Just happened to see the cover in comiXology’s sale and thought it seemed familiar. I searched my blog to see if I wrote anything about, and I did. I completely forgot I was supposed to be keeping an eye out for it. This collection includes the first six issues. I’m happy to report that it has maintained my interest.
The young woman who we come to know as Syd is tired of all of the literal noise in her head and seeks solace in death–it was not granted. Syd wakes up in the hospital, bandaged and bruised, but no worse for the wear. For the first time in forever, everything is quiet in her head…except for a lone voice. After a brief non-introduction, the owner of the voice kidnaps/rescues Syd from what was definitely going to be another battery of tests to identify, categorize, and file her away.
She’s ushered to the guy’s home where she meets his crew of like-minded people. Being a telepath who had been othered all her life, though she was still confused, the unexpected company was a source of comfort…at first. After she got to know how things worked in their little enclave, she wasn’t so relieved. The story continues as Syd tries to figure herself out and reconcile her place in the world and, more immediately, amongst a group of people who live the fact that there’s always more than one side to every story–no matter how horrible the story may seem.
By the end of the volume, everything we learned about the association Syd skeptically fell into was dismantled and we wonder what the future holds for the scattered crew. It would be something of a let down, but the story could end right there. But fortunately, it’s only the beginning.
Though few, the story isn’t without its flaws. I’m a bit confused about what happened with Gruff and Syd in The Calm–the timing seemed off for her to be caught off guard–or, perhaps, additional information is needed to understand The Calm. And then there’s her voluntary demonstration of her abilities…I think that, for the first instance, however brief, there should have been a moment of stabilization and for the second, it’s lacking the moment of discovery or realization. The second will probably bother me for a while, but for the sake of continuing the story, I think I can deal with that.
Overall, I enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the next collection. Hopefully I’ll get to see the types of lives the characters choose to lead without the safety net that they rationalized into existence.