The Silencer
Written by Dan Abnett, The Silencer, DC’s New Age of Heroes female assassin, is an overall intriguing action story, despite allusions to multiple other characters.
DC’s New Age of Heroes drew me in as a curiosity. The new titles are all fallout from the Dark Night: Metal crossover that, unabashedly, I did not read. Also, given the “diversity failure” of Marvel comics (not because of diversity, more of crossover / special-event burn out), DC is unveiling a diverse line of comics that remind me, character name and cover lay-out wise, of the Archie superhero line of the ‘80s or Valiant comics of the ‘90s.
I’ve always been a fan of the second-run, unknown characters, so seeing the DC New Age of Heroes peaked my interest even though, historically, many new series I think are cool are the ones that never seem to work.
Except for The Terrifics (review up now, go look!), The Silencer is a title that stood out to me despite the initial pop culture allusions I found while skimming through issue #1 at my favourite local comic book shop before purchasing it.
First off, based on the cover and moniker, the Silencer character is the African-American female version of the Punisher, an imposing figure with guns blazing and bullet shells flying. True, there are only so many “the” character names to go around, and any name ending in “-er” will conjure comparisons to a giant white skull on a black shirt, but the comparison still needs to be addressed.
The story follows Honor Guest, the retired Silencer leading a suburban life with a husband and a child, who is approached with a warning of her old life coming back to haunt her. The plot itself is a combination of Vivian B. Fox from Kill Bill, and Michael Corleone from Godfather III, where the, “just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in” trope is alive and well. With a power she calls the “Zone of Silence,” a working version of the Get Smart non-working “Cone of Silence,” Guest dispatches silent assassinations within a self-generated silent sound-shield.
Written by Dan Abnett (Majestic, Adventures of Superman), the story paces well between action, backstory and continuity creation. Comic veteran John Romtia Jr. (Kick-Ass, Daredevil) creates art that works over-all, reminiscent of his Punisher: War Journal run, especially with the costumed characters and action sequences, though the facial rendering often has uniformly jarring cheek bone lines.
Despite the numerous (purposed?) allusions, the story sticks, like blood on one’s cheek, and by the end, with the final costume reveal, leaves readers curious for round two.
The Silencer is well-paced with an effective mix of action, drama, and reveals to create an interesting tapestry for future action-packed, street level super-powered stories.
The Silencer #1, and #2, are available now at your local comic shop through DC Comics.
About the Author
The Riz is a prolific writer, musician, teacher, and speaker, who fronts demolition-rock sensation Ultimate Power Duo and is a co-founder of Draw Me In Comics.com.
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