Bigger Than Capes

Written by: Jeff Lemire
Lines & Letters by: Michael Walsh
Colours by: Michael Walsh & Toni Marie Griffin
Publisher: Image

So far we’ve seen three instalments of The Silver Coin all of which have been set in the past, allowing for a classic horror setting. This issue is the first to take place in the future, the year 2476 to be precise, which makes for an interesting change in setting. Although the stories told so far have given us what you might expect from a horror anthology, the decision to create a futuristic horror story here opens up worlds of potential.

The Silver Coin #4 tells the story of three muggers as they hold up a poor guy on his way home and find themselves pursued by a police drone. While there’s some clear influences from classic horror and science fiction, it also immediately jumped out at me that this issue shares some similarities with last month’s. The criminal trio, the escape from the police, and the chance discovery of a certain coin.

It’s never been a secret that I’m a big fan of Jeff Lemire’s work, so I was particularly looking forward to this issue. I’d tried my best to avoid looking at the solicitations for each coming issue of The Silver Coin so it was a legitimate surprise to find out that Lemire’s issue was being set in the future. With that being said having read a lot of Jeff Lemire’s science fiction books it’s great to see something that visually is reminiscent of the 4001AD setting from the latter part of his Bloodshot Salvation run over at Valiant.

As has been the case throughout the series, Michael Walsh’s artwork is great throughout this issue. He shows off a future that shares similarities with plenty of other science fiction stories, with a great sense of grittiness that makes a world we learn little about feel lived in. I think the best explanation for how creepy the horror within this issue is would be summed up in the facial expression I had watching worms come out of people’s eyes, though sadly I can’t figure out how to put that into words. Walsh’s panel layouts really standout in this issue, giving a great sense of movement and dynamics, which is definitely helped along by Walsh’s and Toni Marie Griffin’s colouring.

This is a great addition to the universe of The Silver Coin giving us plenty of setup for further stories to be told in the future if any of the writers involved choose to go in that direction. I think my only complaint would be that, while the previous issues in the series have felt relatively standalone, this issue feels more like the beginning of something rather than a one and done story, though hopefully another writer will pick up the loose ends in a future instalment.