Stephan Franck

A little Jewish girl and her sister grow up wondering why their parents are so terrified of attracting attention. Then one day, the dead come with the first snow.

The details in the artwork is frequently a bit too hard to discern, muddling the extent to which I'm following plot movements and enjoying big moments, and the story itself is a fairly standard tragic backstory the likes of which we've all seen dozens of times -- but the storytelling is amazing. Every page flies by, and Franck handles every word with care. The black and white artwork is also rather nice, on the pages where it is clearer, and more easily followed. Recommended, whether or not you've read "Silver" (this being the backstory of a prominent secondary character from it).… (more)

So, one of the best parts about attending comic conventions is the opportunity to find Indie authors. I think it's really easy to loose sight of Indie comics when the whole comic world is filled with imprints like Image, DC, and First Second. Sad really, because there are a lot of great underground comics out there! SILVER absolutely falls into this category. I'm wholly impressed with Stephan Franck, and I want more!

Think Dracula mythos, with a side of 1930's heists and intrigue. We're given a slick con man, and his groupies, right after the job of the century goes wrong. They have to make that money up somehow, and let's just say that the way they choose to go about it is rather dangerous. I was honestly devastated when this first volume ended where it did. So far, there's no follow up. I'm so anxious to find out what happens next.

Let's talk illustrations. This volume is filled with nothing but black, white and grayscale, but that works for the story. The panels don't need color. They're crisp, and clean, making them easy to follow along with. I loved that the characters look like real people. Some tall and skinny, others short and round, even our female character isn't over the top sexy stylized. Oh sure, she's a bad-ass vampire hunter. She might even have a bit of cleavage. But she isn't half-naked, and that's a nice change.

Long story short. Read this. It's gritty, and fun. It's vampire related! If nothing else, read it to save me from being the only one who is pining away for more. It's lonely over here.… (more)