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'Nailbiter Returns' #7 review
Image Comics

Comic Books

‘Nailbiter Returns’ #7 review

A visually stunning and fun issue, but the series is in desperate need of some direction.

Last month’s issue of Nailbiter Returns ended with a return trip to Buckaroo that got real weird real quick. This week, we see if that leads us any closer to understanding what is causing all the eyeball-gouging madness.

Snappy Spoiler-Lite Recap

  • Flashback: Edward Warren and Sharon Crane waxing poetic about life and love in high school. There’s no way this ends well.
  • Present: Someone really should check on Agent Grey. Even if it’s nothing supernatural, human bites can easily become infected…
  • …especially when it’s raining blood.
  • GOOD LORD! If that’s an infection, then they’re all gonna need to go to the hospital.
  • Alice Crane: Ignores the Headless Horsemen only to get fixated on the weird curtain in the woods that immediately swallows her.
  • SO BRING ON THE FAMILY REUNION!
  • You know things are bad when Edward Warren is the only one who seems to have his wits about him.
  • Drugs can be blamed on a lot of bad stuff, but I’m not sure they can shoulder the entire burden here.
  • Gotta love when your ex’s house shows up out of nowhere.
Nailbiter Returns #7

Image Comics

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The Verdict

From a visual standpoint, Nailbiter Returns #7 is absolutely stunning. Things get extremely weird/trippy and Mike Henderson take full advantage of it. I don’t often physically react to something I’m reading, but one page near the beginning of the issue made me audibly gasp.

From a storytelling standpoint, however, this chapter feels like a big step backwards. Just like in Nailbiter Returns #3, we’re bombarded by a bunch of crazy possibilities without much explanation or direction. It might end up reading better in a trade, in a monthly/serial format the narrative feels pretty unmoored.

That being said, Joshua Williamson still does a great job with the dialogue and setting up his page reveals for maximum shock value. Also, when you consider how good the last two issues were (and the fact that this one was still a lot of fun), Williamson and Henderson have earned enough trust to keep going with them and see where everything leads.

Let’s hope the big reveal at the end of the issue finally starts connecting the plot points so the story can start cooking again.

'Nailbiter Returns' #7 review
‘Nailbiter Returns’ #7 review
Nailbiter Returns #7
A visually stunning and fun issue, but the series is in desperate need of some direction.
Reader Rating0 Votes
0
Mike Henderson takes full advantage of the trippy script to create some truly stunning artwork.
Joshua Williamson does masterful work with the issue's page-by-page pacing.
We're right back to where we were in issue #3: Tons of craziness without much explanation or direction.
6
Average

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