Review: TRINITY OF SIN #1

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TRINITY OF SIN #1
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Art by Yves Guichet, Jason Gorder, and Gabe Elteab
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: October 15, 2014

Mystical beings arrive on earth to target Pandora, the Phantom Stranger, and the Question, leaving a wave of destruction in their path. The only way to defeat what is coming is likely going to be an uneasy partnership, but is that even feasible when one of the three thinks the other two are murderers?

The positioning of the Question — to some, one of DC’s most hallowed and sophisticated characters — as a supernatural being has been a tough pill to swallow for many. I’ll admit, even as an avid fan of the New 52, I’m not enamored by his current state of being. I had anticipated the possibility that he would be supernatural in name only, still retaining either the oddball conspiracy-theory pathology of his appearances on Justice League Unlimited, or the deep philosophical take from the classic Denny O’Neil run.

What we actually get in this, the first major focus for the character, is neither. The Question seems, in fact, somewhat pedestrian, and imbued with the power to change his appearance — which begs the question, why remove his face at all? The ability to be anyone isn’t comparable to the torture of being no one, so as a punishment, it feels a little light. And I get the sense that the Question’s crime is the worst one of all, far worse than we can imagine.

All that aside, Trinity of Sin #1 provides a somewhat straightforward set-up for the three “villains” being united as a team, but doesn’t provide too many memorable moments. The Phantom Stranger loses a friend in battle, and surely expresses his anger and grief, but it sits funny with me for some reason. Is it because I am used to a more stoic Stranger, or because the outrage seems to come oddly from a place of such perceived weakness? There’s a lot of impudence in the Stranger’s attitude, and it feels more like that of an inexperienced child than that of a centuries old immortal. And after a much more moving set-up earlier in the issue involving the soul of an abused child, it feels wildly out of place.

Overall, the art by Guichet and Gorder don’t do much to add to the interest of the book, delivering average illustration of the events at hand, with almost no single page or panel that makes me want to linger or investigate deeper. Faces feel a little lumpy, particularly the Question’s — as it is understandably more difficult to realize expression without eyes and mouth. The illustration of Pandora’s transformation at the key moment in battle made me reread the pages leading up, not to savor the moment as much as because I couldn’t easily grasp what had happened after I read it. Figuring out what shape was meant to be the demon and what was meant to be Pandora made for a scene that I believe was meant to be visually impressive, and was merely confusing instead.

The final page reveal of the entity behind the attacks is the only moment that felt graphically accomplished above and beyond what was necessary for basic understanding, and all in all, it’s quite the beautiful character design. But at that point, it felt somewhat anti-climatic, both from an art and plot point of view. The reveal, while pretty, doesn’t illuminate anything that happened in the previous pages, and left me wondering if the next issue was just going to be another generic slugfest.

Not enough of a character study to forgive the light plot, and not enough plot to offset some weak character traits, Trinity of Sin #1 is not the remarkable thought-provoker that so much of DeMatteis’ work to date has been. If anything, a more non-traditional approach, particularly in the art, might have transformed the story of these three historic menaces. Unfortunately, this one didn’t do it for me. Here’s hoping your luck with it is better.

The Verdict: 5.5/10

 

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