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In the new five-issue series Silk by writer Maurene Goo and artist Takeshi Miyazawa, Cindy Moon's superhero life and her budding journalistic career crash into each other as they both put her on the trail of some gangland murder in New York City.
Debuting March 31, Silk #1 finds the other Spider-hero bitten by that pesky radioactive spider beginning work for J. Jonah Jameson in his new media outlet, Threats & Menaces.
Silk will also be the comic book debut for Goo, who has carved out a name for herself with books such as I Believe in a Thing Called Love, The Way You Make Me Feel, and Somewhere Only We Know. As she tells us, despite being worlds apart there's a lot of commonality between her YA characters and Ms. Moon.
For Miyazawa, this is a return to the proverbial Spider-verse after stints on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, and Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider.
Newsarama spoke with both authors ahead of Silk #1's March 31 debut to talk about the character, her supporting cast, possible new villains, and their individual experiences working on this book.
Newsarama: Maurene, as a novelist, what made you want to jump into the comic book medium and write Silk in particular?
Maurene Goo: I've always had an interest in writing comics or graphic novels one day. I used to be a graphic designer, and my husband is an illustrator and I have a lot of friends in comics and animation so the visual storytelling medium was always enticing to me. It just so happened that I was contacted about Silk when I planned on taking a novel-writing break to try out new projects.
In the past, I also worked on a huge history of Marvel comics book so I already had an interest in Marvel, specifically (and it's only grown since all the MCU films and shows). And then to be asked to write about a Korean American woman superhero? A no-brainer for me.
Even though I normally write realistic novels about teenage girls, I've always wanted to exercise my action-writing chops. And witty comic book quips. Silk, in particular, is so wonderful because I love her origin story of choosing to be in a bunker to help her family, and I love that she actively tries to work on her trauma through therapy. As a writer, it's rich territory to explore but her story resonated with me personally, too.
Nrama: Takeshi, what was your collaboration like with Maurene? Do you think her comic scripting style was any different coming from a prose background?
Takeshi Miyazawa: It's been great! She's a natural. Her writing is concise and efficient and leaves room for lots of freedom. I really enjoy her writing.
Nrama: This isn't the first spider hero you've worked on. What are the similarities and differences between working on Silk and Spider-Gwen?
Miyazawa: I'm so used to drawing New York now, it's great not having to constantly look up reference photos for the backgrounds. Aside from that, the two characters are at different points in their lives and are motivated by completely different things. I've enjoyed drawing and visualizing the same New York from two distinct perspectives.
Nrama: What made you want to work on Silk?
Miyazawa: I love working in the Spider universe and being Japanese-Canadian, I feel it was a perfect fit for me and my style.
My previous book, Ghost-Spider, was also set in New York, and so, I feel it's been a natural progression both in setting and story themes.
Nrama: The last volume of Silk had a heavy focus on Cindy's family; is this something you also wanted to explore with your run?
Goo: Her family isn't actually a huge focus for this run, although Albert is in it.
It's definitely an aspect to her story that I find compelling, but I wanted to have her look a little outward for this particular series. So, she meets a villain that tests her trust issues - but she's also got a solid team of people she has let into her life now. Like Jonah and Lola - who are side characters in this run. (We also meet a new coworker named Derick.) I wanted this series to be the evolution of Cindy after a lot of therapy - a bit more open and vulnerable.
Nrama: Takeshi, are there any new characters or designs you were able to work on?
Miyazawa: There is one notable character readers will be seeing quite early on that I was asked to design. Said character is a big part of the book!
Nrama: Do we get to see Cindy explore more of her journalistic side?
Goo: Yes! We open the series with her starting her new job as a reporter at J. Jonah Jameson's news website, Threats & Menaces. Her first big story is what opens up the main plot of the series.
Nrama: What do you think fans of your YA work will enjoy about your Silk run?
Goo: They'll find the usual trademarks of my books in Silk - a dash of romance, lots of humor and heart. I also think that readers who like my YA characters will love Cindy - she's like the grown-up, superhero-fied version of a lot of the girls I write: Strong and smart, but imperfect with lots of room to grow.
Nrama: Speaking of room to grow, would the two of you like to do more Silk stories following this five-issue series?
Goo: I would love to. I had such a wonderful experience on this one. The Silk team, which includes artist Takeshi Miyazawa and colorist Ian Herring, were so welcoming and talented. They made my first experience really enjoyable and I learned a ton. It would be an honor to do more!
Miyazawa: Of course! I feel like I'm just getting started.
Silk #1 goes on sale on March 31 in comic shops and on digital platforms. For the best digital comics reading experience, consult our list of the best digital comics readers for Android and iOS devices.
