Last month, CBR reported that Nailbiter would be ending with its 30th issue. As you might imagine, the news sent me into a downward spiral of despair. Since discovering the series almost two years ago, it has consistently been one of my favorite titles.
The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized that this might be a good(ish) thing. Despite the book’s strong sales and dedicated audience, Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson have decided to give us the ending that they’ve had planned from the very beginning. Much as I love this series, I’d much prefer for it to end on a high note instead of pulling a Lost.
So with all that said, let’s see what Williamson/Henderson have in store for us as we cut our way toward what I’m betting will be a thrilling conclusion.
Nailbiter #28 (Image Comics)
Observations
- The characters in this book sure love to yell “DIIIIEEEEE!” a lot.
- No matter how crazy Agent Barker is, I’ll take Alice in a fight between the two any day.
- Wow. The Blonde has Buckaroo’s Murder Store looking pretty swank.
- …and it’s gone.
- HOLY CRAP!
- HOLY $#&%!
-
- You know things have gotten bad when Louis looks like a good/sympathetic person.
- GOOD LORD!
- Pretty sure that Alice and I just had the same line of dialogue.
- NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!
The Verdict
With the end of Nailbiter in sight, Williamson and Henderson have thrown all the blood-splattered cards onto the table. “Epic” doesn’t even begin to describe what transpires in this issue, which is packed with widescreen action that also manages to remain grounded in the series’ gritty reality.
By the way, if any of you reading this are worried that it sounds like the book is jumping the shark, don’t. Everything we see in this issue has been set up organically through the previous narrative. Williamson simply has an incredible knack for squeezing every drop of potential from his plotlines. Add in two of the best character moments we’ve had in the entire series (from two very unexpected places), and it really doesn’t get much better than this.
My only complaint is that last issue’s cliffhanger doesn’t resolve quite as severely as I felt it should. To Williamson’s credit, though, he turns the conflict that arises from it into a great scene. A lot of credit for that goes Henderson, who does some brilliant paneling and background work that makes the issue’s opening fight sequence as beautiful as it is brutal.
Henderson also unleashes some gorgeous cinematic visuals, which makes Nailbiter #28 feel like a true “event” issue despite not being labeled as such. Combine that with an ending that had me screaming at my iPad like an anxious teenager watching a horror movie, and it’s a near perfect set up for the eventual conclusion of one of comics’ best series.
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