The Silencer #14 – Dan Abnett, Writer; V. Ken Marion, Penciller; Sandu Florea, Inker; Mike Spicer, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 7/10
Corrina: Still Honor?
Ray: It’s a new era for The Silencer as Honor Guest has been brainwashed by the Lazarus Pit and is now firmly back in Talia’s employ as an assassin for Leviathan (the same Leviathan as the upcoming event comic? We’ll see). Presumed dead by her family, she’s sent out on one mission after another to clean up the messes of the Leviathan war. As Silencer #14 opens, she’s pretending to be a lost woman to get into the lair of a cybernetically-enhanced assassin. As soon as he opens the door, carnage ensues and Honor kills everyone in sight. At mission control, Talia, mad scientist Jonah Nine, and the disembodied head of Quietus watch the carnage approvingly. Talia makes sure to tell everyone many times that Honor’s a blank slate and there’s nothing left of the person she used to be. That, of course, makes it not much of a surprise when it’s revealed that Honor’s faking her brainwashing and is determined to get back home.
The ongoing plot involving a conspiracy to clone super-assassins isn’t all that interesting, and the reveal that Honor and the mysterious Raze are the two surviving members of the experiment adds a new wrinkle. We still know virtually nothing about Raze, but the fact that’s Honor’s “brother” promises to be a big change for the title. I was more interested in Honor’s husband and son trying to make sense of their lives after her disappearance. The arrival of their nosy neighbor was hilarious, especially when she prodded Paul into yard work and accidentally led to the discovery of Honor’s fail-safe defenses. The problem with this series is that the main plot is less interesting than the stuff going on in the fringes. Honor being forced to be a full-time assassin again makes it less likely that we’ll get that material regularly, but this issue overall makes me hopeful for the direction of the series.
Corrina: As I’ve said, I like this series probably out of proportion to its’ overall quality. It’s a solid but not spectacular read. Still, there’s something about Honor that pulls at me.
This issue plays it safe so far as Honor’s new life. The people that Honor has to kill definitely deserve it, so there’s no conflict with any internal morality for her. (Is this deliberate on Talia’s part? I’m guessing not but, if so, that would be smart writing.)
It does reveal that the brainwashing of the Lazarus Pit didn’t work on Honor at all. Though I question the intelligence of looking at a photo of her family in any part of Talia’s facility, given how fond Talia is of spying on her minions, I’m pleased that we’re not going to suffer through an “evil” Honor and get the familiar character instead.
Also, I remain amused at the disembodied head of Quietus, who gets all the best lines. I only wish Honor’s husband had as much personality. Perhaps we’ll finally see that in coming issues.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
