Every good horror anthology needs an organizing principle. Usually, that’s a horror host, like the Cryptkeeper or the Creep (from Creepshow). And in the case of The Silver Coin from Image Comics, that’s ostensibly the coin of the title, which pops up to ruin one life after another. But the actual secret sauce that makes The Silver Coin special is artist Michael Walsh.
Each issue of the book, which thus far has run 15 issues, collected as three volumes, is written by a new author. Chip Zdarsky, Kelly Thompson, Jeff Lemire… The list of superstar writers goes on and on. But Walsh’s superb, haunting art provides the connective fiber between the issues, even as the content changes on a monthly basis.
And the stories vary wildly, too. Some take place in Vegas, other the woods. Tales are in the distant past before the founding of America, to the far future. And in each one, an unsuspecting victim finds the demonically possessed coin of the title that gives them their fondest wish… Until it doesn’t.
To give fair warning, The Silver Coin is not for the faint of heart when it comes to horror. There’s creeping dread in some of the stories, and Walsh excels at atmosphere. But inevitably the Coin errs towards violence, and it is usually bloody and gruesome enough that Jason and Freddy would be like, “yo, too far.”
But that’s the joy of reading a horror comic — and an actually scary one, at that — like The Silver Coin. The world is Walsh’s canvas, with no R-rating to worry about. It gets gross. It gets sad. There are moments of triumph and elation as the world of the book widens out in fascinating ways. But ultimately, it’s exactly the sort of terrifying comic you want to read in October. Just make sure you check the change in your pocket for little eyeballs, the next time you go to buy some soda or do your laundry. You never know where the Silver Coin will pop up next.
Bonus: Do not miss Michael Walsh’s currently running Skybound/Image Comics book Universal Monsters: Frankenstein, which tells the tale of each of the monster’s body parts.
It’s spooky season, and you know what that means: time to curl up with a comic book or graphic novel that will scare your socks off. With that in mind, we’re posting a new horror book to check out every day of October, for our 31 Days Of Halloween Comics. Awoooo! Looking for the rest of our picks? Check them out on the Halloween tag.
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