"Nailbiter Returns #9" Comic Review

Someone has pulled Warren and Shannon back to Buckaroo. It's someone from their past who's brought back a game they played in high school about the Buckaroo Butchers and it's filled with bloodshed. She's not done yet though. She's just getting started.

Nailbiter Returns #9 bounces between the past and present, showing us that Penny was kind of messed up even back in high school. Your first clue is probably when she gouged out the eyes of one of her friends. That's definitely going in the year book.

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What's most interesting is how, throughout all this blood and carnage, we see this torrid love affair between her and Warren. Writer Joshua Williamson shows how this came on hot and heavy, serving as a complete contrast to Warren's relationship with Shannon. The two shared a very intense romance that burned bright and quick. It makes me wonder what kind of chaos they would have gotten into had they continued on together.

Artist Mike Henderson shows the differences between the two relationships in a great nine-panel grid. The images go from one relationship to the other. The panels with Shannon are quaint and normal. Her and Warren are watching movies and going for walks. Meanwhile, the ones with Penny are intense and passionate as they basically tear each other apart. It says so much with just a few images.

Nailbiter Returns #9 is packed with information. Much has been teased during the series so far and this one dumps a ton of exposition on us, yet it comes through organically. It's not like a history lesson. It's all riveting.

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Penny's appearance was kept hidden for some time and it's revealed in glorious detail in this issue. It was definitely worth the wait. Colorist Adam Guzowski creates a stark and frightening visage for this new Buckaroo Butcher with a ghost-like white coupled with a shocking red. This is especially true for her eyes which seem to glow with an intense fire.

Penny's speech is shown in a scratchy font, conveying a rough, gravelly tone. Letterer John J. Hill makes her sound so very villainous. As if her appearance and actions weren't enough to freak you out, her voice puts it over the top.

Nailbiter Returns #9 ends with one of the grossest cliffhangers I've ever seen, yet I have to see where this series goes next. It continues to up the ante with this penultimate chapter and I cannot wait to read its grand finale. Nailbiter Returns is an unparalleled horror comic that continues to scare the crap out of me every month.