Silver: Of Hunters and Prey: A Graphic Novel

Silver #3-4

by Stephan Franck

More intense, suspenseful, and gothic than ever, the thrilling Russ Manning Award–nominated Silver saga from Stephan Franck—the supervising animator of Marvel Studio’s What If . . . ?—concludes in Of Hunters and Prey, an epic finale complete with wry humor, compelling characters, and deep secrets.
 
“There may not be a better original vampire comic book in America than Silver.” —ComicBookBin
 
Deep undercover in a castle full of vampires, charismatic conman James Finnigan and his motley group of grifters must stay one step ahead of the undead in order to steal the famed treasure called the Silver Dragon and live to tell the tale. Will the team crack under pressure? And has Sledge been honest about her involvement? As the last of the Van Helsings, slaying vampires is in her blood, and merely stealing from them may just not be enough.
 
Set in the noir-pulp era of the 1930s, Stephan Franck’s Of Hunters and Prey is a rip-roaring, genre-bending graphic novel that draws on the best of gothic horror and heist tropes to tell a story that is pure adventure. Offering the captivating dynamics of an ensemble cast of misfits, while inviting us into a world where Bram Stoker’s Dracula is more fact than fiction, Silver is a smart, innovative story complete with world-class visuals and sharply drawn characters that’s equal parts action, humor, and heart.

Genres: Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[Zuuru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good conclusion. I liked that the MC's early mistake was actually brought up again as the reason for why he technically both lost/won. I was for a sec worried there it would be a fairly bleak ending, but this isn't that kind of story. ;)

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephan Franck’s “SILVER: Of Hunters and Prey,” a 200-page hardback graphic novel illustrated in black and white, collects the last six issues of a twelve-issue comic book run. As mentioned in my review of the first graphic novel in this duology, the heavy stock paper brings out the striking artwork, also by Stephan Franck.

Months passed since I read SILVER: Of Treasures and Thieves (the first of the two books in the SILVER storyline). I re-read it to get me psyched up for the last half of the story (and again gave it 5 stars). There was no need to read it again (though I enjoyed it), however, since Franck recaps book 1 in a 4-page prologue.

In Book 1, six people learn about a fortune in silver inside Dracula’s castle and somehow wangle their way into the castle where vampires from around the globe congregate for their annual 3-night festival (In this one, ol’ Drac selects his bride to-be). Book 2 is where the thieves attempt to steal the silver and transport it away from the castle. The are complications — many complications — and a few members of the group going off-script. As the tension grows, more and more people, vampires, and others play their parts in this saga.

This is one of the best vampire-oriented books you could read.

Unfortunately, it gets too confusing as it races to its climax, and a key fact is not revealed until the end (Boo). Also, and irritating to me, an item of consequence falls into the hands of one of the characters and, best I can tell, there’s no way the character could have gotten the item or know what was so special about it. Further, I didn’t buy into the unbelievable relationship between a few characters after they worked as a team for six years.

It’s still worth reading. My unhappiness with the matters in the previous paragraph does lower my rating of the graphic novel to 4 stars, however.

[Charles Eldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I loved this unique continuation tale of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Set in the 1930’s and populated by fun characters, the well placed tale has unique settings and interesting twists. A wonderful second part to conclude this tale.

Stephan Franck is a master of setting a scene and reveals. His art and writing are so engaging. I sincerely hope that a 3rd volume of further adventures is in the works.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely fun, action-packed conclusion to the Silver series that picks up right from the previous volume. We get the big confrontation with Dracula, as well as the very satisfying heist reveal. The black-and-white art continues to be super kinetic, the pages flying by. Truly, Silver is an excellent addition to the vampire canon.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The supervising animator of What If finishes his story of a heist within Dracula's castle. This was cool. Some of the twists seemed to be missing a bit of connective tissue but I'd still love to read more stories set in this world. I'll sign up for any stories combining heists and the supernatural.

[William O’Pomegranate · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. The first ending was good. The second ending made zero sense and wasn’t true to any of the characters.

2.5 stars

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This flows better than volume 1 because we're deep into the action. A lot of heist movie doublecrosses and misdirections. Sometimes the art is only okay, but some pages are pretty good.