Nailbiter #10

By Joshua Williamson, Mike Henderson, Adam Guzowski

Who is that mysterious horn-masked man/woman on a horse in the woods? And, what’s up with that underwater temple? And, what delicious concoction is Warren always cooking up that happens to look like a pile of human bones in a stock pot? There are a lot of questions that each issue of Nailbiter demands the reader to ask, perhaps a few too many, but you cannot help but feel that all these loose ends are leading towards a great reveal as to what is really happening in the small town of Buckaroo, Oregon.

This issue pulls the reader further into a new direction with the insane bus driver, Mister Crowe, without really giving the reader an immediate answer as to why. The school bus plot is scary, especially to those who may have school-aged children, but the real interesting bits come at the end where we see that our visiting army interrogator is now ready to start pulling answers from one of the few Buckaroo residents who may have them.

Williamson really is one of the great horror comic writers working today and this series is great at mixing tension with a bit of gore to make an awesome scare-package. After the horror parts of this issue are resolved, Williamson leaves us with a few hints to the greater story behind the Buckaroo Butchers, which could lie beneath the surface of Buckaroo’s man-made lake.

Artist Mike Henderson continues to deliver fantastic gore and really creates the scary atmosphere of this book. Some highlights are the full-page splatter scene, for our only death in this issue, and the not-so-innocent school children’s facial expressions, which infer that something may have already changed them into mini Buckaroo Butchers! Also worth mentioning is the great coloring from Adam Guzowski during the night scenes where the residents of Buckaroo are bathed in the red lights of rescue vehicles, and the underwater scenes where we get a glimpse at some of the secrets still hidden in Buckaroo. Mike and Adam also combine for a few great images early in this issue that take place in the woods. The inking sets a great scene and the coloring really knocks it out of the park. The view provided is almost cinematic where the horn-mask on horseback stands above us, in front of the sun shining through the trees.

It is great to see Finch take the gloves off in the final scene, but unfortunately we will have to wait two months for more (coerced) answers. Next month’s issue will be part of the Hack/Slash crossover, which is sure to also be great, but really… we all want to see that Finch interrogation scene that’s been promised since the first issue!