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nikshelby's review
3.0
I haven't read any recent Marvel comics (or DC for that matter). So, I decided to give one of their new titles/characters a try.
This was the premise for Silk #8. No joke: "Cindy Moon (Silk), Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman), and Gwen Stacy of Earth-65 (also Spider-Woman) recently discovered that the Cindy of Gwen's universe is a megalomaniacal mad scientist. She trapped them on Earth-65, traveled to their home universe and framed the real Silk for a series of tech robberies. Cindy and Gwen tracked her to Parker Industries, where she tried to recruit them by offering Cindy a chance to live with the Earth-65 version of her family and Gwen a chance to life without spider-powers. They refused, and in the ensuing brawl Cindy-65 sapped Gwen's abilities and pummeled Silk using her stolen tech! This couldn't have come at a worse time for our Cindy. The pressure of working as a mole for SHIELD in Black Cat's gang has been building, and it looks like something is going to give."
Seriously?
(1) None of this is related to, alluded to, prefaced by, or hinted at in Silk #1-7. I read the previous issues, with the basic understanding that there would be events/history that I wasn't aware of - since I'd taken a break from Marvel Universe for so long. However, hoping (and for the most part actualizing) an enjoyment of story, even without a complete encyclopedic knowledge. But, from 7 to 8? Oy. After reading that paragraph, I shut 8 and put it away. No continuity, no flow.
(2) Marvel (and DC) are in the business of selling comic books. They make money through art. I'm cool with that - I benefit by getting to enjoy said art. However, I despise when that focus crumbles the art-foundation. I don't want to attempt to find a bunch of random issues, of varied Titles (each with their own incumbent backstories and crossovers), in order to try to piece together a cohesive story. I hate cardboard-puzzles...so, I certainly am going to hate ephemeral issue puzzles.
(3) I understand that Spiderman is continually popular - not my fave - but, its true. His origin story has been retold repeatedly. You don't ever need to follow him with any continuity, because, Marvel will just reboot him, and start again. And the new iteration will be essentially the same.
That said, Silk seemed like it might be just enough of a variance to lend itself to good storytelling. A female (which has been done, but it's always good to see more women in comics). The first 7 issues gave enough backstory to tease curiosity, and enough mystery to draw that curiosity out. Similar to traditional Spiderman enough to highlight some key variance. Any story-tension built, was demolished with disregard.
(4) Alternate realities. Multiverse. Time-travel. All can be, and have been, used in excellent stories (most recently? Black Science. That's brilliant). That said: it is overused as a lame gimmick. I don't want to, and didn't, read this issue #8 (or anything after, or related)...because this schtick is so off-putting. Blech.
Ugh. Enough whining from me. Too late to keep this brief. I'll sum up by saying, after this brief attempt to explore a new title...I'm out. With that, I'm leaving the Marvel'verse, and finding something compelling to read - probably Image Comics.
This was the premise for Silk #8. No joke: "Cindy Moon (Silk), Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman), and Gwen Stacy of Earth-65 (also Spider-Woman) recently discovered that the Cindy of Gwen's universe is a megalomaniacal mad scientist. She trapped them on Earth-65, traveled to their home universe and framed the real Silk for a series of tech robberies. Cindy and Gwen tracked her to Parker Industries, where she tried to recruit them by offering Cindy a chance to live with the Earth-65 version of her family and Gwen a chance to life without spider-powers. They refused, and in the ensuing brawl Cindy-65 sapped Gwen's abilities and pummeled Silk using her stolen tech! This couldn't have come at a worse time for our Cindy. The pressure of working as a mole for SHIELD in Black Cat's gang has been building, and it looks like something is going to give."
Seriously?
(1) None of this is related to, alluded to, prefaced by, or hinted at in Silk #1-7. I read the previous issues, with the basic understanding that there would be events/history that I wasn't aware of - since I'd taken a break from Marvel Universe for so long. However, hoping (and for the most part actualizing) an enjoyment of story, even without a complete encyclopedic knowledge. But, from 7 to 8? Oy. After reading that paragraph, I shut 8 and put it away. No continuity, no flow.
(2) Marvel (and DC) are in the business of selling comic books. They make money through art. I'm cool with that - I benefit by getting to enjoy said art. However, I despise when that focus crumbles the art-foundation. I don't want to attempt to find a bunch of random issues, of varied Titles (each with their own incumbent backstories and crossovers), in order to try to piece together a cohesive story. I hate cardboard-puzzles...so, I certainly am going to hate ephemeral issue puzzles.
(3) I understand that Spiderman is continually popular - not my fave - but, its true. His origin story has been retold repeatedly. You don't ever need to follow him with any continuity, because, Marvel will just reboot him, and start again. And the new iteration will be essentially the same.
That said, Silk seemed like it might be just enough of a variance to lend itself to good storytelling. A female (which has been done, but it's always good to see more women in comics). The first 7 issues gave enough backstory to tease curiosity, and enough mystery to draw that curiosity out. Similar to traditional Spiderman enough to highlight some key variance. Any story-tension built, was demolished with disregard.
(4) Alternate realities. Multiverse. Time-travel. All can be, and have been, used in excellent stories (most recently? Black Science. That's brilliant). That said: it is overused as a lame gimmick. I don't want to, and didn't, read this issue #8 (or anything after, or related)...because this schtick is so off-putting. Blech.
Ugh. Enough whining from me. Too late to keep this brief. I'll sum up by saying, after this brief attempt to explore a new title...I'm out. With that, I'm leaving the Marvel'verse, and finding something compelling to read - probably Image Comics.
aimmyarrowshigh's review
4.0
4.5 rounded down. I really like the use of flashbacks in this issue and Cindy's inner monologue reads as realistic, if a bit chipper for someone who spent ten years in a bunker.
anam_ali's review
5.0
Only for Silk I've ended up reading a truck ton of spider-verse comics, but it was worth it. Love her.
nicxmac's review
5.0
Easily a 5-star rating from a (fairly newbie/spider-man biased) comic book nerd. It's rare for me to find POC characters in comic books (especially Asians) and Silk doesn't disappoint. I love her sense of humor right away . I haven't read The Amazing Spider-man issue where she was first introduced so I didn't really know what to expect but I was surprised myself that I'm already loving this character from the very start. I also actually didn't know that she was a 'brand new' character that was only introduced around in (maybe) late 2014. I've only known about her through the Spider-man Unlimited mobile game app that I've been playing on my iPad wherein you can collect a bunch of spideys and level them up while defeating famous spidey villains such as Green Goblin, Vulture, Electro, Sandman and etc. I wasn't able to get Silk because she was, of course, a special edition spidey character but it's nice to see more women in the spidey verse besides Spider-Gwen and (Jessica Drew) Spider-woman.
All in all for a first issue of a new character, of course there will still be a lot of major flaws when it comes to storytelling and character building. But I think long time spidey fans will enjoy this issue as well as Cindy Moon's version of spidey.
All in all for a first issue of a new character, of course there will still be a lot of major flaws when it comes to storytelling and character building. But I think long time spidey fans will enjoy this issue as well as Cindy Moon's version of spidey.
thenia's review
4.0
Beautiful art and an intriguing story that I'm looking forward to hearing more about.
It might be better to read Silk's first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man first, since the events of that are mentioned more than once.
It might be better to read Silk's first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man first, since the events of that are mentioned more than once.