Silk is one of the highly-anticipated (by me, anyways) new titles to come out of the Spider-Verse event. Penned by Supernatural writer Robbie Thompson and drawn by Stacey Lee, this comic introduces Cindy Moon as the new web-slinging superhero of New York. But don’t worry Parker fans, Peter is still around, and occasionally fights crime beside Silk, despite her best efforts to avoid him.
In the first issue we learn Cindy’s backstory: after being bitten by the same spider that bit Peter, she was forced to isolate herself in a bunker for ten years by a mysterious man named Ezekiel Sims. Since her escape she has begun working with the Daily Bugle to gain access to their information resources in an attempt to locate the family she left behind. In her spare time she fights a new villain named Dragonclaw, who is really just a pawn for a more familiar rogue from the Spider-Man canon.
I’m really enjoying the tone of the comic so far; it falls in line with Ms. Marvel and Batgirl as a book that caters to young women. It’s fun and snarky, but also doesn’t shy away from the fact that Cindy has survived an incredibly traumatic experience and is still dealing with its effects. I liked that Thompson and Lee sprinkled Cindy’s flashbacks throughout the comic, separating them with a more subdued color palette. They also make it clear that she is suffering from post-traumatic stress, as that the memories are often triggered by something in her surroundings.
Between Cindy’s relationship with Peter, corporate conspiracies, gang violence, and, from the looks of next issue’s cover, possible Hydra involvement there is already so much going on in Silk, and I can’t wait to read more!
Note: This review originally appeared in the article Short & Sweet: Star-Lord, Sandman, and Silk! on Women Write About Comics.
