"Fallout"

The story for this issue is much slower after the recent action as everyone tries to cope. We mainly follow Siryn around as she imagines jumping off a bridge, drinks coffee, etc. while getting her thoughts together. The rest of the team is in the warehouse and James tells them that the doctors doubt she'll recover her voice. Jesse comes in with and "old man" who turns out to be Sean Cassidy who came right away when James called to tell him what happened. You get the basic recap of Siryn's life story in this issue while the team, worried, goes looking for her. A few other things happen, like Tabitha breaks up with Bobby, deciding that they fight to much and their relationship isn't going to work out. As soon as she leaves him the INS come and pick him up because he's in the country illegaly. The cop who saw Domino in action at that bank a few issues back catches up with her only to have her vanish in a weird flash of light. We learn that Sam is visiting his mom, and Sean talks to James and Dani about how he lost his powers at one time (he didn't lose his voice though if I recall correctly) and about how much he's missed out on his daughter's life. Siryn's trouble really touches you though in a scene were she goes and buys a bottle of liquor. You are left for several pages thinking that she's going back to alcohol and it touched me so much I was almost at the point of tears. Overcoming her drinking problem was really tough for Siryn and to see her go back after all that... But then when the team finally gives up the search and go back to the warehouse where Jesse has once again prepared the evening meal for them (he does it a lot apparently), Sean tells them to call him at the hotel when Siryn gets back and to tell her he loves her. You feel so sad for Banshee, not being able to be there for his daughter and thinking about that bottle she bought. Tabby tells the others about breaking up with Bobby so they don't expect him to be back anytime soon. And the comment on Domino's not being back, but leave it at that.

Then we get to see Siryn climbing up a bunch of stairs in a dark run down building and going into a room full of people while wondering what she's doing there. You don't know what's going on until this guy stands up and states his name and says he's an alcoholic. You feel so happy then, realizing that she didn't go through with it, she didn't have "just one drink to numb the pain". The story in this issue really touches the emotions, it's a good job. James wakes up when Siryn gets back. He tells her that her dad was there and asks if she's ok. Since she can't speak she hands him a note. In it she tells him what she almost did and how she needs time to figure out what she's going to do now that her voice is gone. It tells him that she's going to go stay with a distant aunt on a ranch in the desert and that she'll write to him. It's a very touching note about the value of friends. She hugs James and gets into a taxi and leaves.

The disappointing thing about this issue (besides the awful art) is that she never sees Banshee and you don't get to see her acknowledge that he loves her, in fact James never even told her that her dad loves her. Silly maybe, because he was busy being worried for her and reading her note, but I think he should have at least told her. I really would have liked for her to at least say goodbye to her dad, because maybe their relationship is a little strange since for so long she didn't know he was her dad, but she has to know that he cares for her. A very nice and touching story.