Non-animated versions
The links above will take you to the fully animated and soundtracked versions of The Boy with Nails for Eyes.
If you’d rather read the comic in a plain, non-enhanced (some might say ‘unadulterated’) version, follow the links below.
About
The Boy with Nails for Eyes is a dark fairytale comic (or graphic novel, whatever your preference).
The Boy with Nails for Eyes was published in 2022 by Cast Iron Books.
The online version of the comic, featuring animations and an orchestral soundtrack, came out the following year.
You can:
- read the prologue,
- register to access the behind-the-scenes materials or
- subscribe.
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This comic is sublime. The Boy with Nails for Eyes sits in an intense, in-between land of art and prose barely comprehensible as a comic.
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The atmosphere in this book is astounding. The art is sharp, detailed, and effectively dirty. The writing reads like something out of a Poe poem.
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In tandem with the dream-like art, the writing in The Boy with Nails for Eyes reads almost like poetry.
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Gorgeous and mesmerising and one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen.
Imagine a sea creature, some strange deep-dweller that has hauled itself up onto the land, unfolded its tentacles and fallen into a dank, troubled sleep.
That is what the town looks like: a sprawling, beached underwater creature, with bad dreams.
If you descended, sank into that town – if you wandered through it to the edge of the ocean, turned your back to the thick, leaden half-circle of chimneys that locked in the streets at their landward ends – if you looked across the water, you would see monsters. The war.
Vast machines, behemoths striding to and fro, fighting one another across the horizon.
Any day now, you think, those great machines will turn their eyes in this direction, see this small town across the ocean, and turn lumberingly to destroy it.
The first volume of The Boy with Nails for Eyes tells the story of Bobby, a young boy living in a town that exists in the shadow of war, and who starts to go mad after falling in love with someone he hasn’t seen.
The Boy with Nails for Eyes was listed for the Myriad First Graphic Novel prize in 2018 and was published by Cast Iron Books in 2022.
Subscribe
The Prologue of The Boy with Nails for Eyes is free to read without a subscription.
To subscribe and access the rest of the story, follow the link below.
The Tale Knows More Than Its Teller:
Behind the scenes of The Boy with Nails for Eyes
- BeginningWhere the idea came from
- It Moves!The animated version of the story
- The BehemothsA page, stage by stage
- Comics & FilmSome thoughts
- Words & PicturesSome thoughts
- William BlakeSome observations on a master visual storyteller
- The Tale Knows More Than its TellerSounding six pages in depth
- AfterwordA gallery of unused images, sketches, plus a preview of the next volume
Guide/FAQ
The Boy with Nails for Eyes is a comic, but one that makes use of music and animation to tell the story.
Controls
- Go to previous page
- Go to next page
- Toggle fullscreen mode
- Reset zoom and drag
- Open page navigator
- Open settings
FAQ
- I want to subscribe – how can I do that?
- Have a look at the subscribe section for details about how to subscribe.
- Can I read The Boy with Nails for Eyes on a tablet/mobile device?
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Sure you can. Obviously, the lower spec the device, the slower it’ll be, but the comic’s been read on tablets and mobiles without reported problems.
For viewing on a tablet Chrome browser is recommended. Performance problems have been noticed on Firefox, so if (like me) you’re a Firefox user and you’re having issues, try Chrome. If that still doesn’t work, get in touch, I’d like to know about any issues that come up.
- Is a print version of The Boy with Nails for Eyes available?
- Yes, you can get a print version of the book from Cast Iron Books (opens in new tab).
- Wait, why can’t I pause?
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First off, it’s not a mistake. The lack of a pause function is deliberate. This is because pacing and (lack of) control are important to the experience of the story. (I go into more detail about this It Moves!, the second chapter of the Behind the Scenes content.)
This won’t apply to most of the story, where you’ll be in full control of pacing and page progress. And you can always use the ‘Page select’ navigation menu ( ) to jump to any point in the chapter you like – beginning, end, wherever.
But at times the story takes over and, your choice, you’ll either have to ride it out or run.
- Well, how long will a chapter take? I’m a busy person.
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Each chapter takes around ten minutes, assuming a steady reading pace. The whole story can be read in around an hour and a quarter. Of course if you choose to linger over the pages (there’s a lot hidden in the details) it’ll take longer.
The best reading experience comes from reading the whole thing through in one setting – but if you don’t have time for that, then just know that you’ll need ten, fifteen minutes or so to read each chapter. More if you want to linger over the pages.
- I don’t know. I’d like to just read it for now.
- Technically not a question, but no problem. If you want to read the story totally at your own pace, no animations, there are also non-animated versions. (Go to the chapter section above, and follow the ‘Non-enhanced’ link for the chapter you’re after. These are all in a section of their own below the main chapter links.)
- Wait! Does that mean I won’t be able to listen to the full orchestral soundtrack?
- Kind that you ask. If you wanted, you could always open the soundtrack in another tab while you read, or play it on another device if you like.
- I want more.
- You can have it. Register to get access to behind-the-scenes material.
- Why do I need to register?
- Because the follow-up volume to The Boy with Nails for Eyes is in the works, along with other projects of mine. If you’re interested in the background materials, I’m guessing you’d be interested in the story to come. I’d like to keep you up to speed, assuming you’re okay with that.