By Joshua Williamson, Tim Seeley, Mike Henderson, Emilio Laiso, Adam Guzowski, & K. Michael Russell
Nailbiter has had Brian Michael Bendis appear and now it crosses over with Hack/Slash. Now, I’ve not read Hack/Slash, but this one-shot has definitely peaked my curiosity! This is a double sized issue with one tale done by the Nailbiter creative team and Tim Seeley and company does the other. Both stories are set prior to the events in the Nailbiter.
The first story has Cassie and Vlad hunting down a slasher in a carnival, where they mistakenly stalk another man, Edward Charles Warren. Together they discover another Buckaroo Butcher and work to take him down. The second story has Cassie and Vlad visiting Buckaroo on a lead about her parentage. Once there, no surprise, they become enveloped in the darkness of the town…
What is fascinating is how well both titles mesh so well together. After reading the book, it almost seems as if it was a no-brainer – both comics deal with serial killers just in different framing. I’m not sure how the crossover came to be, but I sincerely hope that there will be more to come. Both narratives present the other’s world from the perspective of its established characters. It’s fascinating to see other creative team’s takes on established characters.
I can’t speak to how accurate the Hack/Slash character depictions are, but Mike Henderson continues an excellent job of setting mood and tone. A creepy carnival is all that needs to be said! Adam Guzowski aids in this effect with a dark, rustic color palette and accentuating the shadows and silhouettes in the artwork.
Emilio Laiso and K. Michael Russell have an equally strong collaboration. Laiso’s strength is in depicting character facial expressions and reactions. This blended with Russell’s ability to bring attention to the characters by making them brighter than the background makes the story a visual treat! It would be great to see these folks work on Nailbiter in the future.
Nailbiter readers will be pleasantly surprised and they’re getting double the material. Hack/Slash fans will probably enjoy this as well since the stories still seem to follow that series’ sensibilities. This is a notable crossover that doesn’t seem like a gimmick and actually blends both universes very well. Check it out!
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