Zeb Larson reviews Nailbiter #11…
NEW STORY ARC Does the Nailbiter know why sixteen of the world’s worst serial killers all came from the same small town? Does he know the truth? Find out as the Nailbiter…confesses!
Nailbiter #11 brings back a new story arc, yet there is still frustratingly little movement on the central mystery. There have been several issues now with next to no advancement in the plot, though next issue promises to give us something. I will not be discussing spoilers ahead, so read on without concern.
Finch goes to work on Warren, but basic torture isn’t the kind of thing that will make the Nailbiter crack. Beating does nothing to make Warren spill any secrets, and he in turn begins to play games with Finch, making jokes and driving him closer to the brink. Elsewhere, Agent Barker has been kidnapped by the Buckaroo Butcher. The Beekeeper spills his secrets to Barker off-screen, though we manage to learn none of them, and then Barker is hauled off to be transformed in some way. After some trial-and-error, Finch finds something that will make Warren talk.
The last few issues have gone nowhere in terms of the mystery, and opening this new chapter by giving us nothing is really frustrating. Sure, it’s enjoyable to watch Finch fail a few times before finding Warren’s weakness, but when it comes down to it, that’s the whole issue. The issue is saved by Nailbiter’s sense of humor, both in Warren’s endless quips and Mike Henderson’s art, which can always imbue gory situations with an almost Looney Tunes sensibility. That doesn’t change the fact that this book is coasting on personality at the moment.
There is one interesting point that Warren makes. Why is it that in a small town that was home to sixteen different serial killers, there aren’t legions of FBI agents, sociologists, criminologists, journalists, and whoever else coming to solve the mystery? All of this points to some kind of cover-up, though the nature of this cover-up is still pretty vague. It’s an interesting tidbit, though even if the government is somehow involved, Buckaroo is still public knowledge. How are they keeping away private citizens, and why isn’t the place full of amateur sleuths instead of just a few people? Even this idea has raised a new kind of plot hole.
I’m not giving up on this book, because even as it coasts on personality, it’s still an enjoyable read. I just wish it would pick up the pace a bit and advance the story. We’ve had six issues now in which that hasn’t happened (I don’t count learning that Buckaroo used to have bees as a big gain), and issue 12 needs to change that.
Zeb Larson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ONsp_bmDYXc&list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
Originally published April 2, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
