‘Silver Sabler’

If you ever fly to Keflavík Airport, you are bound to receive a welcome from a fictional character you would never even think of seeing in Iceland: Silvija Sablinova, a.k.a. Silver Sable, a relatively obscure antihero from the Marvel Comics universe.

Having debuted in a 1985 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man,  is an international mercenary fighting crime without a superpower. Typically depicted as an ally (and sometimes as an enemy) of our friendly neighborhood webhead, she often gets a role in Spider-Man cartoons but is yet to make her first appearance in live action films.

Silver Sable may be a curious choice to dedicate a whole mural to at the country’s main airport, and it’s not even that the character is popular in Iceland. The artwork itself, however, was created by Icelandic artist Erró, who is known for comic book-inspired pop art collages. Sable seems to be one of his favorite motifs, as she appears in at least a couple of his other pieces.

The mural depicts the saga of Silver Sable’s action-packed crimebusting in a style similar to that of Marvel comic books in the 1990s, the era of Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld. Although no familiar faces are to be found, comic book fans may spot the first Silver Sable, father of Silvija, as well as the members of the Wild Pack, the mercenary team of her own.