Marvel’s newest heroine is making a Silk-y smooth transition to her own book.
Months after making a splash with her debut in the pages of “Amazing Spider-Man” – the product of the Eureka idea of having a second person bitten by comics’ most famous radioactive spider – Silk, aka Cindy Moon, will be the subject of a new series, the Daily News has learned.
There have been Spider-Girls and Spider-Women throughout Marvel history, but the Asian American Queens resident has been sparking conversations since her introduction earlier this year – part of the publisher’s ongoing effort to match the diversity of its readership.
(In a masterful feat of ret-conning, Moon had been kept in a bunker for ten years to explain why no one has seen her before as Parker was very visibly battling the likes of Green Goblin and Electro.)
“Cindy has been situated in such a unique way-she’s tied to so much, and yet is completely free to find her own place in this amazing universe,” writer Robbie Thompson told the News via email.
Spinning (ahem) out of the events of the upcoming “Spider-Verse” event this fall, the first issue, drawn by Stacey Lee, swings into comic stores in February 2015.
“For new readers, there’s the fun of watching a brand new character interact with an established, incredible universe,” teases Thompson, who writes for CW’s “Supernatural.” “You’re meeting these characters at the same time as Cindy is and getting to know them through her point of view.
“For established readers, you get to see a new hero with direct ties to an enormous event in Marvel’s History come up against icons and villains that fans know and love, and see her unique point of view on that universe.”
“So, there’s something for everyone here, I hope.”
Silk may boast some nifty super powers, but she doesn’t arrive with her spider-counterpart’s established fan base. Interesting premise or not, the publisher is still rolling the dice on an unestablished property.
“It’s not intimidating, it’s exciting to find that audience and find who the story will be reaching,” says editor Ellie Pyle.
“It’s just a matter of finding things to get people to get the eyes on Silk on the first place, once they do they’ll fall in love with her.”
In recent months, new Marvel titles have focused on veteran heroines Black Widow, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel and Elektra. Marvel has also introduced a series around a new Ms. Marvel character, whose alter ego is a Muslim American teenager from Jersey City.
Pyle is particularly excited about the “woman out of time” conceit that worked out so well narratively for Stan Lee and Jack Kirby when they thawed out Captain America in 1964.
Moon’s struggles to adjust to life in 2014 after ten years out in a bunker will be a major part of the direction of the book.
“The world has changed so much, from the practical, to the personal to the super-heroic. Twitter, binge-watching TV shows, the various cataclysmic Marvel Events that have gone down over the years-it’s all new to Cindy,” says Thompson.
“And while she’s desperate to catch up, she’s also surprised and at times bewildered by how much has changed.”
