Review: ‘Silk’ #1 Breathes New Life Into The Spider Family

Cindy Moon starts her new job at Threats & Menaces under J. Jonah Jameson. It couldn’t have happened at a better time as JJJ is under attack from a mysterious new threat. Fortunately, Cindy is more than just a budding journalist. She’s also the hero known as Silk.

I don’t know a lot about Silk just yet, but everything I’ve read so far, including this issue, I’ve enjoyed. She was bitten by the same spider that turned Peter Parker into Spider-Man, but she got some different powers. She has a great personality and brings a very different perspective to great power and great responsibility. Writer Maurene Goo makes Silk instantly likeable and relatable in this debut issue.

Goo also fills in some background on Cindy so even though I don’t have a ton of experience with her, I was able to get a good idea of who she is and where she’s coming from. Just as she’s somewhat new to the Marvel Universe, she’s also somewhat new to society at large since she was kept in a bunker for the past decade. This leads to some fun and awkward moments as she notices things that a normal young woman might not. She’s like a brighter, more personable Cassandra Cain.

Artist Takeshi Miyazawa returns to the Spider titles with Silk #1 and I am here for it. I’ve been a fan of his work since Mech Cadet Yu so it’s great to see more of it here. He’s a big part of why Silk comes through as such a natural character with emotive facial expressions and mannerisms. This occurs both as Cindy and as Silk.

Miyazawa’s action scenes are off the charts. They offer some dynamic angles that add to the excitement. I love how expressive Silk is even in costume. You can read her surprise or anger through her eyes even with half of her face covered.

This issue is presented in proper case, which just feels right for this character and this story. Letterer Ariana Maher turns in some great work that adds some additional context to the dialogue and narration. It’s easier for certain words or phrases to stand out more when it’s shown in this way instead of all caps.

Although she has similar powers to Spider-Man, Silk operates a little differently. Her abilities and background lend themselves to the shadows more and that’s shown in colorist Ian Herring’s work in this issue. If Peter Parker swings through the city during the day time, Silk seems to excel in the evening, casting a gritty tone on her adventures.

This is a dynamite opening chapter to what I hope is many more stories of Silk. She breathes new life into the Spider family that keeps things interesting and exciting. I can’t wait to see what else the creative team has in store for us with this series.

Silk #1 from Marvel Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.