Silk #9 Review and *SPOILERS* - Marvel Mondays

Silk Gets Fast & Furious Before There’s a Point Break

Written By: Robbie Thompson 

Art By: Stacey Lee, Ian Herring
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 29, 2016
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Review by: Dan Mayhoff

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Silk fans have a lot to be excited about this month. Not only is Spider-Women over (Thank God!) but also Stacey Lee has returned to the art team for this book. Not to bash the other artists that have worked on this book but Stacey Lee is just the perfect artist for this book. The art is gorgeous and, personally, reminds me of the old Teen Titans show I watched in my days as a child. In addition, Lee just really brings something special, especially to the faces she draws. But finally, we can walk out of the darkness that was Spider-Women (can you tell I didn’t enjoy the crossover? Is it obvious?) and back into the light with Silk issue #9.

The issue begins and this is where it is immediately apparent that the book was not planning on this crossover. Sure, the event did slightly deepen Silk’s cover with Black Cat, but ultimately, you could have skipped from issue 6 to issue 9 and very little would have changed. Basically the only difference is that it’s a slightly different version of the exact story we would have gotten already. There’s a scene in the beginning featuring Mockingbird talking with Spider-Man (Peter Parker) which is basically the way we get caught up back to normal after this crossover.

Before that, however, there is a scene featuring some of Cindy’s coworkers following up on a lead she gave them. They decided to go at things the old fashion way and follow up all their leads by traveling to all the locations they have found in relation to a tip that Cindy got in earlier issues. Then we cut to Silk and Black Cat as they are breaking into a building owned by Parker Industries. There is some very funny moments as Silk has taken credit for breaking into this building before but it was her doppelganger who is actually responsible. Thus, Cindy’s inner dialogue shows us the truth behind her actual dialogue which provides us with some funny moments.

They are able to break in and get what they need before the security system goes off. Black Cat is hit but Silk comes to her rescue and attempts to get them out of the building. This leads to them being trapped at the bottom of an elevator shaft for the better part of an hour and we get a lot of great backstory.

Cindy shares her story (leaving out her undercover work) with Black Cat during this point and it seems that Black Cat understands her better than most anyone else. We also get Black Cat’s backstory as to why she is now a criminal despite her being a hero in the past. As someone who had no knowledge about this before, I found it very interesting and legitimately sympathized with her. This is where we get our Point Break/Fast & Furious kind of feel to this issue. The undercover agent grows close with their mark and comes to see things from their perspective. Honestly, if Silk has the chance to catch Black Cat next issue and instead shoots webs into the air, the story will be complete.

Silk reports into Mockingbird and we get some more of her coworkers’ side story but the next part of the book focuses on Cindy’s mental state. During her therapy sessions we come to realize just why Cindy relates to Black Cat so much. She doesn’t have many people in her life that she legitimately trusts and Black Cat is one of the few people that she’s grown close to due to her undercover.

Mockingbird then gets back in touch with Cindy and they have a good conversation before getting down to business. Mockingbird takes Cindy to a meeting place on top of a building where she tells her that her undercover operation is almost over and that she will not be put in undercover again. However, unknown to both Mockingbird and Silk, they are not alone on this roof. Hiding in the shadows are Cindy’s coworkers who have now realized that Cindy and Silk are one in the same. To make matter even more complicated, they aren’t the only ones spying on Cindy’s meeting. From a nearby building we see Black Cat listening in on a bug she placed on Cindy earlier. Cindy’s cover is blown!

That's it for this issue and let me tell you, it was one hell of a ride! It felt so natural and the transitions between scenes felt very smooth. There was action and excitement in the beginning, then heartfelt scenes dealing with Cindy’s relationship with Black Cat and her mental health, and finally a huge cliffhanger that made me so angry because I needed to know what happened next! Ultimately, this issue was a huge success for me with its’ only downside being the course correction after the Spider-Women crossover event.

Bits and Pieces:

Everything seems to be back on track with Silk as we get amazing art and incredibly smart dialogue from this creative team. It’s very clear that this team knows exactly what they want to do with this character and her story and is very passionate about it. There’s very little to be disappointed about with this issue.

9.5/10