The Silver Coin #7
Ram V, one the best comic book writers today, has entered The Silver Coin. The horror anthology series created by Michael Walsh, Ed Brisson, Jeff Lemire, Kelly Thompson and Chip Zdarsky is one of the best books on the shelves. With The Silver Coin #7, we find ourselves with another down on his luck loser granted the power of the coin. This time, money and his life are on the line. Heads or Tales? Life or Death?
Image Comics
Written By: Ram V
Linework and Lettering By: Michael Walsh
Colored By: Michal Walsh and Toni Mari Griffin
Story
Each writer for The Silver Coin series brings their own personality. Ram V has one of the most personable and specials voices in comics. With The Silver Coin #7, Ram V comes out in full force. Bringing their level of horror along with race and culture issues to the forefront. As with most of if not all of the issues of The Silver Coin, a lot has to be packed into the 25 or 30 pages. The only constant throughout the series, the only character that re occurs is the coin itself. Ram moves the story along at great pace. Even when taking it back and giving us a small history lesson.
Where The Silver Coin #7 really hit for me was the relationship between our main character Lou and the 1519 Cortes storyline. The sequence were Lou goes to his room and the overlay of the “rituals” was beyond frightening. The uneasy feeling that this issue gives off from the first page turn to its last is thrilling. As with The Silver Coin books, you just know a happy ending is not in the cards, and with Lou it’s no different. From the first page to the last Ram V has constructed a tale of a luck turned to profit turned to demise.
Art
Frightening. Michael Walsh’s art is frightening. With some help on colors from Toni Marie Griffin, The Silver Coin #7 is dark, sad and at times even hopeful. The colors are the real winner here. The palette changes throughout, page after page. They change and adapt to the characters and setting. By the end of the book we are back where we started. Full circle. The art and colors like any other great comic are a tool used to tell the story. With this issue, Lou and what surrounds him are illustrated to express his slow descent to the end.
Final Thoughts
The best horror book on comic book shelves today adds another great issue to its collection. The Silver Coin #7 is scary, sad and amazing. Heads or Tales.