The Mane Event - Trinity War

If you have not read, or do not know what it is about, Trinity War is the culmination of a crossover between Justice League, Justice League of America and Justice League Dark wrapped loosely around the Trinity of Sin – Pandora, The Question and The Phantom Stranger.

To support the main cross over storyline held by the League titles there were also tie-in issues of Constantine, The Phantom Stranger and the newly launched Pandora title. Instead of divergent stories, these were character explorations; not necessary purchases to follow the main story, but in my experience of them they are a nice addition to round off the whole offering.

The main thrust of the Trinity War was written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire, giving an intricate continuity throughout. The best thing about the story for me is that it never felt like it lost its focus. Johns and Lemire kept the pace fast and constantly hitting. Unlike previous DC events (like Flashpoint), there are no divergent and disassociated stories to detract from the main theme. Instead it brings together the various New 52 Justice League teams, culminating in something that none of them truly expected.

The story of Trinity War is initially based on the Greek myth of Pandora’s box. Once thought to be a gift from the gods it was opened by Pandora releasing the seven deadly sins upon the world (something which is looked to more in her tie-ins). However, the DC spin is that the box - in the form of a three-eyed golden skull - was not actually from the gods. In fact even they do’t know much about it. So where is it from and what is it’s purpose? Despite this Pandora is on a quest to open the box again, using either the purest or darkest of hearts so that she can put the sins back in the box for good.

To this end Pandora is the catalyst in bringing the Justice League into the story, as she hoped that Superman would be the one who could open it. Sadly during that meeting something goes horribly awry and Superman is tainted. In the process it appears he kills Doctor Light. The JLA are then introduced to the mix as Captain Marvel’s boyish naivety draws both teams into a politically charged international situation. Superman voluntarily places himself into custody but the incident, The Question has been watching from the shadows and putting things together; he realises that there is more than meets the eye, finally stepping in to break Superman out.

It is finally in Justice League Dark we catch up with The Phantom Stranger and discover that Madam Xanadu (who was believed to be killed) is held hostage by an unknown figure. The even bigger bombshell is dropped at the end when this mystery villain claims that there is a mole within the Leagues, casting doubt across almost everyone.

This is the end of what can be perceived as the first act. Interestingly enough the internal conflict, struggle and general chasing of Pandora are reflected in the triptych of adjoining covers. This imagery is then continued through the second act of comics, as another triptych depicts the hunt for the golden skull.

The story explores the idea that motivations can vary, change and evolve. The threat of Pandora's box is its ability to taint even the strongest of hearts and minds making them mad when in its proximity. Noble individuals suddenly covet the box for themselves or their own selfish reasons. Shazam - who has a childish honesty about him - almost managed the feat only to be changed by the box, becoming that which he clearly fears. The knock-on effect of his magic is that it opened everyones' minds to the world around them meaning, revealing the captured Madame Xanadu and dropping the skull into John Constantine’s grasp with no apparent effect. This provided me with the entire story's funniest moment when in typical flippant fashion everyone’s favourite anti-hero quipped that of course he wasn’t affected my the box: “Corrupt me? You can’t spoil an already filthy pot, love.” Brilliant!

There then followed a massive revelation for this story as Xanadu saw that the item that everyone ws fighting over was not the box as they had all thought but instead it was a doorway. Everyone had been played and things would only get worse.

The final issue - released this week - focuses on the identity of Xanadu's mysterious captor as this sinister gentlemen figure opens said doorway, against the backdrop of an outright internal war of heroes, harking back to our brief preview of these events in last year's Free Comic Book Day issue. Other horrors include Cyborg being forcibly removed from his cybernetic systems that transform into a new robotic body for a sentient and overreaching AI, plus the revelation that the traitor in the midst is the Atom. But the coup de grace is this thin man's identity as he stands revealed as the Alfred Pennyworth of Earth-Three. With a tongue in cheek reference of “the butler did it,” he reveals the skull's true purpose as he opens the doorway to his masters. The Trinity was never about the three sinners, it was about the number itself. Behold the Crime Syndicate - the yin to the Justice League’s yang in every way shape and form - and they are here to take over the world.

As a final issue it ties up the storyline brilliantly, and leaves the door open to follow straight into DC’s Villains Month and the Forever Evil event. Have the heroes survived? Is this why every bad guy is running riot? We shall see.

Across all of the issues a plethora of artists including the like of Ivan Reis and Doug Mahnke who have produced a concise body of work, which comes into its own in the sixth issue with several single and double page splashes, including interesting use of both portrait and landscape layouts. There are huge impact pieces which punctuate the issue fantastically. All of them are a must-see and choosing one as a stand out would be like choosing a favourite child, although at this particular moment the removal of Cyborg is edging ever so slightly ahead.

In the same vein as Flashpoint, Trinity War is a great piece of work to read on its own yet it also heralds a greater change. Whilst the debacle of the 3D covers has tarnished Villains Month before it even arrives, it seems that Geoff Johns and co are set to rise above that nonsense with the Forever Evil event. The Crime Syndicate aren't a new concept in DC Comics, but this may arguably be the best introduction they've ever had.

Matt Puddy loved the ride, can you tell?

New Beginnings - Justice League #22: Trinity War, part one

Following along from last week’s prelude we have this week, the first part of the main event in Justice League #22.

Now immediately you may notice that the first issue has a rather strange cover, seemingly incomplete. That's because the covers of the this issue of Justice League, plus the next issues Justice League Of America and Justice League Dark form a tryptic image. The concluding three issues’ covers of this crossover will form another image too. This is a fully tied in crossover story, both in terms of plot and presentation.

The build up has promised to shock the readers. There will be a murder. There will be a surprise killer, and there will be big repercussions too. Geoff Johns' first issue certainly keeps this in mind.

Opening on a very wet night in the middle of nowhere, Madame Xanadu hosts a frightened and weary young woman, prompting the psychic to become the issue's narrator, guiding the reader through the entire issue. Her tarot cards introduce the different characters from the DCU, before then expanding on them from wherever they left off in recent issues. Chief among them is young Billy Batson, the newly minted Shazam, who is another significant driving force behind the story. Following on from his recent clash with Black Adam, Billy decides that the best thing to do is visit Kahndaq and scatter his ashes, because, “Bad guys deserve to be buried too.” Guided by a child's morality and ideals, this powerhouse on a par with Superman casually flies into an international crisis in the making, because he recently saw two of his heroes do it as well.

This is essentially the catalyst to bring the Justice League into play, as they seek to remove him from a diplomatic incident. Director Waller sends the JLA in to the fray for similar reasons, albeit with the original Justice League as their targets. With tensions already frayed, things are stretched even further as these two teams do not see eye to eye.

To make matters worse, while on en route Superman and Wonder Womam encounter Pandora, who feels that Superman is the pure of heart soul she needs to open the box. This massively backfires and has enormous repercussions when the Man Of Steel encounters Doctor Light. Their two sets of powers interact with unpredicted and dangerous results, culminating in a shocking moment as Superman apparently kills him in a fit of rage. But is this what has really happened? The Question, the man who epitomises shadows and mystery, is already asking questions about the bigger picture, the real story and the honest truth of the matter. Nothing is clean cut or as it seems.

As a reader, would we really expect anything less from Geoff Johns?

Ivan Reis, who is almost as much of an industry standard as Johns himself, is at the visually creative helm. For those who saw his work on Blackest Night (or recently on the Justice League), you'll be familiar with his strong style and most of the visuals hit the mark. There are a couple of times when I felt perhaps things were a little too overemphasised - Shazam’s boyish glee for example, as he realises that he’s just knocked Superman off his feet. That can be easily overlooked though, when one looks at the other truly iconic images, such as when the Justice League are stood over Captain Marvel demanding to know why he’s in a foreign land. Though small. that image is powerful and imposing. Although there is a clear foreground, everyone has weight and standing.

As the first part, this issue has certainly waded in and got knee deep and dirty with the story. There isn’t any shirking and whilst there aren’t many questions answered - with plenty more asked - you’re already invested and brought into the arc. You may need to hit the ground running with this one, but if you can then it is worth it. I’m almost sad at the thought that there is so few issues to Trinity War.

Matt Puddy wonders who the mysterious individual is on the final page...

New Beginnings - Justice League Of America #1

So in the span of a week we have found out that Geoff Johns is leaving the Green Lantern series (boo!) and at the same time he is starting a new line with the (late) arrival of Justice League of America.

Over the years, the JLA has had various incarnations, quite often incorporating at least one of the Justice League main members. On this occasion it is for very different reasons and flows from the reimagining of the New 52 Justice League. For this team is there as a failsafe. A potentially redundant safeguard against the original Justice League in case anything ever went wrong. The original member included in this line up is the Martian Manhunter who rather unceremoniously left (before a brief stint in Stormwatch) after a dispute. This also fuels his inclusion with Waller’s line up and her agenda too.

Although this team member is one of the latter to be approached, the remainder of the comic is dedicated to the other associates that he will have. The line up is unconventional to say the least as it contains Hawkman, Katana, Vibe, Star Girl, Green Arrow, Catwoman and the new Green Lantern, Simon Baz. All of which are carefully selected - not because of who they are - but what they can do. Each of them possesses a skill, strength or power that can neutralise a specific member of the League. This is also something that Colonel Steve Trevor can also see through, which is why he is prime to mould the group.

Considering that some of the characters are either relatively unknown - or have not been in the DCU for very long - Johns does a good job of introducing everyone and respecting their relative character flaws and foibles, without dumbing down their character traits. He has also created a huge air of unease, which will no doubt be a plot vehicle around this dysfunctional team.  This mix is one that will also not be widely well received in the public eye. And the large personalities within the group will cause a certain amount of friction.

Simon Baz epitomises this fantastically as he is the new Green Lantern recently added to the Corps only a few issues ago in the Green Lantern title, currently perceived by many as a terrorist. Johns is not afraid to bring existing history over for any of these individuals.

Whilst reading it as well it’s very easy to forget that there are actually three different storylines being explored here. In addition to the team's formation, we have the Dark Hunter (later revealed as Green Arrow in disguise) on the run, plus a flashback depicting Professor Ivo some years in the past taking on the mantel - along with others - as would-be super-villains. All things to come in no doubt which shows the forethought and planning that is already afoot.

David Finch, who most recently gave us the artwork on Batman: The Dark Knight, has joined Johns to create this title. Having loved his work on B:TDK I was keen to see what he provided here too. It’s not what I expected though, as it is different in certain ways. Working with so many characters who have a reputable image has meant that he couldn’t really change them too much but there are small differences that set them apart with his own little twist. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the huge volume of information that the reader is visually provided with as every inch of every frame has been considered and used appropriately. He has also obviously enjoyed providing his take on an iconic image such as the cover which many will recognise, albeit not in bronze.

As a new beginning I didn’t feel that it was the strongest of stories, as it was more scene setting and by that the style also became a little clichéd. However, once you looked beyond the obvious you can see that there is a lot more going on. I also have a lot of time for Geoff Johns as a writer and have come to expect that there is most likely a lot more than meets the eye here, a literary iceberg in the making.

I may not necessarily follow this title straight away, but I will be keeping watch on it to see how it progresses.

Matt Puddy is pondering what to say about Jeph Loeb's new take on Nova...