Nailbiter is an independent horror comic book series that was created by Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson, with art by Henderson. The series is published by Image Comics and its first issue was released on May 7, 2014. As of May 2017, the series has been collected into six volumes. The final monthly issue, number 30, was published in March 2017.
Synopsis
The series centers around the fictional town of Buckaroo, Oregon, which has produced sixteen of the United States' worst serial killers. Its most recent creation is Edward Charles Warren, otherwise known as "Nailbiter" due to his predilection for chewing off his victim's nails and part of their flesh. By the series's start Warren has been caught by FBI agent Charles Carroll, however Carroll has since gone missing, leaving it up to his friend and NSA agent Nicholas Finch to search for him. Nicholas decides to start his search in Buckaroo, where he begins to question why the small town has produced so many murderers.
Collected editions
The series is primarily collected in trade paperbacks. The first twenty issues have been republished in hardcover format entitled Nailbiter: The Murder Edition, which includes extra material such as sketches and script pages.
Reception
Critical reception for the series has been mostly positive. Newsarama called it a "masterful bit of horror." Comic Book Resources panned Nailbiter's first issue, as they felt that the work did not live up to its premise's potential despite good coloring and artwork. In contrast, IGN praised Nailbiter #1, stating that it was "an impressive and eerie debut that's sure to turn your sweetest dreams into the stuff of nightmares." Flickering Myth has written predominantly negative reviews for later issues in the series, criticizing it for its pacing and story lines. While Bloody Disgusting have had critical reviews they are mostly favorable. Nailbiter was awarded "Best Horror Comic" by USA Today in both 2014 and 2015. It was also the #1 comic on Horror Talks "Best of 2015."
Sequel series
In January 2020, Williamson and Henderson announced that they would be producing a sequel series entitled Nailbiter Returns. It would begin one day after the conclusion of the original series and delve further into the mythology surrounding the Butchers of Buckaroo. The first issue is scheduled to be released on June 3, 2020.
