[REVIEW] SILK #1

It’s been a minute since her last solo title hit stands, but after a year-long delay thanks to the pandemic, Cindy Moon is finally back with a new series in this week’s Silk #1.

I’m sure it will be a relief for Silk diehards to know that this relaunch doesn’t begin with a wildly different status quo for Cindy. Although she’s been reunited with her family and is now living with her younger brother Albert, Cindy is back to working as J. Jonah Jameson’s journalist protégé while fighting crime on the side. (It may be for a tabloid called Threats & Menaces, but a job is a job.) With this new sense of normalcy in her life, it’s just the right time for an enigmatic queenpin with a deadly feline enforcer to start wreaking havoc on New York—a conflict Cindy is on track to find herself embroiled in. It also seems she will now be J.J.J.’s new bodyguard, which should be a fun development.

Although Silk #1 doesn’t put Cindy in a new situation, which usually seems to be the case with a new #1 for a returning character, it’s still a worthwhile read for Silk fan. Although Silk has by no means been languishing in the Marvel Universe since her last run ended—she most recently appeared in the pan-Asian Agents of Atlas team—it’s good to see her back with a new series. She’s probably one of Marvel’s most popular creations of the past decade (and is set to star in her own live-action series as well as the Into the Spider-Verse sequel) so she deserves a spotlight, even if it’s only for a five-issue run. 

The creative team behind Silk #1 is great, which is another source of relief. Writer Maurene Goo displays a strong understanding of the character as she depicts Cindy growing into a maturing adult. She’s also Korean-American like Cindy herself. It’s never a bad thing for characters to reflect their writers, and I’m interested to see how much of their shared background comes into play in this series.

I’m not as familiar with Goo’s work as they’re more known for their prose, but I can definitely speak to the art team of Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring. They previously worked together on Ms. Marvel and provided some of my favorite visuals in a Marvel comic quite possibly ever. Their sensibility and synergy work tremendously well for Silk. Miyazawa’s mangaesque art reflects the graceful zippiness of Cindy’s skill set, while Herring—one of my favorite working color artists—lends a softly colorful vibe that makes her adventures feel distinct from those of her Spider-Contemporaries like Peter and Miles. (Herring also colored the entire Robbie Thompson run, so it’s a nice aspect of visual continuity from Miyazawa’s predecessors Stacey Lee, Veronica Fish, and Tana Ford.)

Silk #1

7

Premise

6.0/10

Execution

7.0/10

Script

7.0/10

Art

8.0/10

Credits

• Writer: Maurene Goo
• Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa
• Color Artist: Ian Herring
• Cover Artist: Stonebridge
• Editor: Jake Thomas

Credits (cont)

• Publisher: Marvel Entertainment