Issue #1 – Silk
Title: Silk
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Stacey Lee
The Buzz: Like Spider-Gwen, Silk is a new female character who emerged from the recent massive Spiderverse crossover, now given her solo title. A combination of vivid art and the excitement at a new high profile Asian-American superhero has added to the buzz.
All You Need To Know: Cindy Moon was bitten by the same radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker, then locked in a bunker for ten years because reasons. Now she’s out and after all that multiverse-hopping of the Spiderverse event, she’s ready to settle down and have a life of her own – but where to start? (And yes the premise is very similar to the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt but with superpowers)
Story: Cindy has set herself up with a reporting job, not because she’s devoted to new media (she doesn’t even know what Twitter is, which earns her the nickname ‘Analog’ from J. Jonah Jameson) but because she wants to use the company resources to find her family, who disappeared shortly after she went into the bunker. As superhero Silk she has acquired her first nemesis, is working on her witty quips, and sharing the occasional angsty conversation with her sort-of-mentor and fellow member of the spider bite club, Peter Parker.
Trying to fit into the real world is hard work when you’ve spent ten years in the dark – Cindy is struggling with how different her spideysilk-sense powers are now she’s surrounded by people, and her brain-to-mouth filter is almost completely absent, which is good news for the work friends she accidentally matchmakes because she has no patience with UST. The general tone of the comic is snarky and fun with a side order of genuine feeling, as might be expected from a writer primarily known for his work on TV show Supernatural (which I’ve only recently started watching, shut up, it’s retro now).
Art: I haven’t come across Stacey Lee’s work before but this is great work, following the trend away from cheesecake and old school musclefests, and towards a more indie, quirky style where faces are full of character and you can actually tell the difference between the lady characters beyond their hair colour. I’m reminded of David Aja and Annie Wu’s work on Hawkeye, Adrian Alphona on Ms Marvel and the recent Babs Tarr revamp of DC’s Batgirl.
But What Did I Miss?: If you haven’t read Spiderverse then… well, that. Apparently it was big. I’ve only read an issue or two of that event (though I am getting more and more invested in catching up now thanks to Cindy, Jessica and Gwen) and I’ve also been introduced to Silk through a couple of issues of the new Spider-Woman solo series, but I didn’t really get a feel for the character until this issue which does a great job in establishing who the protagonist is, where she comes from, and where she’s heading. No homework required, though you might be missing some nuance if this is your first ever Spidey comic.
Would Read Issue 2?: Yep, queue it up for me!
Read it if you Liked: Spider-Gwen, Ms Marvel, Ultimate Spider-Man
PREVIOUS ISSUE #1 POSTS
Thor #1 (2014)
Spider-Woman #1 (2014)
All-New Captain America #1 (2014)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers #1 (2014)
S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 (2014)
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 (2015)
Bitch Planet #1 (2014)
Secret Six #1 (2014)
Operation: S.I.N. #1
Spider-Gwen #1
Curb Stomp #1
Jem & the Holograms #1
