MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: Silk (2022) #5 REVIEW

Children always want to grow up so fast… then there’s the actual grown-ups who just want to stop time and push the brakes on getting older. It is a primal fear, something that is always at the back of our minds… how will life be when we are towards the end of the line? This recent arc of Silk tackles the complexities and fears that surround the eventuality of growing old. But sometimes, it turns out, getting that traumatic experience of aging fast can be an eye-opener for people. For Silk, having to face off against a time/reality- warping witch who literally sucks the youth out of people is the dose of positivity and clarity that she needed so badly. And as seen at the end of the comic, for the other youthful influencers who got affected by the witch’s machinations, at least it helped them get more views on their channels. Everybody’s a winner, apparently. SHEESH.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Published:

May 18, 2022

Writer:

Emily Kim

Penciler:

Takeshi Miyazawa

Cover Artist:

In-Hyuk Lee

TIME’S UP! Silk has tried and failed to stop an evil witch from terrorizing New York. Now the witch is putting her grand plan into motion. What IS the witch’s plan? And what’ll happen to the city – and the world – if Silk is too late?!

PROS:

• While not being overly philosophical or deep, this issue is able to bring to surface certain issues and anxieties that the youth of today experience in their daily lives. Silk was having her own out-of-body experience and existential crisis, figuring out her meaning in life and her place in the world. And having the youth sucked out of her may have been a violent slap in the face, but she is definitely back to reality. She realized that all along, she already knew where she is supposed to be, and who she is supposed to be… right here, right now, as Silk, a superhero saving lives and kicking butt, taking names later.
• These are the best issues, the ones that focus on the final boss fights. It was an epic showdown between Silk and the witch, who was desperately trying to bring back her world and time to our reality, essentially wiping out everything that is already here and now. This can also be taken as an interesting metaphor for how the older we get, the more we cling to the past, and have an extreme difficulty moving on. Sometimes, we are willing to do away with the present, sometimes at the sacrifice of others, just to be able to be comfortable in our glory days. Beneath the shallow surface, this issue is giving us a little life lesson of being able to fully accept who you are and where you are, despite anything that has happened before.
• Jameson cheering for Silk and boasting about his effect on his publication’s increased popularity bring a certain joy and energy to the pages of Silk. Jameson is a perfect example of somebody in his older years, still full of passion for what he does. So, in this case, maybe we can see Jameson as a peg in life. It certainly helps that he is more open to Silk as a true, certified superhero, versus his usually harsh stance against Spider-Man.

CONS:

• The witch was defeated too easily. All it took, all that was needed, was Silk to get a hold of her necklace, and smash it, after some chit-chat and mind games… then poof! All is resolved. There could have been more fight brought to the table by the witch.

FINAL GRADE: A

These are the easy reads, and fun adventures that make comic books like Silk a great addition to the library. I really can’t wait to see more of her adventures on TV, streaming and even on the big-screen because I truly think she can be a core character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But for now, in the pages of a comic book, Silk is a very loveable character who is making a name for herself in the world that she is in… and Jameson is going to make sure that she gets the credit that she deserves. I am looking forward to the next arcs and storylines for Silk, as I am becoming a bigger fan as the days go by.