The past few issues of The Silencer have felt as if they’ve been moving towards a conclusion, and that feeling has had me wondering two things: Is DC preparing to cancel the series? And if not, where do they plan on taking this story after Talia is dealt with? Well… This issue answers those questions – or at least one of them – as Dan Abnett takes the story in a direction that I didn’t see coming!
When we last left off, Silencer was working with Quietus to stop Wishbone, Talia, and a giant dinosaur creature that was destroying Action Land. I fully expected this issue to pick up with Silencer and Quietus going to Talia’s fortress to attempt to kill her, but what we get is much more surprising and entertaining!
In case you’re wondering, yes, we do start the issue Honor and Quietus traveling to Talia’s fortress, but they’re not alone… They’ve brought Michael, who now looks like a purple hellhound, with them. You can tell something is different immediately from the first page though. The trio is walking through a snowstorm, and right away, you get the sense that what’s to follow will be unexpected. There’s nothing specific to signify this in particular, just a drastic, unexpected, visual change.
The first few pages play out as expected. There’s a run of the mill brawl with low-level assassins that ends rather quickly and brings the trio face-to-face with Wishbone. At this point, I assumed the issue would wrap in a brawl between these four individuals, but instead, we meet Rave, the invisible assassin, and learn what’s really been going on. Let me tell you, the reveal turns the entire book on its head. I don’t want to give too much away in the general body of this review for those of you who haven’t read the issue, but know that The Silencer receives a jolt of energy and suspense due to the contents of the back half of this issue!
As it turns out, Talia isn’t on the mend, and she established this civil-war within Leviathan to weed out the lot. With her competition within the ranks mostly dismantled, she steps forward and calls for unity… And she gets it! She knew there would eventually be division, so she created it and manipulated it until it would serve her again – which is exactly what happens. With Leviathan broken into so many factions, and with those factions quite broken themselves, the only outcome other than Talia returning to lead Leviathan would be endless wars… And she’s right.
So, one-by-one, she turns the assassins back to here, except for Silencer. Where the book, to date, has felt like Honor reacting to assassins and chasing Talia, it now feels like Leviathan will be chasing her. There’s no way she’s going to be able to lie low and hide from this, and it’s going to be impossible for her to keep her family out of the loop going forward. It’s an exciting change in direction, and I can’t wait to see where Abnett and team take the book from here.
Aside from the action and shift in direction, we also get a really nice moment with Blake as he searches for his wife at Action Land. With devastation comes chaos, and the uncertainty of whether or not Honor is alive has him on edge. The scene is quick, but touching, and harkens back to scenes early in the series that help give this title some emotional weight and a sense of relatability. It also shows a bit of grit to Blake that we’ve yet to see, and considering how this chapter ends, he might need that in the near future…
The Art: Jack Herbert takes over art duties for this issue, and while I wasn’t sure what to expect, what we received is a real treat! There’s a cinematic nature to his panels (with an assist from Tom Derenick on breakdowns), and you can feel a growing sense of anxiety and suspense with every turn of the page! It’s a beautiful and effective book, and I’m excited to see what else Herbert can bring to the table – especially with next month’s chapter promising to bring a lot of action!
Recommended if:
- You’re ready for a change in the status quo for The Silencer
- Talia
- Leviathan
Overall: This issue was an outstanding read, and takes a lot of steps to change the direction of the title’s future! The progression feels natural and defeating at the same time, and has me eager to see what Dan Abnett has in store for us. Jack Herbert’s entry in art duties couldn’t have come at a better time either! With change comes more change, and it’s all good!
SCORE: 8/10
