Comics

[Comic Book Review] “Nailbiter” #8 Superbly Stings With Tense Thrills

Published

9 years ago

December 3, 2014

I’m running the risk of sounding like a broken record but “Nailbiter” #8 is another absolutely superb issue. This book is consistently outstanding and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, which is a blessing.

WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson

ART BY: Mike Henderson

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: Dec 3, 2014

Reviewed By Torin Chambers

We’ve been with these people for 8 months now and it shows. We have an excellent sense of who these people are, what drives them, how they see themselves, and in turn how the world around them sees them back. Our care for their safety and wellbeing is at an all time high, which makes life or death situations altogether more immediate and visceral.

Williamson is on track to cover as many phobias as possible over the course of Nailbiter’s run. He’s done body horror, cannibalism, fire, stabbing, and now this month we’ve got bees thrown into the mix. That also means another potential serial killer/at the very least an incredibly unhinged individual. We open on a sight that should intimately familiar to any psychopaths out there: cutting off the wings and pulling out the stinger of a bee with an x-acto knife and tweezers.

Well at least it’s all set to the tender humming of “I’m bringing home my baby bumblebee,” that keeps it at a special level of unsettling. The especially cryptic dialogue that follows may initially come off as a madman’s ramblings but don’t take it lightly. There’re a couple other hints throughout the issue that make it almost sound like he’s really onto something. I’m sure we won’t understand the implications fully for some time.

This issue does an excellent job of juggling Finch and Crane in separate situations that don’t intersect. They’ve spent most of the series in more of a buddy cop capacity, so it’s super interesting to see them go about their own business. Finch especially because his scene would have gone down infinitely different if Crane was present. Without Crane to act as a moral compass of sorts for Finch, he’s free to dig even harder and get his hands dirty. Warren also gets a lovely moment this issue but that’s his extent of involvement.

“Nailbiter” is the pinnacle of horror in comics right now, it’s also a tense thriller, an emotional drama and it’s got a wicked sense of humor. The complete package any way you look at it, even under a tree this holiday season.

—

Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter @TorinsChambers

Zac Thompson

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

2 weeks ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.