Nailbiter #24 (Image)
Have you ever turned a movie on TV and realized that the it’s coming to the climax and you become immediately invested?
Never having read a single issue of Nailbiter, I decided to take a stab at issue 24 this week. (Forgive the bad jokes, I will try to limit them, but make no promises)
The issue picks up with two frantic cops who are trying to stop something from happening, but can see the ball is rolling and are desperately trying to catch up. Throughout the issue we are introduced to most of the major players and what is happening with each of them. There is no heavy dialogue bogging down the flow of the issue, which is an accomplishment since the “killer” speaks to his motivations (for most, this would be a slog). The stakes are high after a single issue, and I immediately became invested in the entire cast . Williamson is telling a great story here.
The art is perfect. Henderson did not draw anything unexpected, but the storytelling was cohesive and strong throughout the entire book. A ton of credit has to go to Adam Guzowski. Watching him transport his readers from place to place with color choices and not feel disjointed is to watch someone working his craft at the highest level.
Even if you never read Nailbiter, pick this issue up. Or at least go pick up the first trade.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Ghoul Scouts #2 (Action Lab)
Have you ever wanted to share in the watching experience of The Walking Dead with the whole family? Afterlife with Archie still a bit too graphic? Confused about who Scooby Doo: Apocalypse is really for?
This comic may be for you.
The premise is simple, a group of young scouts are suddenly faced with their town being overrun by zombies. They must make their way from the woods back into town and try to find some help. Steve Bryant does a great job with the dialogue: he gives us small glimpses into the characters, while letting the art be an equal part of the story.
The art by Mark Stegabaur – with colors from Jason Millet – are clean and cartoon-inspired. Stegabaur certainly carried his share of the storytelling for the issue, but towards the end of the issue came across as unpolished and unfinished.
Overall, this is a simple and fun book. Whether you were a fan of Goosebumps growing up or your child enjoyed the recent movie, this is a book for everyone.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Baltimore: Empty Graves #4 (Darkhorse)
I have read Baltimore collections sparingly over the past couple of years and always enjoyed them. Baltimore always scratched a Mignola-verse itch without the need to keep up with the rest of universe. Where I had no trouble jumping in my other books this week, this one left me completely lost and not much to hold onto.
The art had its moments. The first few pages gave me exactly what I was looking for, but shortly thereafter started to stumble. This is by no means a bad looking book, but the line work seemed to change after the first few pages and too many color pallet jumps left me uninspired.
This book is not for everyone, but perhaps it will resonate more for fans of the work that has come before.
Rating: 2 out of 5