The Silencer #3 – Dan Abnett, Writer; John Romita Jr., Penciller; Sandra Hope, Inker; Dean White, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 7/10
Corrina: Normalcy Is Not Overrated
RATINGS:
Ray: The Silencer #3, the conclusion of the first arc of The Silencer series, is basically no-holds-barred action brought to life by John Romita Jr., and if you’re a fan of Kick-Ass, this series will probably work for you. When we last left off, Honor Guest had arrived at Maul-Mart to try to resolve the contracts out on her head so she can go back to her normal life. Instead, she was presented with an ultimatum by the mercenary Remedy – come back in and resume her role as an assassin, or have the entire force of the underground come down on her. She chose the latter, and this issue shows exactly how little of a problem that is for her. As the issue opens, she rejects Remedy’s ultimatum, and promptly deploys the Zone of Silence, trapping hundreds of assassins in a frozen zone where she can easily dismantle them until the time runs out. Remedy, however, manages to get away and makes a call to his boss.
The introduction of Mr. Quietus, the main villain of this series (or at least the first arc) would have more impact if we knew anything about him. As it is, what we see is a new version of Tobias Whale with a slightly more silver sheen and a better fashion sense. He’s no less ruthless, though, as he quickly calls in an aerial strike to eliminate the threat of Honor for good – no matter who he takes out in the process. This kicks off a pretty strong escape segment, as Honor blows her way through the entire fortress, steals a tank, and escapes with the help of Talia. A massive explosion behind her, she returns home to her family, more determined than ever to find a way to close this chapter of her life for good. The series is at its most compelling in those last few pages, as she tries to balance her two lives. Next arc brings Deathstroke in to infiltrate her life, but Romita Jr. is also leaving with this issue. That’s going to make it a bit tough for this series to maintain momentum.
Corrina: I do have a fondness for stories that include women driving tanks, so there’s that. There is also the fact that, for the first time, we see exactly why Honor quit her old job: she gets little joy from the mayhem, though she does get satisfaction from doing her job well. But she also enjoys parenting and that has far fewer people trying to kill her.
I’m also impressed with the use of her Cone of Silence as a tool to escape detection and to dismantle her enemies. Similar concepts may have been used before but rarely this well and Romita Jr. obviously has a blast drawing those sequences. Hope and White add color and flash to them as well, especially in showing what is in and outside Honor’s zone.
I wouldn’t say this is a great comic but it’s holding my interest so far.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
