Review: Trinity Vol. 4- The Search for Steve Trevor

Quick Summary

Pros: The setting is unique and allows for some entertaining situations. The members of the Trinity are able to show off what makes them unique. The artwork looks imaginative and is visually pleasing.

Cons: The story is mixed for most of the Trinity’s adventure and ends up being rather generic. A lot of the drama and danger feels cheap and never really amounts to much of anything.

Overall: This is a book that is elevated by a great setting and a few awesome moments but is weighed down by an unappealing story. It has the Trinity participate in a bombastic trek through a magical world, where they have a few moments to show off their skills. However, the storytelling behind all of this is lackluster and never really manages to do anything particularly noteworthy. Readers looking for an uncomplicated adventure with the Trinity taking on the world of fantasy should check this book out.

Story

Trinity Vol. 4: The Search for Steve Trevor, by James Robinson, succeeds in some regards but fails in others, creating a book of somewhat mixed quality. The setting of this story is one of the successes and provides moments where the book is genuinely entertaining. It tosses the Trinity in a unique fantasy world where they have a chance to show off what makes them great. However, outside of moments of fun, the actual narrative is rather bland and uninteresting. Even the drama feels generic and fails to truly inspire tension in most places. This mix of positives and negatives creates an adventure that is worthwhile as a fantasy-inspired Trinity adventure but not so much as an all-around interesting endeavor.

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As far as settings go, The Search for Steve Trevor is rather unique for a mainstream comic. This book primarily takes place in a weird dimension inhabited by dinosaurs, mystical beasts, and weapons that are a strange amalgamation between magic and science. This allows for some tense situations, like the Trinity fighting monsters, and some humorous ones as well, like Batman being forced to ride a unicorn. It also creates a book that feels like the Trinity was transported into an Elder Scrolls game or a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, which is rather satisfying all on its own.

Unfortunately, the story that takes place in this setting is a bit mixed. In some places, the story offers moments where the Trinity have a chance to show off their unique attributes, like Wonder Woman’s capacity for war or Superman’s capacity to inspire hope. However, outside of these moments, the story is rather generic. It has the Trinity defend a civilization, designed to represent the best of medieval chivalry, from a generic villain, designed to represent a manifestation of pure evil. At times, the story hints at a more layered and complex story that involves the ethics of settling in a foreign land, yet this idea never ends up being developed. Instead, an uncomplicated battle between good and evil takes place and goes pretty much how one would expect it to go.

There are also a number of plot points that seem like cheap ways to artificially elevate drama without actually putting the heroes in danger. This can been seen when the heroes are dramatically aged for a page or two, when fake Kryptonite is used against Superman, or when the heroes appear to lose their battle against Deimos. The worst example of this is Wonder Woman’s blindness subplot, which has almost no effect on her character whatsoever and its inclusion feels rather pointless by the time she gets her sight back. By constantly introducing drama that doesn’t actually have an impact on the heroes, it takes away from the tension of actually perilous moments and slightly cheapens the story’s ability to generate suspense.

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Art

The artwork throughout The Search for Steve Trevor is one of its most consistently positive attributes. Patrick Zircher’s work throughout this collection is a wonderful blend between imaginative fantasy and down-to-earth reality. The imaginative fantasy can been seen in the unique animals and landscapes encountered by the Trinity throughout their trip in a realm of fantasy, all of which appear otherworldly and magical. Meanwhile, each of the fights and encounters are presented with the gritty inks one would expect from a scene more based in down-to-earth reality. This combination allows this fantasy environment to feel as if it could exist in the real world, an experience similar to watching the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies. The collection has a few problems, like Superman suddenly growing his sleeves back when the artists temporarily change, but these problems are relatively small. Overall, this is a good looking book that suits the story very well.

Continuity

Trinity Vol. 4: The Search for Steve Trevor continues the story from Trinity Vol. 3: Dark Destiny (Review).

The Trinity series ends with this volume. The story here does not directly continue in any particular comic.

This volume also references the stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• Wonder Woman’s inability to find Themyscira is mentioned. This plot point began back at the beginning of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Lies.
• Batman mentions an earlier cased called the “Monster Men.” This could be a reference to the recent Batman: Night of the Monster Men (Review) (Reading Order) event. However, it is more likely a reference to “The Giants of Hugo Strange,” a story from Batman #1, now collected in Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1.