Nailbiter: The Murder Edition Vol. 1 Review

Image Comics Collects Nailbiter in a Hardcover, Murder Edition

By Art Macias

Contributing Guest Reviewer

This hardcover of the Nailbiter series from Image Comics features issues 1-10, which were originally published back in 2014 and was critically acclaimed upon its release.

It centers on the story of Edward Charles Warren: a serial killer known for kidnapping men and women and had a habit of chewing their finger nails.  Warren would then hold them captive until their nails grew back, upon which he would chew their fingers down to the bone before ultimately killing them.  Found not guilty on a technicality, Warren returns to his hometown to live the remainder of his life in peace or so it appears. He is soon thrust into the role of a Hannibal Lector type, and even makes a reference to that fact while helping the main characters willingly and sometimes unwillingly get to the bottom of the alarming amount of serial killers that have come from the small town of Buckaroo, Oregon.

The two protagonists include a local female sheriff, Sharon Crane, who has a past with Warren and a military interrogator, Nicholas Finch, who is in town searching for his missing friend who had leads to the mystery of why so many serial killers came from this particular town.

Joshua Williamson writes each issue like its own horror story, introducing us to a variety of serial killers, while still propelling the mystery of the main story line forward. He leaves the reader wanting more at the end of each issue.  This hardcover collection is a must a read for any fan of the macabre and twisted.  The art by Mike Henderson is lush and a thing of beauty to look at in its horrific details of murder and death.  At the same time he is able to portray the all-American small town feel with the use of his pencils.  This volume also includes supplementary material such as artwork for each of the original covers, original scripts, panel sketches, and layouts.  This should be in every horror fan’s collection, go out and get it now.

Rating: 10 out of 10.