So let’s not mince words. This is a graphic novel. A comic book. A graphic book. A comic novel. I’m not sure the difference of if “graphic novel” was coined to help the comic book readers feel more accomplished. What I am sure of, however, is that I never imagined I would read one.

Nailbiter came recommended to be by a very trusted source (which is fancy talk for ‘he reads ALL THE COMICS’). It’s not a secret that horror books are hard to come by right now if you want a storyline that doesn’t involve zombies. He suggested I give this a try – and so I did.

I wasn’t sure at first I was reading the graphic novel correctly. Was I not spending enough time focusing on the pictures? Did I need to do more than just….read and ….look? Was I supposed to search each frame for imagery and symbolism and onomatopoeia? Once I gave up worrying about the non-existent timer gauging how long it took me to get through the first volume of five issues, I found myself deep inside the story.

Let me interrupt myself here and explain that I am a reader. I love reading, and am often reading at least four things at any given time. Sometimes one of those things is a RiceARoni box, but it counts. For me, the way I know a book (or novel, graphic or otherwise) has hooked me is if I feel like I am IN them. I am not pleased when I have to pause my reading because I hate to think I’ve just left the characters in there, with their stories unfinished. I will often read a book in a day, staying up entirely too late because I have to “let them out”. This book pulled me in.

The Nailbiter is the name given to serial killer Edward Warren who chooses victims who bite their nails, holds them captive while their nails grow out, and then chews them (and their fingers) right off after killing them. Nailbiter is from Buckaroo, Oregon, and we learn he is the 16th known serial killer to call Buckaroo his hometown. We follow Army Intelligence Specialist Nicolas Finch as he tries to figure out why Buckaroo has spawned as many Butchers as it has. Finch has his own secrets, which I expect will come to light in future issues. Once he arrives to Buckaroo, he meets an ally in Sheriff Shannon Crane, who shares a past connection wtih Edward, helping shed light on areas otherwise shadowed. He also has more than one encounter with Alice, a somewhat questionable high school student with more than a passing interest in the Buckaroo Butchers.

The story has murder (albeit some of the victims I didn’t really miss, since they were peripheral characters), mayhem, some nice spooky and intense scenes (even a cemetery shootout, always a bonus), and introduces us to some back story on a few other Buckaroo Butchers. We learn about the Book Burner. The Cross Bones Killer. The Terrible Two. The Blonde – and the WTF Killer. WTF indeed. This was one of the only points where I gave this book an eye roll. WTF Killer? Seriously? Thankfully this was pretty much the only point where I gave pause. Once I finished the volume, I immediately searched for the next, only to find that it hasn’t yet been published. I’m excited t o see where Sheriff Crane and Finch are led to next by the goings-on in jacked up Buckaroo, and I’m proud to say I am now a graphic novel reader. A comic book fan. Oh see now I understand why we don’t really say that anymore.