I was left at the end of Nailbiter Returns #8 with a big question mark. The creators made a decision that could have sent the story spiraling off the tracks and into a ravine, but I’m happy to say that they wisely used a McGuffin to dig further into the past and who the characters are. I am also happy to report that writers Williamson and Henderson pushed further into a realm that I was hoping they would have explored in the original Nailbiter series: the supernatural.

In the original series, we were led down a path of this great, deep mythology, and in a way, there wasn’t quite the payoff to that that I was hoping for. This issue rights for me what went slightly askew. The final few images in this issue – the “reveal” – is wonderful in the most bonkers of ways. Now, with one issue left, I wish there was going to be more!

Let me discuss for a moment the character designs. Even though there is an exaggeration to the characters, Williamson and Henderson aren’t giving us people that look like superheroes. Our femme fatale, as it were, is curvier in a way that a Midwest, small-town woman generally is. It was just a small choice that felt big and really impressed me. I like this creative team a lot and when this series is done, I have my fingers crossed that they’ll find something else to work on. But first, I have to wait to get a final helping of the Nailbiter! I suggest you go back and start at the very beginning to discover the problems of Buckaroo on your own. It’s very well worth it.

Creative Team: Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson (story and art), Adam Guzowski (colors), John J. Hill (letters and design), Rebecca Taylor (editor)
Publisher: Image Comics
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