The Silver Coin #11: Exclusive Image Comics Preview

ComicBook.com is proud to present an exclusive preview of the solicit and cover for the forthcoming The Silver Coin #11, marking the start of its third arc at Image Comics, and some insight from creators Michael Walsh and James Tynion IV.

The Silver Coin has quickly become one of the most talked about creator-owned comics published today, an anthology horror series published by Image Comics and guided by the artistic vision of Walsh who draws every issue. Each installment in the series features a different story centered around the same cursed object, the Silver Coin. The coin’s effects are seen across time, ranging from the United States’ colonial era through distant dystopian futures, and featuring a wide array of horror sub-genres.

While the series just announced the five writers working on issues #11-15, arriving at these issues was far from certain when the series was launched. Walsh says, “I had no idea what to expect when I began working on The Silver Coin. I knew that I had attached some of the best writers in comics and that would really help with sales at launch, but I’d heard thousands of times over the course of my nine-year career ‘anthologies just don’t sell’. I really felt like I was flipping a coin.” 

However, early issues received critical acclaim and quickly collected a dedicated readership. “The real test was monitoring the sales from issue #5 to #6. If the drop-off was too severe, I would have to cap at issue ten. Luckily, the sales have leveled at a sustainable number” said Walsh.

The first 10 issues of The Silver Coin have guided readers across a smorgasbord of approaches to comics horror with each installment functioning independent of the others. Beginning with the third arc, readers should expect to see some changes to that approach. Walsh say, “There’s a lot to be excited about in issue #11 and beyond. We’re going to be checking in with some characters from the first arc years down the road, and seeing the long term effects the coin can have. We’re also deepening the mythology and adding some depth to the overall canon. The world of the coin just keeps growing and I can’t wait for people to see what me and James are cooking up.”

The series is also adding some new features for readers who can’t get enough of The Silver Coin, including a multi-part back-up through issues #11-14. Walsh says, “It’ll be a black-and-white horror tale written and drawn by Adam Gorham, one of my favorite artists for years; he’ll be breaking out as a writer in a big way over the next few. I really wanted to showcase his chops and let someone else run with the coin for a little bit. That means the issues will be extra sized at no extra cost to the reader.”

Even horror fans unfamiliar with The Silver Coin thus far are bound to be interested in issue #11 as it adds one of the most prominent horror writers working in comics today: James Tynion IV. Walsh announced the addition of Tynion IV on Monday and has made no effort to hide his excitement: “I’ve known James for a long time and we’ve talked about collaborating before but the stars never lined up. I’ve really been impressed with James’ output lately, from Something is Killing the Children to The Department of Truth. He’s been firing on all cylinders so I was ecstatic when he said yes to working on The Silver Coin.”

“From our first conversation I came up with a character for the cover and I think that initial drawing sparked something in James, something really damned dark. It’s maybe more brutal than anything James has done up to this point and I’m happy to have twisted the depths of his heart, if only for a little while. We’ve been kind of upping the ante on each other… passing an increasingly HOT and bloody potato back and forth and seeing who can get it even bloodier,” said Walsh.

Tynion IV, who is also working on the 12-issue horror miniseries The Nice House on the Lake, added, “I’ve always loved standalone short horror fiction. It wasn’t something where I walked in knowing there was one story that I was dying to tell, it was a bit of a game between us. I wanted to go visceral, I wanted to play with the great history that Michael’s been building over the first ten issues here, and I wanted to try and make our issue the scariest one yet. I had in my head doing something in a diner, with the Silver Coin left as a tip, but I didn’t have any more than that. But over a few back and forth exchanges, we kept pushing things further and further into messier and grosser territory. Michael turned in the cover right before I sat down writing, and it pushed me to dial all the horror I was thinking about up six or seven notches.

The second arc of The Silver Coin wraps up next month with The Silver Coin #10 before the series returns with this much-anticipated issue from Walsh and Tynion. Reflecting on both the series’ success so far and everything yet to come, Walsh said, “This is by far the most work I’ve ever put into something in my life and seeing it gain such a vocal and loyal following has made me so proud and fulfilled. I guess the lesson is, afforded the privilege, make the comics you’d want to read.”

You can find the complete solicit and multiple covers for The Silver Coin #11 below.

Final order cutoff for the prior issue The Silver Coin #10 is Monday, February 21. It will be an extra-sized 24 page story featuring a back-up by Aditya Bidikar.SILVER COIN #11

WRITER: JAMES TYNION IV

ARTIST / COVER A: MICHAEL WALSH

COVER B: MARTIN SIMMONDS

COVER C (STORY SO FAR – 1:25): ADAM GORHAM

Eisner Award-winning artist MICHAEL WALSH’s critically acclaimed horror hit THE SILVER COIN continues with a new set of all-star writers: JAMES TYNION IV (Department of Truth, Batman), STEPHANIE PHILLIPS (Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman), JOHNNIE CHRISTMAS (Tartarus, Angel Catbird) and PORNSAK PICHETSHOTE (Infidel, The Good Asian).

In 1978, a firefighter finds a strange silver coin in the charred ruins of a nightclub. Quickly, he learns what he can use it to do. What happens when a dark mind harnesses the coin’s power and unleashes it on those who least expect it? Find out in this chapter of The Silver Coin.

To celebrate the new arc, this issue includes a special ‘story so far’ variant, featuring some of the most memorable, most unfortunate characters who’ve chanced upon the accursed coin.