I've gotta be honest, after giving this one a quick look, I expected it to be very much not for me. Rob Zombie's writing hasn't exactly set my world on fire, I've got no love for zombie bikers and the Simon Bisley cover lead me to believe this might be sort of a 2000 A.D. style gory horror book, which is just not my thing. Imagine my surprise then, when Zombie and Niles turn in a pretty interesting character piece for our lead character and make the zombie bikers absolutely scary and vicious. I was just as surprised that Nat Jones brings an art style that is very reminiscent of Richard Corben, beautiful in its own right but also perfect for the book. The nudity and gore makes this one that won't appeal to everyone, and it definitely falls into the realm of "exploitation" or "splatter" tales, but if you're in the mood for that kind of grindhouse fare, The Nail might be just what you're looking for.
When the story starts out with a guy in a car trying to get his girlfriend to go all the way, you know you're in for either a teen comedy sex romp or a slasher tale. When there's a spooky tree, a full moon and nobody else around, it's a pretty good clue it's gonna be the latter. The creators make no bones about the type of tale they're telling here, this isn't something that's gonna win an Eisner or stir greater human emotions in the readers, this is the type of thing you would have seen on the drive-in movie screen back in the '70s. It's got plenty of naked boobs, bloody faces and grotesque monsters, and it's very much aiming to earn its "R-rating."
I have to admit, half of my enjoyment of this book came from the work of Nat Jones and Jay Fotos. I'm very much reminded of the deliberate ugliness of Richard Corben, with a harsh, uncompromising look at the effects of violence on the human body. This is quite different from the overly veiny, heavy metal album cover look of cover artist Simon Bisley, and while it's a difference of degrees, it is a distinction worth making. Jones's shots of bloody carnage in the wrestling ring or out in the world, his depiction of the faceless, monstrous villains or the terror he puts in the faces of the victims really brings the horror of the book to life.
You'll note that I said horror, and not scares or suspense. Certainly it's easy enough to relate to the plight of a family trapped on a campground with a bunch of lunatics, but at no point does the book become relatable enough to actually scare the reader or set up a lot of suspense. Rather than going for subtlety and timing, Zombie, Niles and company have decided to go with over-the-top gore and violence. This is Fangoria territory, folks. There's even an argument to be made for a touch of misogyny, what with the blatant nudity and the fates that befall the two women in the issue, but I think it's more honest to point out that this is an homage to the '70s scream queen genre, and that the men aren't likely to fare much better in the end either.
In the end, The Nail knows exactly what it wants to be, an homage to the '70s splatter flick, and it absolutely (pardon the pun) nails it. If you're a fan of the genre, than you won't be disappointed by what's within these pages.
