Bigger Than Capes

Written by: Ram V
Linework and Lettering by: Michael Walsh
Coloured by: Michael Walsh and Toni Marie Griffin
Edited by: Chris Hampton

Lou is on a winning streak at the Tzompanco casino in Las Vegas but decides against listening to his friend Nico when he’s warned to quit while he’s ahead.

At the start of this issue I was worried that “Tzompanco” was going to have too many similarities with last month’s issue, both stories focus on perennial losers turning their luck around with the help of a certain magic coin. Fortunately, Ram V had very different ideas on where the rest of the story would lead compared to Joshua Williams’ entry into The Silver Coin canon last month.

As always I don’t want to give too much away about this issue, so as far as the plot goes I’ll keep it brief and say that Ram V has put together a narrative that wonderfully builds tension, sowing the seeds of what’s to come from the very start of the issue. As its title suggests, there’s a strong Aztec influence throughout that sets this issue of The Silver Coin apart from what’s come beforehand. This is something that continues to be a strength of the series, regardless of who’s taking on writing duties.

As always, Michael Walsh’s artwork sets the scene perfectly, in particular the opening pages of Lou’s introduction to the coin and the mid-issue sex scene really stand out, the latter being coloured in a way that immediately adds a sinister air to the hotel’s “entertainment”. There’s also a great use of shadow, casting multiple characters in darkness to keep the reader guessing who the villain of the issue will really be.

Throughout the first volume of The Silver Coin there were often indications of how each chapter fit together in the coin’s overarching narrative, but that doesn’t seem to be as noticeable in the last couple of issues. Perhaps we’ll see some hints as this second volume continues, it’s a detail I’d enjoyed and hope we see more of. Though I’ll admit that’s a minor complaint in a series I’ve really enjoyed so far.

The benefit of The Silver Coin being an anthology series is that you can pretty much jump on wherever you want and catch up with what you’ve missed later. With that in mind, I’d say that any fan of Ram V, Aztec influenced horror and gloomy but gorgeous art should pick this issue up.