Preview: It’s All Just Imaginary. Isn’t it? Taking A Late Look At A Book You Shouldn’t Miss – ‘The Nasty’ #1

by Richard Bruton

The Nasty, first issue is out right now but it’s so darned good that we want you all buying it – a horror about video nasties and imaginary friends that aren’t so imaginary after all.

Okay, so not technically a preview here, seeing as the first issue of this damn fine series got released last week – 5th April.

So why am I showing you a preview you might ask?

Well, for starters, it was in the pile of comics and books to look at – and it’s a very, very big pile. (Although, again, not technically a pile, it’s actually a bloody big folder stuffed with pdfs of comics to look at, but that just doesn’t have the same feel to it, so in my head it’s always the ‘review pile’).

Anyway, by the time I got round to looking at it, we’d passed by on release day. Sometimes it happens. These days, it’s happening more and more. But when I started reading it, I immediately recognised it as one of those great books that I wanted to really get behind, wanted to shout from the rooftops that you need to be buying it. It’s proper comics horror, great writing, great artwork.

But then I realised that I’m running behind on so many things that I wouldn’t have chance to review issue 1 quite yet. (Yep, I know. Seriously, how difficult can it be? But it’s a busy, busy time here and sometimes the reviews get put to the side.)

So. Given that The Nasty issue 1 is bloody marvellous comics and given that it just sold out at distribution level and is getting a second printing I figured, late or not, one thing I could do in a rush and put before you is a preview.

So, look at it, enjoy it, and even though it’s been out a week, there’s still plenty of time for you to go into your local comic book store and ask them to order it. Because you’re going to want to read it.

The Nasty #1 all takes place in Scotland in 1994. Horror film-loving Thumper Connell still has himself an imaginary friend. But his imaginary friend is way, way different from any imaginary friend you could imagine. Not for Colin some cute animal companion or a fellow kid in his head.

Nope, Thumper’s best pal from inside his head is the masked killer from his favourite slasher film, the one he first saw as a young kid. (No, he didn’t have the best childhood.)

Anyway, now he’s grown, he’s a true horror aficionado, he lives and breathes it, along with his fellow fans at their local video shop where they hang out in their ‘murder club’.

So when the owner of the shop gets hold of one of the rarest of those 1980s video nasties, it should be the time of their lives, right? Except things don’t end up going the way this group of horror fans imagined.

But hey, it’s only a movie, right?

It’s all just imaginary.

Isn’t it?

Yep, we’re really being spoilt right now for horror comics that are absolutely knocking it out of the park. The Nasty joins The Berg on my current list of comics you absolutely have to get.

And that’s why, even a week late, it’s still worth giving you a preview of this one. Go, pester your comic shop people, get them to order more and more of The Nasty. You (and they) won’t regret it.