This week brings us another Clone Conspiracy tie-in issue of Silk, this time in the heart of New U.
Silk #16 (Marvel Comics)
Observations
- It’s both heartwarming and unsettling to see J. Jonah Jameson so happy.
- Mattie 2.0 doesn’t mess around—in or out of costume.
- How come all artificial towns strive to portray a creepy 1950’s aesthetic?
- Okay, I still think what New U is doing is evil, but that was pretty awesome…
- …or maybe it wasn’t.
- Uh, what?
Is It Good?
Although this isn’t a bad issue by any means, there are a couple of things working against it that keep Silk #16 from being up to par with the series’ usual level of quality.
First off, there is A LOT of expositional dialogue. To Robbie Thompson’s credit, he does make a sizable amount of it interesting. After a while, though, it feels like we’re just spinning our wheels while waiting for the other shoe to drop—especially once we learn what happened to Hector.
Also, we end the issue with one dangling plot thread (with some real mystery behind it) only getting a single page of space and a cliffhanger that has virtually no context for why things are happening the way they are. I trust Thompson to make it pay off next month, but for the single issue available here and now, it’s much more frustrating/confusing than exciting.
Thankfully, Irene Strychalksi’s art helps to keep things afloat. While her pencils are undoubtedly nice, she’s also one of the better panelers I’m reading right now. Her page-to-page sequencing is always incredibly clear, but never boring or predictable.
Combine that with Thompson’s good (but exposition-heavy) dialogue, and you’ve still got yourself a decent issue of Silk to read—but I have a feeling it will fit in much better as a chapter in the collected edition of this story.
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