I’m a fairly new Silk reader, having only read about her in tie-ins from other Spider-books. To my surprise, the character is completely different than the last time I read her, during “Spider-Verse,” and it couldn’t be more refreshingly different. Additionally, as the new critic on this title, I’m lucky that this issue is a great jumping on point for Cindy Moon’s story.

It’s an all-new, all-different start for Cindy Moon as things are finally going her way.With most of Silk’s storylines reaching their conclusion; Cindy saving her brother Albert from a violent gang, reuniting with boyfriend Hector, and saving her parents from the Negative Zone this issue acts as the beginning of a second season of sorts. This issue focuses on change and how those changes affect Cindy and her family. Writer Robbie Thompson does a great job at making Cindy feel like a stranger in her own book. Cindy’s perspective is similar to that of the reader: she peers into the Moon family from afar, trying to find her way back into the family unit. Thompson and artist Irene Strychalski emphasize this idea with a panel featuring a broken family portrait that has a single break along where Cindy stands next to her family. It is clear, that although Cindy’s family is back together, they are far from being a family again.

Silk #14 does a good job at catching readers up with each character and is sure to give  each one of them time in the spotlight. The main story follows Cindy as she takes a job to San Fransisco working for J. Jonah Jameson. Something seems to be off about Jameson, which leads to Silk and Spectro to spy on his movements. This takes them to the doors of New U where they uncover the reason for Jonah’s visit to San Fransisco. This is where Silk ties into “The Clone Conspiracy.” The book does well to tell it’s own story with its own characters while integrating “The Clone Conspiracy” in a interesting way and ends with a strong enough cliffhanger to make the reader want to return.

I enjoyed the way Irene Strychalski was able to convey so much emotion through facial expressions on Cindy and her family. You can tell in each panel where Cindy and her family are together that there is something holding them back from truly embracing their reunion. One specific page showcases Cindy’s family getting back to a normal life and being happy, and the only thing missing was Cindy. The blank stare that Cindy gives when she sees her family happy together on this page illustrated that she still feels like she is alone. Like that broken family portrait, whole but fractured.

Cindy is clearly trying to keep from thinking these isolating thoughts, which inevitably leads her to taking a job in San Fransisco. It’s an action that even her friends note as odd, seeing as her family has just returned. Cindy seeks solace in her ex-boyfriend Hector, allowing herself to be open and express her feelings to another person in a rare instance that not even her therapist is privy to. Cindy and Hector have a conversation on an airplane ride where Hector comments about how it’s going to take time to get use to having things go Cindy’s way. Hector seems to think an unusual feeling of control over her life is the only thing that’s bothering Cindy, but I’m not so sure. The last panel of the plane trip tells me that maybe Cindy was more comfortable when she was fighting to get her life back, and maybe a normal life isn’t in the cards for her.

I am new to Irene Strychalski and her artwork, but I found it enjoyable. The characters pop a bit off of the panel and make them more noticeable. The is achieved with beautiful coloring from Ian Herring whose vibrant use of color and light shading makes his characters a joy to look at. I did find most of the backgrounds rather dull, with noting really standing out; San Fransisco and New York look basically the same in the artwork aside from a color swap on the buildings. The best art of the book is reserved for Cindy, with Irene being able to illustrate a lot of emotion through facial art. You can look at one panel at get a feeling of what Cindy is thinking and in a book with so much internalizing going on that is extra important.

In general, I think this is a great spot for a new reader of Silk to start off, an a fine transition issue into the next story. The issue does a good job at catching readers up with what has happened previously and does enough to get you interested in what’s going to happen in the future. If you were like me and left Silk earlier because you maybe thought she was one dimensional and poorly written, I am confident in saying that she is far more interesting now and you should definitely check this issue out.