Nailbiter #1

By Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson

Ghosted is a comic that came out of nowhere and surprised readers with its quality writing, moody art and high body count. Joshua Williamson is at it again with his new book Nailbiter, this time he’s teaming up with artist Mike Henderson. Expectations are high, which means Williamson and Henderson won’t have the element of a surprise indie title available to them this time.

There is definitely something in the water in Buckaroo, Oregon, and a town that has produced some of the most brutal serial killers in history. NSA agent Nicholas Finch goes to Buckaroo to meet his obsessive partner and figure out how to solve the case of the Buckaroo Butchers. This is essentially the premise for issue one of Nailbiter and it is a pretty interesting start. Williamson introduces us to several new characters that we are attracted to and want to know more about. One of his great strengths as a writer is that he can make the reader care for the characters they are reading about. Williamson also sets the mood that something odd is going on in this little town, and we want to know what exactly is happening. Williamson delivers another excellent introductory issue, complete with intrigue and mystery.

The art duties are handled by Mike Henderson, who keeps the art simple, but makes it gloomy, which is a perfect fit for the story. Henderson uses a variety of unique panel selections as he draws the book, adding to the weirdness of the story. While not every panel is perfect, some pages look better than others, the art is consistent for the most part and works well with the story Williamson is telling. As is par for the course in comics, Henderson leaves us with a last page that will get anybody excited for next issue.

Nailbiter is an interesting story that is wonderfully written by Joshua Williamson. This seems to be a pretty original premise and Williamson thrives with odd stories while Mike Henderson supplies an artistic style that compliments the writing and adds to the layer of the book. Nailbiter is off to a good start and Williamson and Henderson’s efforts are the reason.