It's your girl, Cindy Moon AKA Marvel's Silk - and she's back with a new limited series beginning January 2022 that finds her facing off against a brand-new supervillain from another world, the perils of social media, and a crisis.
No, not a Crisis on Infinite Earths kind of thing - an existential crisis.
Remember, while a contemporary of Peter Parker, Cindy Moon grew up in a bunker. That means living a life in the outside world, having a job and friends, and being a superhero are all still relatively new to her. Now after a few years of just jumping into most things head-first, writer Emily Kim and artist Takeshi Miyazawa's new series finds Cindy in a new place - taking a step back to question her place in the world.
But she can't be in her head all the time - there's that brand-new villain we mentioned with ties to what Marvel calls "ancient Korean magic..."
...and social media. Always social media.
Ahead of Silk #1's January 19, 2022 debut, Newsarama spoke with Emily Kim to find out more about what she and Miyazawa have planned for Cindy, as well as what Kim has planned for herself, as she adds to her resume as a TV writer to a TV and comic book writer.
Newsarama: Emily, you're joining artist Takeshi Miyazawa to continue Cindy's story after the previous Silk 'Threats and Menaces' limited series he also drew. What's this new Silk series about?
Emily Kim: In this new series, Silk is facing an existential crisis. She's fallen into a rhythm with her work, both as Silk and as a journalist. She's looking for new drive and purpose. Something that's hopefully resonant with a lot of people, even the ones without spider-powers.
Newsarama: What kind of research did you to do understand Cindy as a character?
Emily Kim: I read all of Silk's past issues. I specifically was intrigued by her sessions with her therapist because they always brought insight into her trauma and emotional journey. Her road to bringing her family back together was very emotional. It's been great to start with a character with such rich backstory and who's now navigating life moving forward.
Newsarama: Silk's a superhero, so can we expect supervillain(s) in this one? If so, can you tell us about them?
Emily Kim: Yes, Silk faces off against someone who matches her in power. She'll be pushed to her limit. It's someone who comes from another world. It'll be an interesting journey for Silk to learn about their past and how they came to be where they are now.
Newsarama: I'm interested in what you said online about social media popularity affecting Silk. Can you tell us about your take on a superhero dealing with being a social media celebrity?
Emily Kim: I thought it'd be entertaining for Cindy to deal with fame as Silk grows in social media popularity because due to her years in the bunker, Cindy has always been behind on the times. She's someone who never asked for fame, but gets it, and suddenly doesn't know what to do with it, especially when it becomes part of the mystery of the series.
Newsarama: According to Marvel, the series will also include Luna Snow. What's the relationship like between Silk and Luna?
Emily Kim: Silk has been a fan of Luna's for a while, and they've become friends after fighting side-by-side in the 'War of the Realms' issues and the new Agents of Atlas issues. There's a natural bond between them because they’re both female Asian superheroes. Though they live on opposite sides of the world, whenever they see each other, they can pick up right where they left off. And now, we'll get to see them continue their friendship and be in action together!
Newsarama: Last question - but the first one I thought of when this series was announced: who is Emily Kim? Tell us a bit about yourself.
Emily Kim: I grew up writing stories in my room about fantastical places and people with superpowers. I always had a young Asian-American girl as my lead because I couldn't find books or stories that had that. I love genre, period, action, even better if all three at once. I'm very influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and old manga books I used to read in Barnes and Noble with my brother.
Now, I write for TV and am thrilled to be writing for Silk. She's exactly the type of character I've always wanted to write for – she's witty, awkward, lovable, and a badass superhero. Seeing the book come together has been incredible.
Silk is knocking on the door of possibly being on our list of the best female superheroes of all time.
