Jace the Comic Source's Profile

Incredible start to an intriguing series. Jeff Edwards art sets the tone perfectly for this story which immediately feels supernatural. The John Kalisz colors reinforce that as the empathic powers we see Sylas bestowed with begin to manifest in his life. Those powers, where they came from, how they work and just what Sylas can ultimately due with them remains a mystery in this first issue. Instead of revealing the answers to these obvious questions, writers Patrick Meaney and Mohsen Ashraf spend the issue developing character for Sylas and his new relationship with neighbor, Livia. There is also a sense of foreboding with regard to another character who seems to wield the power and is familiar with exactly what it is. The story is fast-paced and feels refreshing from that standpoint. Many recent comics would take two or three issues to get to the point Syphon reaches in just one. Does this mean the story will feel complete after the initial three issue series is completed? Or will it feel rushed and lack closure? We'll have to keep reading to find out. What we have no doubt about, is the incredible line and color work, that bring this comic to life. Edwards and Kalisz deserve huge praise for their interesting compositions that only adds to the feel of a modern story. Highly recommended.

The second issue of this promising series picks up where the debut issue left off and begins to give us answers about the mysterious and ominous figure we saw briefly in #1. We learn his name is Antonio and much like the main character Sylas, he has the ability to syphon emotions form others. However, unlike Sylas, he doesn't take negative emotions, he is syphoning off positive ones. Antonio, much like the best villains, has a reasonable explanation for this, but when things go too far for Sylas and someone is significantly affected by having their emotions manipulated, Antonio not only blames Sylas, but greedily profits off the situation. It means the battle lines are clearly drawn with our two main characters on opposite sides. With the pacing of the narrative still progressing very quickly, it is up to the art team of Jeff Edwards and John Kalisz to cover a lot of ground quickly in the visuals and they continue to do tremendous work. Once again using montage pieces to cover a lot of story relatively quickly, the line work and composition continue to shine from Jeff Edwards. Meanwhile John Kalisz continues to balance the brightness of the empathic powers with the dark themes and gritty setting of the story. Brilliant work from both artists.

The third and final issue of the first volume of this series in many ways feels more like a beginning than an ending. Sylas has come into his own, though he still has many questions about his powers. Antonio, though it seems he may be off the playing field for now, seems far from defeated. While Livia reconciling with Sylas seems to be about as happy an ending as we can hope for since in Sylas own words, "He may just be bailing water out of a sinking ship". That might be the best thing about this series. It's inherent relevance to the darkness and light in all of us. The way that is reflected in the world right now seems more apparent than ever, with war, divisiveness, poverty and homelessness at a high, there seems to be problems of the human condition we are unable to solve. Yet, we can still find joy in connection, stories and art. Syphon is a reminder of that and of how, though we may not have Sylas's powers, we all have the ability to ease another person's suffering. Sometimes it is enough to just reach out, to just be there or to just listen. Syphon has value as a story for that reason alone, but with the incredible art throughout from Edwards and Kalisz it goes far beyond worth for its themes. A very worthwhile read.