The first arc comes to a close in The Silencer #3 as Honor Guest continues her assault on the Maulmart in an action packed finale. Is it good?
John Romita Jr. is the star creator of The Silencer #3. If you don’t like his style, that’s on you, but here, he’s showing some really dynamic action with the Silencer fighting her way through the Maulmart. Romita’s got a great eye for framing crowded scenes, maintaining the chaos of the fight while still keeping the readers oriented with the protagonist (something writer Dan Abnett highlights in the captions for Honor Guest).
Color artists Dean White and Arif Prianto alongside inker Sandra Hope work well with Romita’s pencils. White uses bright, almost psychedelic colors to highlight the high-tech battle, while Hope’s inks help preserve the flow of Romita’s line art when White’s colors threaten to wash it out.
While The Silencer #3 is definitely a show for the art team, writer Dan Abnett does a good job keeping the reader engaged as well. With any action book, there’s always the concern that readers will fly through it, not letting the beats of the action take hold. Here though, Abnett provides just enough meat to keep a rhythm to the book, at least for the main portion. The issue is sprinkled with bits of humor as well, keeping The Silencer #3 from feeling monotonous.
Where The Silencer #3 falters though, is in the closing pages. While most of the issue is high-octane action, the last pages try to set the stage for the next arc and it brings the pacing to a screeching halt. Had these reveals been condensed or staged differently, it might have helped maintain the pace set by the rest of the issue.
Is It Good?
Pacing issues aside, The Silencer #3 is a fun read that serves as a nice finale to the first arc. John Romita Jr. fans should really enjoy his work here, as will fans of Romita’s longtime collaborator Dean White. The book is simply a visual delight if you like like action in your comic books. Abnett does a great job enhancing the artwork with his captions and dialogue rather than crowding it. And though the reveals at the end feel a little long in their presentation, they offer a lot of promise for the upcoming issues.
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