Bigger Than Capes

“High Score”
Written by: Joshua Williamson
Lines, Colours and Letters by: Michael Walsh
Edited by: Chris Hampton
Variant Cover by: James Harren
Shiny Thing by: Chris Hampton and Gavin Fullerton

At the core of this issue is Horror Fighter 2, it’s an arcade game that’s basically Street Fighter with slasher film characters. It looks super over the top and I wish it existed outside of this comic, but that’s beside the point.

Our ill-fated protagonist in this issue is a kid who’s playing as ‘The Crow Reaper’.  He loses his first effort as he plays against the dickhead arcade manager. All out of quarters he does what any resourceful kid would and plucks a coin out of the shopping mall’s fountain, however the coin he picks happens to be the kind of coin that calls out to you from across the mall…

I’m fairly sure it’s illegal to give away the twists in a horror story, so I’m not going to say a lot about what happens after that in the plot. However, I will say that I absolutely loved this issue of The Silver Coin. Joshua Williamson and Michael Walsh work really comes together to tell a horror story. Williamson’s previous horror books definitely tell tales that are in a different style to this one, with“High Score” showing another side to his horror writing.

As always, Michael Walsh’s artwork is a highlight of this issue. In particular his designs for the characters within Horror Fighter are really interesting, channeling some slasher classics with some unique spins. The Crow Reaper stands out as a really memorable design that immediately connects with The Silver Coin’s ongoing use of crows.

For the first time we have a backup story in this issue in the form of “Shiny Thing by” Chris Hampton and Gavin Fullerton. It’s a six page story following a group of scouts walking through the woods and spotting the coin up in a crow’s nest. While it’s not as strong as the main story in this issue, there’s a casual creepiness to it and a nice glimpse at the coin’s past and future. Gavin Fullerton’s artwork suits the short story well, not as gloomy as Walsh’s art but still possessing an unmistakable horror feel.

I’ve said it plenty in my previous reviews, but if you’re a horror fan I would definitely recommend getting caught up on The Silver Coin. Each issue explores a different kind of horror story connected by the coin’s ongoing narrative, and the rotation of writers involved makes for constant variety and something for every horror fan.