Advance Review: Revisiting A Really Bad Year In `The Silver Coin’ #14

For many people, 2020 was the year from hell. The pandemic, the toilet paper shortage, the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd and election-year politics pushed many to the breaking point. For writer Pornsak Pichetshote, though, 2020 was a deep well to draw stories from – and perhaps to exorcise some of his own demons.

That exorcism is on display in The Silver Coin #14, the anthology series that follows the eponymous currency – and the personal disasters it brings its bearers – throughout time. This is the first time the series has dealt with the very recent past. The story, which begins in December of 2020 and features lots of flashbacks to earlier in the year, centers on screenwriter Darren and his girlfriend Lauren. Darren arrives home to find a shocking surprise. Regular readers of this series know that surprises are never a good thing.

Pichetshote makes the bold choice to explore the recent past. Some would argue that not enough time has gone by, while others would say that we’re still living in a pandemic. But he has found a way to express the extreme stress caused by the events of 2020 while keeping true to the series themes. While this series is not for everyone, it’s episodic nature enables it to tell a variety of horror stories in exciting ways.

Series co-creator Michael Walsh again handles the artistic duties, throwing in some Easter eggs from past stories (including the memorable “Kiss the Cook” apron in issue #11). Walsh continues his streak of terrifying imagery including a cover and a splash page featuring eyes that will likely haunt readers’ dreams for quite some time.

While most of us have said “good riddance” to 2020, this creative team have found plenty more terror to dredge up. And we’re lucky for it.

The Silver Coin #14 will be available for purchase on January 14, 2022.