In The Silver Coin #3, it’s 1986, and home invasions are all the rage.  When three teenagers cause the death of an old man, little do they know their ill-gotten gains will end in horror!  Who dies screaming?  Find out in your next mighty Major Spoilers review!

THE SILVER COIN #3

Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Michael Walsh
Letterer:  Michael Walsh
Colorists: Michael Walsh & Toni Marie Griffin
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 17th, 2021

PREVIOUSLY in The Silver Coin: An anthology series linked by the eponymous Silver Coin, this series mines all the great 80s horror movie tropes to bring you tales of dread, fear, terror and bloody horror.

EVERYONE DESERVED WHAT WAS COMING TO THEM

The problem with creating a cast of loathsome characters barreling towards their own self inflicted dooms is you then have to make them somewhat sympathetic.  It’s a fine line to walk – they caused the death of an old man, looted his house, and are now on the run from the police.  What’s to like?  As it turns out, for me at least, not too much.

Bobby, Vic and Lisa decide to rob an old man’s home in The Silver Coin #3.  As we discover in the opening page, the old man has gone down, probably with a heart attack.  Vic has an attack of the vapors, terrified at what they’ve done, but Bobby takes this as the green light to plunder then burn down the home.  Only Lisa, who gives the boys the idea about the job, is seemingly unaffected.  But then, she’s found a silver coin that opens its eye and gives her all sorts of odd notions…

The Silver Coin #3 is not exactly jam packed with people you can root for.  Vic is weak, Bobby stone cold crazy, and Lisa is a bit of a blank slate.  For all that I admired The Silver Coin #3, it was hard to like it.  You don’t have to have likeable characters in a horror story, but it sure doesn’t hurt.  In the end, while I admired the technical skill of the creators, which is reflected in my overall rating, I can’t say that I liked The Silver Coin #3 that much.

And yet despite my concerns, The Silver Coin #3 is entertaining, exciting and creepy as all Hell.

THE COIN IS THE EYE

The Silver Coin #3 takes a left turn as soon as Lisa gives that direction to Bobby, who is driving and trying to escape the pursuing police.  Under the control of The Silver Coin, Lisa leads the boys to destruction, their car spinning off the road and crashing.  From that point, the creep factor goes through the roof, as Lisa, the sole survivor, stumbles off into the woods, as dark, spindly creatures emerge from the woods and keep pace with her.  The chasing police, completely oblivious to their fast approaching fate, meet grisly deaths as Lisa finally returns the coin to its owner.

The Silver Coin #3 really comes alive in this latter half, as it shrugs off its struggle street trappings and embraces the weird.  There’s no explanation for why Lisa is acting the way she is, and there’s certainly no explanation as to when she found The Silver Coin.  Michael Walsh, who is providing the artwork for the entire series, really leans into the bizarre in this latter section.  The falling snow adds real atmosphere to the darkness of the wood, and the lashings of blood provide a sharp counterpoint to the gray and black tones.

None of the ending makes a lick of sense.  Who are the shapes that follow Lisa to the cabin in the woods?  Who is the man in the black hat who takes the coin from her?  What does he want?  There may be few answers in The Silver Coin #3, but it adds to the off kilter, chilly atmosphere that makes this issue so striking.  A pity the kids, for me, were about as appealing as a night out in the cold, lonely woods…

BOTTOM LINE: SPOOKY

The Silver Coin #3 provides great artwork and some delightfully chilly moments to bring to its readers an entertaining, uneasy story.  Sure, the main characters are about as likeable as a punch to the face, but they are the wrongdoers, so while their grisly fates may seem over the top, in effect, in this world, they definitely deserve what they get.

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The Silver Coin #3

80%

80%

Fast Paced

Fast paced, making clever use of horror tropes, with morally ambiguous characters in a morally ambiguous universe, The Silver Coin #3 is yet another issue in what is fast becoming the premiere comic horror series.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
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