Silver: Of Treasures and Thieves

Jimmy Finnegan, con man and thief, puts together a misfit team of disillusioned burglars including a washed-up actor, a young psychic boy, and a kick-ass female vampire hunter for the proverbial “one last big job” in Franck’s ripper of a genre-blending adventure. They plot an elaborate confidence game to heist the Silver Dragon, a giant carved precious metal pyramid from a castle full of vampires during the bloodsuckers’ ritual Walpurgis Night party. The sweeping period piece spans the streets of 1931 New York to the Orient Express, and is chock-full of clever twists and disastrous fallout. Franck’s black-and-white artwork and atmospheric use of deep shadows and contrasts carries off a gothic, baroque gloom reminiscent of Mike Mignola. The volume ends, however, abruptly on a cliffhanger: Jimmy’s gang gets cornered by their enemies and their elaborate scam is sure to be unraveled. While a volume two is promised, the sudden stop on this otherwise-splendid adventure seems a bit of a con game itself. Agent: Abby Walters, CAA. (Oct.)