It’s the end of the 616 as we know it. This issue set out to accomplish a lot, wrapping up the flashback narrative and the story lines driving Cindy in present day. Will the book be crushed by the two timelines or survive to live another day?

Silk #7: Last Days

Writer: Robbie Thompson

Artist: Tana Ford

Colorist: Ian Herring

C.Artist: Dave Johnson

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Editors: Devin Lewis & Nick Lowe

Editor-In-Chief: Axel Alonso

Recap: Our issue opens with Cindy Moon visiting the psychiatrist Reed Richards recommended. Before their session can begin, the final Incursion kicks into high gear and Cindy leaves.

She stops quickly at Fact Channel, to get some idea of what to do. J. Jonah pulls her aside and tells her that a Goblin Nation member named James Park was administered into a hospital under the name of Albert Moon. Cindy is in disbelief that this could be her brother, but Jonah tells her she might not get the chance to check it another day.

Cindy suits up as Silk to get to the hospital quickly, but she gets distracted by the end of the world and leaps into action. Still severely injured from the events of the previous arc, her webbing quickly runs dry and she finds herself pinned under a bus. As her air begins to run out, she slips into a memory of the day she moved into the bunker.

Dragon-Man arrives, having joined the superheroes of New York to try and help. He frees Cindy from her predicament and Cindy convinces him to go home to his daughter.

Cindy finally arrives at the hospital and reunites with her brother, as the Marvel Universe falls apart around them.

Thoughts: This issue uses the Last Days of the Marvel Universe status better than a lot of books I’ve read. It’s a little overstuffed, as we get to say goodbye to pretty much every member of Cindy’s supporting cast, but it serves as a good finale for both the book’s first volume and a possible series finale if it hadn’t been renewed for another. Some farewells fare better than others. Jonah is part of the former, while the rest of Fact Channel’s staff is reduced to taking an end of the world selfie together. Jonah’s final scene with Cindy is heartfelt and shows an older more matured Jonah. That alone is enough of a reason to justify Silk for a second volume, as this is the best 616 Jonah we’ve seen in years. 

A part that really stumbles for me is the conclusion of the flashbacks, as Cindy finally enters the bunker. I haven’t cared about them for several issues now. There is usually only a page’s worth of material each issue and they have been inconsequential to the main story line since running into her ex, way back in issue two. I really hope this device doesn’t return when the book does, but I imagine flashbacks will be used to explore the eight month time gap that all books will have come post- Secret Wars.

Shifting back to things I liked, the ending with her brother is fantastic. Sure, it’s a little cheesy, but it’s also well earned as we’ve spent issues building to this point. In volume two, Silk will be working for Black Cat against the Goblin Nation, so Albert should have a huge role going forward.

Another little thing I quite enjoyed is Cindy finding herself in the classic Spider-Man “I have to lift this heavy thing off me to save a loved one” situation, and not being able to do it. Cindy has already given a hundred and ten percent before that point, not even close to recovering from last arc, so I like what that says about Cindy. Peter will find the strength he needs out of a sense of responsibility for his family, but since Cindy doesn’t have loved ones driving her in the same way, she holds nothing back when it comes to saving lives. Both are amazing in their own different ways. It also allowed for another good farewell scene with Melvin Porter, who has been the strongest supporting cast member of this volume. As he turns to heroics, Cindy is turning to villainy, so I hope we see these two clash once again in volume two. 

Tana Ford takes over artistic duties on this issue and thankfully, she’s much better suited to the series than previous guest artist, Annapaola Martello. Her style is quite similar to the series regular, Stacy Lee, although she plays a little more fast and loose with her panels. Ford’s Silk is constantly moving and she creates this sense of movement through a number of means, such as showing the web lines Silk leaves behind as she travels through a panel. Unfortunately, she isn’t quite as adept at drawing faces, so if you weren’t a fan of Stacy Lee’s facial expressions, you’ll be less pleased with what is presented here.

Verdict: Marvel comics seem to be shifting towards season based story telling, much like television, and Silk is a strong example of how that can work. As this volume wraps, Silk doesn’t go out at the top of her game, but this issue still serves as a good finale to both the series and this volume, while also peppering ideas to be built on in volume two. Robbie Thompson has promised the return of Fact Channel, Rage, and Cindy’s quest to find her family while promising a new status quo working for Black Cat and a new villain in the form of the Goblin Nation. Let’s see what Volume Two will bring us.

Pros: 

• Wrapping up story lines
• Setting up the future
• Silk Art

Cons: 

• Cindy Art
• Overstuffed

B+