Zeb Larson reviews Nailbiter #8…
“BEES!” Since the beginning, the Nailbiter’s home town has been plagued with bees. Are they responsible for creating the serial killers?
Nailbiter #8 is back on a regular plot track. The focus is on Finch and Crane in this issue, who have resumed their investigation of the Buckaroo Butcher amid intense media scrutiny. Its a bit of a letdown because of an absence of hard evidence or answers in the mystery of the Buckaroo Butchers.
Finch has a lead from Carroll’s investigation consisting of one word: bees. He pays a visit to a local honey farmer, who while less than friendly does provide a few clues for Finch. It seems that Buckaroo used to be a major honey farming center, but one day the bees simply started dying off en masse. This was one factor in the decline of the town. Crane is dealing with a nosy investigator. More worryingly, some of the townsfolk are starting to question and turn against her judgment, particularly her past association with Warren.
This was more of a frustrating issue in that not a lot really happened. It was easy to not care as much in the previous issues because Williamson was having fun, taking the reader on weird and interesting tangents. To be fair, the visit to the bee farmer is interesting and weird, but apart from learning that beekeepers can be kind of frightening, we’re no closer to learning what’s going on in Buckaroo. We’re three issues in to waiting for Carroll to wake up, and as yet we’re collectively just waiting for something to happen.
Still, the story has a few interesting directions to go in. The increasing sense of panic among the townsfolk of Buckaroo is appropriate, especially given that there are a few rabble-rousers fostering fear. We now know that bees are somehow tied in to what’s going on in Buckaroo, which will give Finch and Crane something to do next issue. And there’s always Warren’s weirdness to look forward to.
Zeb Larson
Originally published December 5, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
