As hard and dangerous as its title, THE NAIL marks Rob Zombie and Steve Niles’ first comic-book collaboration, an unusual mix of explicit gore, Satanic bikers and pro wrestling. There’s not much room for story – what with the need for full-page decapitations – but it’s basically a stripped-down take on THE HILLS HAVE EYES.

THE NAIL refers to the professional name of wrestler Rex Hauser, who is traveling with his wife, daughter and manager from match to match. In Devil’s Hills, N.D., they are accosted by a motorcycle gang. Their dog is killed, the wife attacked. And then things get nasty. The homicidal monsters (literally) who ride these hogs are looking for their 69th virgin to kill, which will in turn bring about the resurrection of the evil overlord known as The Inquisitor. But will a long-dead devil-god be any match for a modern-day piledriver?

Therein lies the fun. Suffice to say, if you’re not into four-color bloodletting of ripped limbs and exploding heads, THE NAIL is not for you. But fans of Zombie and Niles – especially those who enjoyed their subsequent miniseries, BIGFOOT – know exactly what to expect, and shan’t be disappointed. Art is handled with appropriate grisliness by Nat Jones (SPAWN: DARK AGES), who provides real menace to the bikers, particularly to their leader, a muscular beast who wears a mangy animal skull on his head and wields weaponry straight from a Frazetta painting. –Rod Lott

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OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS:
• BIGFOOT by Steve Niles, Rob Zombie and Richard Corben
• THE DEVIL’S REJECTS by Rob Zombie
• 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte