Silk #4; or Johnny ♥ Cindy

[Ravin' Ray]

The solicit and cover teased us with the tantalizing scene of Silk and the Human Torch on their first date together, but before we get to that oh-so-important part, we first have the business of the Fantastic Four giving Cindy a run-through of her powers.

SPOILERS!

So as Reed completes his tests and Cindy reveals her short stint in radioactive Earth in Spider-Verse, he tells her what Peter says of her being locked up, personal info she objects to Peter sharing sans consent. And just like how it came down to Reed's analysis of Ben unable to change back to human form, it's a mental thing with Cindy. Which didn't stop her from giving Peter an upper cut soon thereafter. And as Johnny intervenes in this spat, he then invites her out to dinner. We cut to Cindy fretting over Black Cat, going out to a bar with gal pal Lola, and flashback scenes with her spinning webs in her bedroom as her parents come in and reassure her that everything will turn out fine. Back to the present, and (finally) the date, a quiet, humdrum affair, so Johnny offers to spice it up, and they take off on a crime-fighting spree. When Johnny brings up Black Cat (whom, you know, he did date in that Spidey/Torch mini), and Cindy asks how to defeat her luck powers, he says she can't, she'll just have to be faster, which she has in spades. So, she thanks him, gives him a peck, and departs, leaving Johnny speechless and dumbstruck, flaming on. Finally, we see the Repairman ramping up Felicia's squad, whom she orders to go after Silk.

I find some similarities with the original Amazing Spider-Man #3, where Ock hands Spidey his first defeat, he's depressed about it, and then Johnny inspires him. So, will this parallel that by having Silk defeat Cat next issue?

[Mister Mets]

Found some reviews of it on other sites.

Edward Wendt of Graphic Policy liked it, although he was worried about what the focus on guest-starrs meant.

There is an unfortunate bellwether of comic series facing hard times, especially those that are right out of the gates. As opposed to running stories featuring their own heroes, there are numerous crossovers featuring other heroes or others teams. Spider-Man has been an obvious constant with this series since its inception, but the Fantastic Four have not. While their appearance here makes sense, one might also hope that it is not a sign of things to come for this intriguing heroine, especially as she has the potential to be just as popular as Batgirl or Ms. Marvel in the new landscape for comics.

The appearance of the Fantastic Four in this story is introduced so that Silk can learn the boundaries of her powers, with the help of one of the greatest scientific minds of the Marvel universe. While she is busy with Mr. Fantastic, Peter Park and Johnny Storm take a moment to reconnect and talk primarily about the new heroine. His attraction to her leads the two of them to an awkward-ish date. There are a few moments that don’t make sense here, such as when she attacks Peter, or going dancing at a club before a date, but for each moment which misses a bit there are others which are nearly perfect. In particular the end to their date is perhaps one of the most clever uses of the non-speaking panels in recent years.

While this issue fits with the overall approach of the series thus far, it also acts as a bit of an interlude for the series. Instead of focusing on some action sequences, this issue is practically devoid of them (aside from one near the beginning which is kind of funny.) Instead as before this issue succeeds by building itself in the strength of its characters, and succeeds once again. The appearance of the F4 is a bit of a distraction but the series succeeds in finding its heart where it has been all along. Cindy Moon is built and written as a person first and as a hero second, which is incidentally what made Spider-Man so popular so many years ago. The formula is perfect but the question remains whether it will catch on with this title.

Story: Robbie Thompson Art: Annapaola Martello
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.7 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy

Corey Schroeder of Comicvine likes the focus on Stacey.

It’s good to start getting a sense of how others perceive Silk, particularly if she’s going to be sustaining her own solo series, but it’s even better to start get a better sense of how she perceives herself. There’s been a lot of great reactionary events in the last three issues, but this is the first time when her sense of self really feels like it’s calcifying, and it’s making the character even more intriguing. Though the frantic pace of the issue makes it sometimes feel like she needs a breather from this breather, it still does a great job continuing her character development.

Jaythreadbear considers how the issue treats potential mental illness.

Anyway, weird science aside, Reed pretty much nails the diagnosis as Cindy has clearly been suffering from some form of PTSD or anxiety since this book began. Reed is well written in this scene, his shock at Cindy’s time in the bunker, his bedside manner, and his referral to a more qualified specialist all paint him as a good doctor and a decent man (I’ve read a lot of Reed as ‘distant scientist’ characterisations and I prefer this version). I don’t know who Dr Sinclair is (and a quick google yielded nothing concrete), but I very much like the idea of a psychiatrist equivalent of Night Nurse who is treating superheroes with psychological problems (so all of them presumably). The rest of the FF come across relatively well too, Ben is the playful ‘grumpy’ uncle as ever and Sue gets to josh around making jokes at Reed’s expense. Johnny is perhaps the most broadly drawn character here though, strangely given he has the most page-time, and his usual womanising streak seems to be replaced with a puppy dog crush on Cindy. I’m not sure if Thompson is just showing us Johnny with a fleeting infatuation or if it is supposed to be the start of something special (I suspect the former), but the whole thing plays a little strangely to me given the obvious context of trying to hurt Spidey.

It is completely understandable that Cindy is upset with Peter, not least for betraying her personal secrets to Reed, but it is clear that it is coming from a good place (even if all his dialogue this issue paints him as a creepy-spurned-lover-stalker type) so I am struggling to be on Cindy’s side as she displays her intense anger at him. I guess some of this is stemming from her potential mental illness, and that she hasn’t been behaving entirely rationally; these are important things to explore as they affect many real people and shouldn’t be kept in the dark, so it is refreshing to see it tackled in a mainstream superhero book.

[Darthfury78]

It obvious that Cindy's mental state will become an ongoing repercussion during her time in the bunker. As for the Black Cat, it's obvious that Otto has done more than punched her in the face and tied up for the cops to capture her. Black Cat's current state feels more like Otto has planted a seed in her head.

As for Silk's relationship with Johnny, one date does not make for a match made in heaven. Even Peter's date with Carol was a little awkward because one was trying to impress the other and vice versa. Too bad we might not get to see more of Johnny and Cindy after this issue.

[Tuck]

When Johnny brings up Black Cat (whom, you know, he did date in that Spidey/Torch mini),

That's stretching the definition of 'date'.

and Cindy asks how to defeat her luck powers, he says she can't, she'll just have to be faster, which she has in spades.

Stuff like this always bothers me. Felicia is a Spider villain, so the Spiders will deal with her. That's how it works, I get it. But don't raise a question with an obvious answer if you're not going to acknowledge it.

How do you defeat Felicia's luck powers?

Wanda, Domino, Longshot, and probably Dr. Strange could all do it.

[RedQueen]

I thought her and Peter were still in some sort of relationship. Her and Johnny would be wierd considering if Peter was in the room with them and then her and Peter get all up into the pheromones. Have they explained if they could supress it or something?

[Frontier]

I thought her and Peter were still in some sort of relationship. Her and Johnny would be wierd considering if Peter was in the room with them and then her and Peter get all up into the pheromones. Have they explained if they could supress it or something?

They've pretty much glossed over the pheromones since the book started and Peter and Cindy, for whatever you could really call their relationship, seem to be "over" though Peter still seems pretty focused on her.

[Sardorim]

So...

Johnny Storm?

Like how Ultimate Johnny hit on Ultimate Jessica Drew?

[Darthfury78]

They've pretty much glossed over the pheromones since the book started and Peter and Cindy, for whatever you could really call their relationship, seem to be "over" though Peter still seems pretty focused on her.

That's the writer toying around because he's a huge Spider-Man fan. I sometimes feel that as far as Spider-Themed characters goes, Peter might have the best chance with Jessica Drew and The Black Widow respectively as they understand him in ways that Cindy does not.

[MajorHoy]

They've pretty much glossed over the pheromones since the book started and Peter and Cindy, for whatever you could really call their relationship, seem to be "over" though Peter still seems pretty focused on her.

I think both realize there's no "relationship" except some weird, truly uncontrollable chemical reaction that's more like hypnosis/mesmerism/mind control than true emotional feelings.

But Peter would still feel concerned about her well-being because he's that kind of guy. He may have "rescued her" from isolation in the bunker, but who else can she really go to for support while she tries to deal with a world she was cut off of for so long? (And his "rescue" did involve putting her life in danger by making her presence known to all the family members she was hiding from.)

[ZeonsSilverStar]

Guess I'll be the one to bring it up, the Pokemon references continue. This time in the form of a Gen 1 battle between Squirtle and Bulbasaur played out on a big screen. It's odd that Johnny didn't choose Charmander but whatever. Moving on I can definitely see how Cindy's time in the bunker could've given her anxiety and going straight to crime-fighting certainly didn't do her any favors.