Sylas’ actions to siphon away pain made him a target for many people. Can he navigate this new world that he finds himself in? Find out in Syphon Vol. 2 #2 by Image Comics!
SYPHON VOLUME 2 #2 (OF 4)
Writer: Mohsen Ashraf and Arish Akanda
Artist: Thomas Hedglen, Mostafa Moussa, and Jagdish Kumar
Colorist: John Kalisz and Nanjan Jamberi
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Editor: Elena Salcedo and Matt Hawkins
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 13th, 2023
Previously in Syphon: Sylas is trying to manage his new power over siphoning emotions. After defeating Antonio, he confided in his girlfriend, Livia, who is a neuroscientist investigating emotional trauma. However, an ancient threat has reemerged in the Amazon, and a mysterious woman has arrived to tranquilize Sylas.
Syphon Volume 2 #2 introduces us to Zenia, who drugged Sylas to stop his powers. She gives a friendly façade and convinces Livia to listen to her. She encourages Liv to convince Sylas to speak to her when he wakes up, which he does. Sylas meets with Zenia in a warehouse alone, and Zenia gives him a book that informs him of past Syphon lives, including information about a demon that was locked away. With Sylas overusing his abilities, he inadvertently sets the monster free. Sylas decides to go with Zenia to stop the evil, trusting her and taking responsibility for the irresponsible use of his powers. Meanwhile, Liv navigates through a difficult patient who struggles to come to terms with some of his memories.
Sylas and Livia are brilliant characters and express complex IQ and EQ. When both seemingly trust Zenia in Syphon Volume 2 #2, I didn’t believe it. Zenia committed several crimes and only offered a little information in return. And I cannot grasp my mind around the idea that both of them trust Zenia enough to work with her. I understand this is a limited-run story arc, and the creative team had to hit specific beats. However, the immediate acceptance of Zenia and the decision to go after a monster is a stretch for me.
Despite my reservations, the creative team’s choices may make sense in the longer run of the arc, and perhaps there is something at play here that I don’t know about. I could see Zenia siphoning their worry away or something to that extent. Regardless, the strength of the plot, setting, and conflict is still there, and the art in Syphon is spot on. I particularly like the line work done here, and the art is consistent despite having a large creative team.
Syphon has excellent ideas. Despite not seeing the overall vision of this particular comic issue, I think there is something here for many readers. With that in mind, Syphon Volume 2 #2 gets a 3.5 out of 5. Still a comic to pick up, but not as strong for me as previous issues.
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Syphon Volume 2 #2
Syphon Volume 2 #2 makes some difficult characterization choices for me to grasp, but it is still an excellent story with an engaging plot.
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com