ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Silk,’ Issue #1

Silk #1 is written by Emily Kim, illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa, colored by Ian Herring, and lettered by VC’s Ariana Maher. It is published by Marvel Comics. Three months after her battle with the cat demon Kasha, Cindy Moon continues to juggle her superhero activities as Silk, her career as a journalist, and her social life—or rather, a lack of one. Little does she know that her life is about to be upended when a disturbance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art unleashes an ancient and extremely deadly force upon New York City.

Miyazawa, Herring, and Maher, having previously worked on the Silk miniseries that preceded this one, return for art duties and they continue to turn in some stellar artwork. Miyazawa’s manga-influenced style brings life to every page, including an action sequence that takes place early in the book. The sequence begins with a quartet of thugs running away, with each thug being wrapped in a cocoon of webbing by Silk. Finally, she manages to take out the final thug with a flying kick and save someone in the process. Miyazawa’s art isn’t limited to superheroic action, however; he also has a gift for creating very expressive characters. This comes in handy when drawing Cindy in and out of costume, as unlike her fellow spider-heroes she doesn’t wear a full face mask. Readers will see her eyes light up in happiness, narrow in anger, or dart back and forth in fear. It not only helps to form a connection with her as a character but it also serves as an example of how to pull off non-verbal storytelling.

Herring also helps set the mood with his color art. Half the book takes place in brightly lit environments, including the streets of New York and the Threats & Menaces offices where Cindy works. The second half takes place at night, transforming the Met’s halls into the set of a horror movie. Whole corridors are lit in shadow, with Cindy’s black/red/white Silk suit being the only source of brightness in the place. And the new villain is shown residing in the shadows, with a legion of monstrous henchmen to match. Maher’s lettering continues to be distinct; Cindy’s inner monologue is depicted in red letters, and whenever characters speak in a different language, their words are placed in parentheses along with a caption specifying what language they’re speaking in.

The one thing that has changed from the previous series is the writer, as Kim takes over writing duties from Maurene Goo. She proves to have a handle on Cindy, including her inner turmoil about her current state of life. I love that Kim continues to have Cindy speaking with her therapist Doctor Sinclair. More superheroes could use therapy sessions if you ask me. And perhaps the funniest bits in the issue come from Cindy’s discomfort around social media, which has led to Silk becoming a viral sensation, As her boss J. Jonah Jameson eloquently puts it, she’s the “oldest young person” he knows. The one downside is that I’d have liked to know a little bit more about the new villain, Perhaps the next issue will shed light on their origins.

Silk #1 brings a new writer and a new threat for Cindy Moon to face while keeping the same artists and the same grasp on characterization that’s made her a beloved figure in the Spider-Man mythos. I look forward to future issues and hope that fans make their voices heard if they want to see more of Cindy’s adventures.

Silk #1 will be available wherever comics are sold on January 19, 2021.