Review: Silver City

Author: Olivia Cuartero-Briggs
Artists: Luca Merli and Dave Sharpe
Publisher: Aftershock Comics
Released: January 22, 2022
Received: Edelweiss
Warnings: Gun violence, mass causalities, suicide, rape (attempted)

Have you ever wondered what the ever after would look like? Well, the creators (Olivia Cuartero-Briggs, Luca Merli, and Dave Sharpe) behind Silver City have, and this is what they’ve come up with. To be upfront and clear: Silver City is probably not suited for all readers. It covers dark and heavy subjects, including death (obviously), gun violence, suicide, rape, and mass causalities.

Silver City is essentially purgatory. It’s gritty and not the paradise or blank slate that many people expect. This is where people go when they need to be sorted out. It’s also where people just get…stuck sometimes.

This is where our leading character ends up following her sudden and untimely demise. Now she’s got a whole lot to learn and an eternity to deal with it all.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Silver City if I’m being honest. The artwork and core concept are what drew me in, and honestly, they are what kept me invested the whole way through. I love the idea of an 80s/90s punk exploration of the afterlife.

On that note, Luca Merli and Dave Sharpe did a fantastic job of portraying this world and artistic style. Even if I hadn’t ended up enjoying the plot, I know I would have finished it for the artwork alone.

I think I would have liked to see Silver City at a slower pace. More time to get to know the main characters initially, and overall more time to understand the city/purgatory and everything else before the main plot kicks off.

That rushed feeling made me feel like I was constantly fighting to catch up to the plot. This isn’t a bad thing, but it did leave me in constant fear of missing something. A second read-through is probably needed in this case, which I will do as soon as I have a spare moment.

Overall, I really enjoyed the tone and vibes that Silver City gave off. A lot of that was enhanced by the artwork, naturally. But I love it when a story and its art can work hand in hand.

Thanks to Aftershock Comics and #Edelweiss for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.