I read the first issue of The Silver Coin, a brand new horror anthology series that is going to feature some of the greatest creators in the business! From my pull list to your eyeballs, join me on this strange story full of rock ‘n’ roll, and blood. Lots and lots of blood.

The Ticket

If you’re at all into the kind of indie-horror comic world, you’ve probably been anticipating this coming out for a little while! For those of you who don’t know, this series is going to be composed of one-shots from different writers (and presumably artists? It doesn’t actually say) including Kelly Thompson, Ed Brisson, Jeff Lemire (!!!) and our writer on this first issue, Chip Zdarsky. Whew! Quite a lineup. I’d be happy if the artist stays the same, but I’d also love to see a stable of sweet artists in the rotation as well, I guess we’ll see!

Zdarsky continues to surprise and delight me with his range. Not only is he one of those rare artist/writer hybrids, but he is actually really impressive at both. If you haven’t read either Sex Criminals or Howard The Duck, his run anyway, I recommend both of those. And if you’re into the Marvel side of things, he’s written a host of issues in various books, but most notably he’s been doing the Daredevil ongoing since 2019. And here he is writing a strong horror story! I was amazed at how complete the story felt, that can be really hard to do in a one-shot. The story takes place in 1978, and revolves around a rock band that’s losing their fan base to the beat of the disco movement. The lead guitarist (kind of) unwittingly makes a pact with forces he doesn’t understand, and, well, you can guess what happens from there, I don’t want to spoil it.

The Angry Young Man

This is a story we’re pretty familiar with in Western media, namely that of the angry white guy taking charge of his life and circumstances. We’ve seen this guy as the hero, the anti-hero and the villain in movies, and sometimes all three! Not to mention countless books, like Catcher In The Rye, that have been written from this perspective. So on the face of it, a perspective that’s a little played-out (I say this as an angry white guy). This is a little different though, in that Zdarsky doesn’t necessarily center him, but the band as a whole. All the characters feel like they’re playing a part, and rushing towards an inevitable conclusion. Also, his entitlement is, shall we say, not rewarded.

The art is really cool, and I love Walsh’s way of drawing both faces and backgrounds. Let’s face it, there is a certain style and mindset you have to possess to draw effective horror comics, and Walsh can get gruesome and dirty in a really good looking way. The two creators here really complement each other, and I’ve love to see them work on other stuff together in the future! This is a great addition to your pull list if you’re into horror, or just a Zdarsky-head. Thanks for reading, and keep an eye out on my Instagram for any new posts!