Written by Robbie Thompson
Art by Stacey Lee
Colours by Ian Herring
Letters by VC’s Travis Lanham
Published by Marvel Comics
A couple of weeks ago, I recommended the Silk V. 0 trade paperback to a customer and he bought it and read it in the café that’s attached to our store. Hours later he runs back to the counter and yells at me: “IS THAT IT?! THERE’S NO MORE?” Honestly, it was my favourite customer reaction to date because that’s how I felt when I finished the first run of Robbie Thompson and Stacey Lee’s Silk series. I love Cindy Moon and I’m so happy that she’s back (hopefully for more than seven issues this time).
This first issue of their second run reminded me of all the things I loved about Cindy. She’s her own person, her own superhero and much like Jessica Drew, she doesn’t rely on Peter Parker for story because she has her own to tell. This is a Spider-Man-esque tale without Spidey himself. The story opens with Cindy narrating her day. She may or may not have used the term “rad” and immediately afterwards assured us that she knows that nobody uses that word anymore. Eight months after the incident (cough Secret Wars cough), Cindy’s adjusting to her new normal. She has a new place (that isn’t her bunker), she gets promoted at work, and hey, she’s a bad guy now! Wait, what? Yes, the cover isn’t wrong… Silk is now SINISTER and working with somebody she fought in the past. The way this plays out in the story is interesting. For a split second, I forgot about the cover and the preview solicits that stated she had gone to the dark side. Even with the new morality alignment (no, this isn’t an AXIS thing, thank God), Cindy is still Cindy. She’s a dork, she’s worried about her family, and she still has the best inner narration.
How do I know that Cindy is still the Cindy we came to know and love? Stacey Lee imbues Cindy’s personality in so many different ways through her art in this issue. When you get a glimpse into her small New York City affordable place, you see the pieces of her life that makes her all the more grounded and real. You see a messy place with gaming action figures and statues on the shelves and Sailor Moon prints on the walls. One panel has the gaming figurines in the forefront, framing Cindy in the background. It makes it impossible to miss them. That kind of attention to detail really makes Cindy all the more interesting to me. Lee’s animated/manga style also makes Cindy’s facial expressions and reactions all the more entertaining, especially since Cindy spends a lot of time in a mask. Having her expressions displayed clearly with only her eyes is great to see.
Verdict: BUY!!!! Although it sucked that this series got sucked into the Secret Wars Last Days event, I’m really glad it came back with the same, if not more energy than before. Silk is a great character and through great attention to detail and other exciting events in this issue, we get to know even more about her.
