Silencer #8: Not Much for Thrills and Spills

As Honor Guest and her family make it to Action Land following a harrowing plane ride, the Silencer sets out to finally put a stop to both Talia al Ghul and Leviathan’s intrusions into her new “normal” life. Although this is the first entry in the “Hell-iday Road” arc, it manages to tie in distinct threads from previous issues while still pushing the narrative forward in an interesting way. Silencer’s family can sometimes come off as just a distraction for her, but as their vacation together turns out to be a bit different than her husband expected, their tension adds an intriguing emotional layer to her choices and actions.

Silencer’s previous connections with Leviathan prove to be more useful in this issue, but her actions in the group’s civil war have drawn out the dangerous Mr. Quietus. After an entertaining display of his powerful body-mods, the story wastes no time in pitting the two against each other. Their fight is brutal and there is an obvious sense of prior history between them, but the real twist happens when magic starts to interfere with their conflict!

The addition of Lady Wishbone, who is the head of Leviathan’s Magical Division, proves to be exactly what the story needed to separate it from a business as usual battle against the tough brute. Her magic switches Mr. Quietus and Silencer’s bodies at what is probably the worst time imaginable. With her family still in Action Land and unaware of her secret motives, the switch places Mr. Quietus in the perfect position to find out who the Silencer really is. There are mixed opinions on major cliffhangers like this, but I found the reveal to add to the story’s overall impact and help to create a sense of dread coming into the next issue. It looks like things are going to get a lot worse for Honor Guest before they get better!

The artistic direction of the series has faltered at times, but artist Patch Zircher delivers some beautiful panels in the latest issue. Lady Wishbone’s debut is definitely the highlight though. The magical “sparks” surrounding her intrusion into Mr. Quietus and Silencer’s duel is a pure spectacle made awesome with the help of colors by Mike Spicer.

The Silencer #8 is an entertaining and emotional story that delves into the complexity of Leviathan’s actions and expands on the “Game of Thrones” type struggle for power. It is a great addition to the series and an interesting start to a new arc!