REVIEW: SILK #5 Sticks the Landing
In Silk #5 by Maureen Goo, Takeshi Miyazawa, Ian Herring, and Ariana Maher, with a main cover by R, all of the many spiderwebs woven together in this outstanding series finally come together for a (literally) explosive finale! You’ll giggle, gasp, and gape your way through the first four issues, Marvel Blog Web-Heads, but nothing will prepare you for the grand finale!
Silk #5. Photo: Marvel Comics
Silk #5
One of the best aspects of this issue is the way that it functions a lot like a wind-up toy that has been fully wound-up and is now finally being released! Nowhere is this more apparent than in the dynamic between Cindy Moon and Saya Ishii, the fashion influencer (and daughter of notorious crime lord Silvermane).
Cindy Moon and Saya Ishii. Photo: Marvel Comics
Saya arriving in Cindy’s apartment was the last-page reveal for Silk #4, and this issue picks up right where we left off, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the dynamic between Saya and Cindy over the course of the issue. For me, this is the highlight of this entry (and it’s an entry of highlights, so that means something special).
Cindy Moon and Saya Ishii. Photo: Marvel Comics
In addition to some great cameo appearances, this issue resolves most of the major issues Cindy has been facing over the course of this stellar five-issue run (but not all of them – she’s still a Spider-Hero, after all).
And on top of all that, I laughed out loud multiple times over the course of this issue alone!
Photo: Marvel Comics
Maher’s Lettering Shines
I’ve said this before (and will probably say it again), but I love when an issue’s word balloons convey as much action as the artwork itself. And what’s great about Maher’s lettering is that it’s dynamic while still being easy to read, even with the addition of brightly colored balloons.
Photo: Marvel Comics
Helping to guide the reader through the action is Maher’s use of distinct balloon tails for characters, making it easy to track who’s talking even during the high action, high dialogue sequences.
Photo: Marvel Comics
If you want to learn more about lettering conventions (e.g., rough balloons are used when a monster is speaking), and how to effectively bend them in service of the story (e.g., the Spidey fight sequence above), then check out the lettering in Silk #5.
Rough balloon. Photo: Marvel Comics
TPB Coming Soon
Have you had a chance to enjoy Silk as it was released, Marvel Blog True Believers? If not, never fear: you can still enjoy this highly recommended web-slinging series! All five issues will soon be published in a single Trade Paperback (TPB) volume, so you can enjoy the story as a ~ 110 page graphic novel!
(Hopefully, alongside some of the beautiful InHyuk Lee Marvel Comics variants that have featured Cindy Moon recently, which could make a nice addition to the back material!)
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• My Online art class: https://t.co/dnbEzrfo75#silk #cindymoon #korean #inhyuklee #이인혁 pic.twitter.com/l53eGPGK52— InHyuk Lee (@inhyuklee) August 3, 2021
Overall, I have just one complaint about this series: it ended! I know all good things tend to do that, but I think we could have at least made it to issue 12 before ending this run… If you’re reading this review, Marvel, please give this excellent creative team another story arc on Silk (and maybe a one-shot or two)!
Marvel Comics suggest that you read these titles if you enjoy Silk. Photo: Marvel Comics
