Strangers in a familiar world.
Creative Staff:
Story: Francis Manapul
Art: Francis Manapul
Colors: Francis Manapul
Letterer: Steve Wands
What They Say:
“BETTER TOGETHER” part two! Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman have uncovered a window into their very souls: and the power of temptation proves to be stronger than any villain they could battle! The bonds of friendship and trust between the most formidable heroes on the planet will be tested to their breaking point, with the lives of innocents hanging in the balance!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of Trinity was definitely a book that worked well for me in a host of ways. Manapul, as the main creative force here by doing so much of the work, brought about an engaging passion project that takes our Big Three and tries to set things right so they can move forward in a better way than they have in years. I’ve avoided the main books for a long time so there’s awkwardness here for me in trying to connect all the pieces, mostly with Superman’s story, but Manapul put it all together in a really great way where the focus was on dialogue and character interaction that brought them to life with their fears, worries, concerns, and loves.
With the kind of wacky way the first issue ended with the event that hit, this issue throws us into that realm of uncertainty that can be off-putting at first – as it should be. With our trinity now in Smallville in the past, or a past, and coming crashing into a Young Clark and his father, the chaos moves quickly as Young Clark thinks his Pa has died and these characters are here to take him back to his home planet. The mind of a child works with its own logic and with Pa Kent having taught him to run should such a thing happen, it’s no surprise that he does. That leaves a very confused Superman in the barn with a father that died some time ago but is alive in the here and now. And Superman is in the bad position of really wanting to take advantage of this time to talk with his father but knowing that anything that could be said would screw up so much in the future.
Of course, time is wonky as we know and Manapul has a welcome out that we get toward the end. That doesn’t eliminate the emotion that we get throughout this issue as there’s a good look at what it is that makes Superman who he is. The trio are all representing themselves well here with Batman being analytical and Wonder Woman bringing some compassion to it as she understands what Superman is going through, and they work together as well as can be at this stage. The uncertainty is fun to watch as is the sense of wonder that comes out of Superman as he rides around in his father’s old beat up truck through the town and taking it all in through this particular lens of time and who he is himself. You can’t truly go back and in doing so in some form it just leaves you very unsettled.
In Summary:
Trinity makes its reveal at the end and I’m hugely excited to see how Manapul will handle taking on one of my favorite characters. The bulk of the issue is about our core trinity, of course, and their experiences in this older Smallville and some of the challenges along the way. It works as a way to really get into the style and method of all three of them in how they deal with such a problematic situation and it’s thoroughly engaging as you want to know that and the truth of the matter. We also get just a touch of time with Lois and Jon on the outside and that helps to further ground and cement that side of the family, leaving me wanting to know more of it. Manapul really is making a strong passion project here that while it may not be a huge thing from issue to issue as it works through all this material, it’ll be something that I can see being a very strong work when read in full. It’s a title that definitely warrants the monthly treatment to be given the time it needs to be told as beautifully as it is.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: October 19th, 2016
MSRP: $2.99
