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Silencer is a new type of hero for DC Comics. She’s not tied to some bat-family or even an organization that we’re aware of. She’s an ex-hitman who wants to live a normal life, but there are powers that just won’t let that happen. It has gotten so bad that there are supervillains fighting outside her suburban street, but luckily for her there’s no rust to dust off as she can kick major ass.
So what’s it about?
The official summary reads:
The world’s deadliest assassin thought she was out…but the past won’t let her leave! Talia al Ghul’s violent disappearance has led to a mystery that could cost Honor Guest the lives of her family, and to defend those she loves, Honor must once again don the mantle of the Silencer! Seeking information from the neutral ground of the assassin’s armory, Silencer gets more than she bargained for as the most monstrous forces of the underworld descend for the kill!
Why does this matter?
Spearheading the “New Age of Heroes” alongside Damage, this series marks a new direction for DC we’ve never seen before. Romita Jr. and Dan Abnett are revealing a hero who is part of an organization we’ve never known about and it’s quite an interesting one.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Her slow-time powers are pretty rad.
I was a bit surprised by this issue because it could practically serve as the first issue rather than the second. It drops you into the action and has the main character, Honor, tell us what is going on via captions. It’s done well enough that it won’t strike you as boring if you read the last issue, but it did make me wonder if they should have just started here.
Probably the most interesting aspect of this issue is all the gadgets. Dan Abnett and John Romita Jr. drop them into the script like they’ve been out of style for ages. Honor, for instance, calls upon a cleanup crew to not only get the bodies off her suburban street, but also call all the neighbors to let them know it was a movie being filmed and even replace her smashed car so her husband won’t know she’s an assassin. Other gadgets are used, like one to practically teleport a costume onto Honor, and they’re all rather cool to look at and see how Romita Jr. makes them work.
DC’s direction to give the artists more control appears to be paying off with this issue. Romita Jr.’s work is stellar at times and it’s quite cool to see how he pulls off Silencer’s power to slow down time. He also does well to make it believable Honor’s husband has no idea what is going on, even though a battle took place outside in the opening scene, due to believable facial expressions.
Talia al Ghul adds some necessary known knowns to the story.
It can’t be perfect can it?
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With superhero comics you more often than not must suspend reality so that the logic holds up. This issue is no different, with all the gizmos and super-powered people, but a nagging element that seems underdeveloped is Honor being totally sure that these roving bands of killers aren’t going to kill her family. The level of violence and danger are so high her immediate reaction to allow her family to go about their life the next day seems grossly unrealistic. Maybe it’s a testament to how intense the action is, but I was left wondering how Silencer could be so short sighted.
Is It Good?
By far my favorite “New Age of Heroes” series so far, The Silencer delivers on action and a fresh start for DC heroes. The number of gadgets displayed in this issue alone make it worth the price of admission.
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