Information

Goodreads: Silk: The Life and Times of Cindy Moon
Series: Silk, Volume 0
Source: Library
Published: 2015

Official Summary

Cindy Moon exploded out of her bunker and into the Marvel Universe when we first learned that she had been bitten by the same radioactive spider from the Spider-Verse arc of Amazing Spider-Man!

She then went on to save Peter Parker's life (more than once!) and traverse the Spider-Verse alongside Spider-Woman. Now, as Silk, Cindy is on her own in New York City, searching for her past, defining her own future, and webbing up wrong-doers along the way! Robbie Thompson (writer from TV's Supernatural) fills this new story with his unique blend of antics and feels. Featuring interiors by future superstar Stacey Lee.

Collecting: Silk (2015) 1-7

Star Divider

Review

I wanted to read about Silk since I read Michael's post "The Strength of Silk - Cindy Moon May Be Marvel's Most Inspiring Hero" because I loved the idea that there is a character who is so unselfish that she decided to isolate herself in a bunker for ten years in order to save the world - and only came out against her will. I was not disappointed by this first installment, as I did indeed find a heroine who truly looks out for others and who also tries to see the best in them, even when others don't.

In hindsight, I do wish I'd read whatever comic we first meet Cindy in, or whatever comic in which Peter Parker lets her out of the bunker. (Someone help me out here and tell me what to read!) This one starts with Cindy already out, exploring the world and trying to figure herself out now that she has to interact with other people, learn to use her superpowers, hold a job, make friends, possibly date, etc. Her backstory is explained, so following the story isn't a problem, but I did feel a bit as if I were missing the fuller experience of having read about how Cindy and Peter first meet.

I enjoyed the story as it is, however. Cindy is personable. She has small moments of not understanding how the world progressed without her (like, what is Twitter?), and she's not afraid to make some lighthearted self-deprecating remarks or to admit when she's not quite getting something. This balances out the fact she's, of course, incredibly talented and literally has superpowers. I also like the moments she engages with other people, like her friends at work or even some random bad guy she's supposed to be beating up. It's fun because, one one hand, she knows exactly who she is: the girl/woman who had the strength to give up everything to help others, but, one the other hand, she still has some things to figure out.

The one downside is that multiple artists worked on this volume, and I strongly prefer the installments done by Stacey Lee. I supposed varying artists is a thing with comics and can even be part of the appeal, but I did experience some disappointment when I realized I'd have to read an installment with art I liked less. However, Lee's art is a bit on the cute side (one of the reasons I like it), but one could argue some of the artists do a better job making Cindy look older; she ought to be about 28, if she spent 10 years in a bunker starting as a teen.

Overall, this was a great read. I am definitely interested in continuing to learn more about Silk!

Briana
4 stars