Maurene Goo Weaves a Web on All Things Cindy Moon, Journalism, and the Korean-American Identity

Last week saw the return of Cindy Moon in a brand new action adventure with the release of SILK #1 from critically-acclaimed author Maurene Goo with art by Takeshi Miyazawa and colors by Ian Herring.

Making her debut in the comics publishing world, Goo exclaimed, "It was like all of my Spidey love coming into fruition wit this character, that is the first Korean-American. She's a girl; she's in the whole Spider-World, and I was so excited!"

To mark the celebration of the release and Cindy's homecoming, Maurene Goo (I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Somewhere Only We Know) took time out of her busy schedule to sit down with Women of Marvel host, and former Spidey editor, Ellie Pyle, who was there for Cindy's inception, to talk about her illustrious career, Cindy's new adventures, reflecting her Korean-American identity in her writing, and more.

[RELATED: Asked & Answered with the Women of Marvel: Maurene Goo]

On Her Time As A Reporter Like Cindy Moon

"I was a big reader as a kid," shared Goo, "I think most writers started off as readers. That's where the love of books was sparked. I was a pretty good writer in high school. So I thought, I'm a good writer, I'm going to be journalist because my mom was a journalist. When I was younger, it seemed like one of the very few careers you could have as a writer."

As she entered college, Goo studied Journalism as an undergrad, which mirrors Cindy Moon's career as an intrepid reporter for the upstart new media empire Threats & Menaces under her old boss, J. Jonah Jameson in the new SILK series.

However, Goo learned she wasn't suited for journalism, revealing, "I soon realized I don't like having to stick to facts and research and being held accountable for the stuff I'm writing about. I was, 'Oh, I don't think I'm a journalist.'"

On Taking the Reins

As Cindy takes the reins of her new chapter in life, Goo decided to stick to what she loved, and what she loved was books. Goo started working at a book store where it became clear to her that she just loved the children's book section stating that was her speciality, and discovered the possibility of working in publishing as a career.

Goo applied to a children's literature writing program on a whim just to see if she could do it. The writing sample she submitted ended up being the first chapter of her first published book almost a decade later.

On Her Love of the Spider-World

 “My favorite to this day is Spider-Man," gushed Goo. "I love Spider-Man. There’s something about Peter, and his journey that felt more relatable to me than any of the other characters. And so, when I got approached to write SILK, I was like 'Holy crap!’”

Another character that Maurene has a soft spot for in Cindy Moon's world is J. Jonah Jameson. "I'm always drawn to the old curmudgeon and young person's relationship that are mentoring," stated Goo. "It's such an archetype that I always think to be pleasing. I love..the reluctant coach, the reluctant mentor. Then in the comics, I really liked Silk, for whatever reason, was more acceptable to Jonah [than Peter Parker/Spider-Man]."

Adding, "I really like that back and forth between them; it's really fun for me to write, and there's a lot of heart there. So that's my sweet spot."

On The Shared Korean-American Identity

“She’s Korean-American too and so I really find it very important to have authenticity that she would behave in a way that a Korean-American kid would raised by Korean parents," said Goo. "And so I like to give a lot of details like little things. Like, you’ll find she has shrimp chips lying on her bedroom floor.”

To hear more about the books that sparked Maurene Goo's love of Middle Grade novels, her first comics, her Marvel origin story, what else you can expect from SILK, and more, listen to the podcast above! And to learn about Maurene the person, check out what she shared in the 'Asked & Answered' series!

The Women of Marvel podcast assembles to show how people of all backgrounds are making a powerful and positive impact on our stories. New episodes are released every other Thursday, co-hosted by Judy Stephens, Angélique Roché, and Ellie Pyle. You can find Women of Marvel on Sirius XM, Marvel.com/podcasts and Apple Podcasts.

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