By Keigen Rea — Every eight days or so, comic readers on Twitter like to restart an old argument about whether writers or artists are more important. The Silver Coin #1 feels like the kind of series that can actually add something to that conversation.

Most of that comes from the format of the series. Each issue will be drawn, colored, and lettered by Michael Walsh, but each issue will also be written by a different writer, the list of which includes Ed Brisson, Jeff Lemire, Kelly Thompson, and in this debut, Chip Zdarsky (more on them later). The format is exciting to me, in part because it may show how Walsh works relative to the other writers, demonstrating what effect writers have on the visual storytelling in comics, or the lack thereof. It’ll be similarly interesting to see the differences between Zdarsky’s and Lemire’s issues, with both being cartoonists in their own right. Even with them both having written hundreds (if not thousands) of pages for other artists, it feels like the issues they write for The Silver Coin may add something new to a tired conversation.

This first issue actually focuses on the idea of collaborative art in a nice way, telling the story of a band with one member in particular being more talented and ambitious than the others. It does a good job of showing the experience of buying a series primarily for the art, where there is a clear strength by one member in particular.

The Silver Coin #1 is that kind of comic.

The story isn’t bad by any means, but I mean, Zdarsky did one job out of four, and Walsh killed it on every job he did. Which is another great thing about this format — Walsh is doing almost everything on the book, and I think it’s evident. The lines are great, but the colors and letters feel so good and belong together that it makes this issue whole gel in a way that many comics (American ones, at least) really can’t. I’m one who greatly enjoys the collaborative nature of comics, and seeing people with different skills come together to make something they individually could not brings me great joy, yet The Silver Coin is doing something else. It feels unique, and it’s something that I think is worth checking out.

I will note one thing that bums me out; could there be a whiter creative team? Or a more heteronormative one?

The format is a cool and fun idea, but, wow that’s four white Canadian dudes and Kelly Thompson. I’m extremely white, I’ve listened to multiple McElroy podcasts, I enjoy Hamilton and Jay-Z, and this series could be competitive with some of those things. This first issue was fun, but it feels like the chance for the book to be truly interesting is lowered a bit by the creative team being as aggressively white and straight as it is.

Overall: I enjoyed the craft more than the story in The Silver Coin #1, though the story wasn’t bad by any means. I’m on board for at least the next issue, although I should note that there is plenty of room to disappoint…which almost feels like a fun part of this series’ format. 7.5/10

The Silver Coin #1

The Silver Coin #1
Artist/Colorist/Letterer: Michael Walsh
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Eisner-winning artist MICHAEL WALSH (Star Wars, Black Hammer/Justice League) teams with an all-star lineup of collaborators—CHIP ZDARSKY (STILLWATER), KELLY THOMPSON (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), ED BRISSON (Old Man Logan), and JEFF LEMIRE (GIDEON FALLS)—on a new horror anthology miniseries for mature readers. Each issue will tell a tale of terror in a shared supernatural world. The story starts in 1978 with a failing rock band whose fortune suddenly changes when they find the mysterious Silver Coin. Little do they know that fame comes with a cost, and a curse is always hungry.
Release Date: April 7, 2021
Read It Digitally: The Silver Coin #1

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Keigen Rea is taking a deep breath, and making an iced chai latte with oat milk. He does this every day to feel awake and because the routine is comforting. You can find him @price_organa on Twitter, being wrong about comics and Star Wars.