Nail Biter #1 Review

Title:	Nail Biter
Contributors:	Joshua Williamson Mike Henderson
Publisher:	Image Comics
Issue #:	1
Year:	2014
Pages:	32 Pages
Age Rating:	18 (Language, Violence, Gore, Adult Themes)
Story Grade:	B
Art Grade:	B

Nail Biter #1 grabs you from the get go. How does the small town of Buckaroo, Oregon produce sixteen of most vile serial killers on record? That is what one FBI profiler was trying to find out when he disappears. And now his friend, a disgraced NSA agent facing a trial and possible imprisonment, is trying to find out what happened before both their time runs out and it is too late.

This book hooked me from page one and never let go. Even though the dialog is a little forced, like Williamson is trying to squeeze all the "Schwarzenegger one-liners" he can into a panel, the overall plot and story are great and I think or at least hope Williamson's writing will even out a bit over time.

This story is a much darker version of Criminal Minds, if it were crossed with Dexter; think Criminal Minds if it were done by Showtime, where network sensors weren't an issue. It has that feel, that pace, that tone, but with the kid gloves taken off.

The artwork is good, but does stumble in one spot. Mike Henderson does a great job tackling a tough subject; rain. As an artist, I struggle with rendering rain. Too much and it overpowers the scene, too little and it looks like a crappy texture application. Henderson does a good job with it. And while he struggles a little bit with what I would think would be appropriate facial expressions for a given scene, Henderson does captures the overall darkness, and when appropriate, the gore, of the story in the tones and colors of the art without over doing it.

Where Henderson really stumbled was in the only real action sequence in which a local girl gets in a scrape with a group of local boys and the NSA agent steps in to assist. In one frame the group is tight on each other, in the next they are several feet apart, and in the next they are on top of each other again. It didn't flow with the how the action should have played out. It could have simply been how the panels were put together. Its hard to say without talking to Henderson about it, but as a reader, it didn't feel like a natural flow.

I am not that familiar with Henderson's previous work, but I am hoping that Henderson can grow into this book and overcome these little oversights, because I truly love his work overall and would love to see this become his standout book.

This story really has a chance to become something of a standout series. It's first issue was a good first foot in the door for the readers. If Williams can loosen up the dialog a little and let it flow a little more natural I think this book will be able to shine simply from a story perspective.

I am hoping that the story focuses on why Buckaroo is home to sixteen serial killers, and not just the one serial killer that got off on a technicality, but being the book is titled Nail Biter, the nickname of said freed serial killer, I afraid it might be a blend of the two at best. Maybe a blend of the two story arcs would work, but I really don't want the book to be focused on the one serial killer. But in the end, this is just book one, and we will have wait and see how this plays out over time.

Henderson has a chance to shine and I hope he does. He just needs to pay attention to the layout aspect of those action sequences and be mindful of facial expressions. His artwork is otherwise is great. I am looking forward to more from him.

All in all, I graded this book a solid B. I look forward to the next book with great anticipation if for nothing else, simply for the story and the art. Secondarily I look forward to some growth from both the writer and the artist.

Until next time... Always remember; there's enough for everyone.