Silk #15 Review and *SPOILERS* - Marvel Monday

Blast from the Past

Written By: Robbie Thompson
Art By: Irene Strychalski, Ian Herring, Irma Kniivila
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 14, 2016
Publisher: Marvel

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Silk is currently involved with The Clone Conspiracy crossover that’s happening right now at Marvel and honestly, it feels a little lackluster. I’m a very big fan of this series and I love the main Clone Conspiracy book but so far the tie-ins have not satisfied me as a reader. Silk has the misfortune of just being introduced to this story and thus we spent most of the last issue setting up the story that we were going to get in this series. Honestly, I find that this book shines when it is on its own but becomes rather subpar when it is dragged into a crossover. It happened earlier this year when Spider-Women came out and I’m afraid that we are seeing the beginning of it happening in The Clone Conspiracy. However, I could easily be wrong. This book could bring a new side of this story rather than drone on for four issues. Let’s just jump in and find out.

Our issue picks up where we left off with Cindy fighting with Spider-Woman on top of the New U building. Granted, this is an older version of Spider-Woman and not the current Jessica Drew iteration that we have in the comics right now. Her name is Mattie Franklin and she has been dead for some time but much like other members of this universe, she has reappeared once again. The two are exchanging blows on top of New U and the battle seems evenly matched for the most part. Cindy takes a beating but is able to give a beating as well. However, she seems outmatched by Spider-Woman’s ability to shock or sting. (or at least that’s what I think she’s doing).

While Cindy deals with Spider-Woman, Hector is dealing with being trapped inside the building. Although he is a ghost and holds no corporeal form, he seems to be contained inside the laboratory that he found. He is then attacked, of course the blows don’t affect him, and he finds himself standing in front of Doctor Octopus. We get another page of Cindy and Spider-Woman fighting before we cut back to New York and the Moon family. Cindy’s father and brother are talking about her and her role as Silk. Her father seems to think that she shouldn’t be a superhero and that she should find a way to “cure” her powers. He leaves the conversation vague but Cindy’s mother is just down the hallway secretly listening in. We as readers know that Cindy’s dad is up to some shady shit right now so this conversation is no surprise, though it gives a better context as to why her dad is acting this way.

Back with Cindy, her and Spider-Woman call a truce and the two speak for a little bit. During their conversation Cindy begins to see things from Mattie’s perspective but still finds herself suspicious of New U. We cut to Doctor Octopus who is having some trouble capturing Hector as he is simply a ghost. Unfortunately for Hector, the new Electro joins the fight and makes quick work of Hector, capturing him immediately. On the roof, Spider-Woman decides to allow Silk to go her own way and maybe even come back if she wants a chance to look around in an official capacity. Cindy questions her about her friend who broke in with her and Spider-Woman tells her that he seems to have disappeared. Cindy doesn’t trust this answer but takes the opportunity to flee.

Cindy calls up her friends at the Fact Channel so that they can dig into New U and see if they can find something. They are able to find that a couple things aren’t adding up with the company when Cindy is interrupted by Jameson being at her door. She shares the information with him and he asks her to follow him. Jameson rides with her to New U and tries to convince her of the good that the company is doing. In order to prove it, Jameson brings Cindy to meet his family who passed away not that long ago. However, while Cindy meets the Jamesons, Hector is being strapped to a table to be subjected to Doctor Octopus’ experiments. This is where the issue leaves us.

Honestly, the pattern continues. This comics is not nearly as bad as some of the other crossover issues that Silk has dealt with but ultimately it feels like very little happened. Cindy and Spider-Woman fight and talk and in the end the fight just ends and everyone is allowed to walk away. Hector is captured but we knew he was captured at the end of the first issue. Not to mention that through whatever technology, Doctor Octopus and Electro are able to see Hector despite the fact that he is able to hide himself. It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and honestly the issue just felt very “meh”. Nothing really stands out from this issue and it feels like we are just building to a climax that will most likely be underwhelming. I love this series more than most others, but these last couple of issues have really weighed heavily on me.

Bits and Pieces

While I am a huge fan of this series, we seem to be entering a bit of another crossover slump with it. We get an issue that starts semi-exciting only to end in the most predictable and boring way possible. Maybe something will happen later in this storyline that will give us more to gravitate to but right now this issue is only a little better than the Spider-Women crossover issues.

6.0/10