers; in fact, at least 16 other serial killers have originated from that town as well. The detective agrees to meet to him and sets out the next day, only to never hear from his partner again. He suddenly gets the feeling that something is odd in the town of Buckaroo and it’s not just the locals. As he and the local law enforcement begin hunting down his partner, strange things start coming out of the woods, things with a taste for human fingernails.
Following the success of such of such serial killer centered shows like Hannibal and Bates Motel (that’s still on right?), Nail Biter has picked a good time to be released to the masses. It definitely reads like it’s written with that audience in mind, which isn’t a bad thing. There’s a reason those shows work and though Nail Biters isn’t the most original thing I’ve read (though it is only the first issue), it works well enough that I want to see what happens. I’m definitely digging the whole “town of serial killers” angle, which could easily lead to some sort of demonic/ghost/Indian burial ground thing. The writer, Josh Williamson, has done work across the board, from kids comics to full blown horror, and seems certain to the push the limits with this new title. The writing flows naturally and he manages to give some good nods to serial killer fandom. The art of Mike Henderson blends well with the story, keeping muted colors and general air of bummery that is expected of such a heavy comic.
So, long story short, I recommend checking this out. If you liked se7en or Silence of the Lambs, or just like people murdering other people in fantastically gruesome way while the lead character looks like “he’s too old for this shit,” Nail Biter will be right up your alley.