Things to continue to get weirder (and bloodier) down in Georgia. Is it good?
Nailbiter #19 (Image Comics)
The Plot
- BAM! Nicholas Finch doesn’t mess around. He may overreact sometimes, but not here. Any person with half a brain would find the circumstances in the opening scene to be suspicious.
- These smash cuts to the inside of Agent Barker’s deteriorating mind are really jarring (in a good way).
- Wow. Edward Warren is even crazier than we thought. His delusions of grandeur make for some great visuals, though.
- I have a hard time believing that Warren would help put together a Buckaroo Escapee Support Group. Then again, he is crazy…
- Buckaroo Interlude: Crane makes an unlikely ally. Hmmmm…not sure I’m buying it.
- Back in Georgia: Now THAT’S how you make a death trap. Poor kid.
- NO! Not him, too! I was just starting to get interested in that character!
Is It Good?
I have yet to read a bad issue of Nailbiter, but much like last month’s issue, this one isn’t quite up to par with the rest of the series.
For starters, I have a hard time buying how quickly Crane gets along with that certain someone (I won’t spoil it here). To writer Josh Williamson’s credit, he does make the character seem more sympathetic than I thought was possible…which brings me to my next point.
I really like Edward Warren, but I’m growing increasingly disillusioned with his transformation into an anti-hero. The creative team assured me back in November that despite his charm, the man was still a monster. I’m willing to trust them, but we sure don’t seem headed in any narrative direction to back that claim up right now.
On the positive side of things, Mike Henderson’s art is great (big surprise there) and the final scene is a humdinger. Henderson goes wild on this part, giving us a spectacular death juxtaposed perfectly with Williamson’s heartbreaking/terrifying script. The death trap makes the ones from the Saw movies look like old timey guillotines. And as usual, the last page leaves us on a cliffhanger that will cause you to shout “WHAT THE HELL?!” in the middle of Starbucks.
Okay, maybe that’s just me, but you get the idea.
Nailbiter’s current arc isn’t grabbing hold of me like the book usually does, but I’m still enjoying it. If anything, that’s a testament to the creative team. They can take the story in a direction I don’t completely agree with and still force me to like it.
*wipes brown stuff off of nose*
While I’m not sure I’d recommend Devil Went Down to Georgia for new readers (so far), long time Nailbiter fans should like it just fine.
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