Bigger Than Capes

Written by: Kelly Thompson
Lines, Colours and Letters by: Michael Walsh
Published by: Image Comics

Classic 1980s camp bullying, leads to classic 1980s camp murdering.

The slasher movie influences are all over this issue, and frankly, that’s what I’m here for. Admittedly I really enjoyed the first issue of The Silver Coin (hey, why not check out the podcast episode where we discuss it here), so I was going to be coming back for more anyway, but it doesn’t hurt that I’m an established slasher movie fan.

Girls Of Summer tells the story of Fiona, a teenage girl who’s just arrived at camp for the summer, as I’m told American kids do, where she finds herself sharing a cabin with some less than pleasant peers. Though, who hasn’t been a total dick to a stranger just because the friend you were expecting hasn’t even turned up to camp? Movie cliches aside, much bullying and a sudden twist of fate finds Fiona face to face with that titular silver coin, but this time around it’s embedded into the handle of a machete, hanging in a creepy as all hell shrine. As I’m sure you can guess the coin’s influence in this issue leads to quite the body count.

The Silver Coin #2 takes us in a very different direction than the first issue, and in doing so works to establish the series as something of a whistle stop tour of horror stories, which is something I’m definitely not complaining about. Kelly Thompson brings us a tale that feels noticeably different to her other work, or at least the work of hers which I’ve read, leading us in a darker direction. Interestingly it’s a direction that her writing seems as suited to as her more superhero orientated work, which is definitely something that was nice to learn here.

Michael Walsh’s artwork throughout this issue is superb, suiting slasher horror just as much as it suited the first issue’s Monkey Paw narrative. There’s a cinematic feel to this issue that really contributes to the established Friday The 13th-esque story. The use of darkness throughout the issue makes so many of the settings feel dense and inescapable, even when those locations are outdoors with plenty of places to run or hide. Equally his colouring is wonderfully suited to the story, showing a great ability to use different styles to compliment the changes in the horror he’s illustrating.

All in all The Silver Coin is a series that was always likely to appeal to me, there’s an incredible group of writers working alongside Michael Walsh’s killer artwork to bring this horror anthology to life, and I can’t wait for the next instalment.