The Silencer #1

Silencer, written by Dan Abnett and drawn by John Romita Jr, is the second premiere comic in the “A New Age of DC Heroes” initiative and, while it retreads a classic action movie trope, it offers much needed diversity in the DC landscape. Our story features a woman oddly named Honor Guest who is currently living her days as your average housewife, but her life is interrupted by her violent past trying to kill her. To protect her son, husband and status quo she must go back into the assassin life she left behind.

If this set-up sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same as many action movies. Suffice it to say, the appeal of this comic doesn't come from the premise but its leading character, Honor Guest. Strange name aside, Honor is an interesting character; seeing how her mind works in and out of a battle, as well as her meta-human ability, Zone of Silence, an area effect where its seems her foe is frozen in place for a small amount of time. Being an assassin, she's obviously a very capable fighter, making a quick study of a cyborg attacker.

Another interesting aspect of this comic is the inclusion of notable Batman antagonist, Talia Al Ghul. Going off this first issue, it’s hard to gauge how much she's going to be involved in the overall story, but from what we see of her and Honor's interactions, she'll probably be around for a while. Possibly teased is a more in-depth and intricate look into the seedy world of assassins in the DC universe. A variety of unique assassins have already appeared, and hopefully even stranger ones are on the way.

John Romita Jr., Sandra Hope, and Dean White are handling the art and JRJ's interiors gives Silencer a look that stands apart from other comics today. Although, when it comes to his art people tend to fall in two camps concerning; some people like it and other don't. This book is standard Romita Jr. so if that doesn't appeal to you then this book won't really change your mind. One concern is that the colors and designs make it difficult to determine the race of some characters, so it’s hard to comment on what identity the comic is representing.

Despite being a rather unoriginal jumping off point, Silencer has the potential to show an interesting side to the DC Universe. If you love action movies, or are just curious about the world of assassins, this is a comic you should check out.

B-