DC Comics is releasing a few annual issues today and the one I’m most excited for is Trinity. That’s because it directly carries forward Cullen Bunn’s excellent issue that reveals Cerce, Lex Luthor, and Ra’s al Ghul are forming a (evil) trinity of their own. Trinity vs. trinity, who ya got!?
So what’s it about? The official summary reads:
You don’t betray Ra’s al Ghul and legendary sorceress Circe and just walk away. That’s what Lex Luthor is about to learn the hard way. Now, he has to unite with his former Justice League teammates if he wants to stay alive. Meanwhile, the Trinity fear this ordeal will push Lex back to the dark side.
Why does this book matter?
Rob Williams is not only carrying the aforementioned Bunn’s storyline forward, but also weaves Etrigan the Demon into the narrative and raises his threat level to 11 (on a scale of 10!). It’s worth noting Williams has been writing a great Suicide Squad series; he’s capable of writing a team book very well, which certainly helps here.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?
If you didn’t read Trinity #7 you’ll have no trouble jumping in here as Cerce fills us in on the evil Trinity. She also explains why Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman teaming up is so threatening and powerful. These captions are written well and set up a general point that carries through all the way to the end. Williams also shows our heroes with their hair down for a bit–probably because Annual issues allow for more pages–and it’s nice to see these heroes just chilling out. This of course doesn’t last long, and Etrigan enters the story to kick things off. His inclusion puts a twist on al Ghul’s pits that created a Wonder Woman/Superman/Batman amalgam in issue #7 and adds a major threat for the heroes to take on here.
Speaking of Etrigan, if you’re a fan of this character this is a must read issue for you. He gets plenty of time on the page, rhymes his way through every piece of dialogue, and gets to go full tilt with his powers. The entire issue serves as a reminder of how powerful this character is and also works well with the magic too.
The art by Guillem March is sharp and detailed, working best when it’s showcasing the heroes or villains posing with all the prominence of Greek gods. Superman and Wonder Woman in particular get to show off some intensity you don’t usually get from them which includes Wonder Woman slashing with her sword and spraying some gore about. The style reminds me of Kelly Jones’ work with flashes of the creepy Batman eyes and elongated muscles here and there.
We’re all buds here.
It can’t be perfect can it?
There’s the typical comic book head scratcher tropes at work here which include the heroes oddly not calling for help. The book is called Trinity after all, but given the threat level why they aren’t calling the Justice League is never explained. There’s also a bit of Deus Ex Machina in the issue though it does make some sense (though the villainous trope of wanting to kill the heroes themselves is used).
Fans of Batman might feel a bit sour over this issue as he doesn’t get to fight or show off his abilities quite like Superman and Wonder Woman do. He certainly plays an important part, but not like they do.
Is It Good?
This is a good annual issue that carries forward the plot of Trinity #7 well. Readers are reminded why this trinity is so powerful and they get to test their might against a monstrous threat.
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