Review: Trinity Vol. 2- Dead Space

Quick Summary

Pros: This volume begins building some interesting plotlines for the future. There are some exciting moments throughout the book. The artwork features some creative structures and beautiful splash pages, significantly enhancing the reading process.

Cons: The Superman: Reborn tie-in is very weak. The main storyline is generic and feels like a second-rate Justice League comic.

Overall: A lackluster story and beautiful artwork make for a book where personal preference dictates the volume’s ultimate appeal. Most readers will find little draw from the plot; it is very generic and only has a handful of exciting moments. However, if readers can make it through the story, they will find some gorgeous pages that depict Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in a variety of cool situations. Fans looking for some gorgeous artwork, who don’t mind a mediocre story, might want to look into this volume.

Story

Trinity Vol. 2: Dead Space is a lackluster volume that falls into a rather disappointing realm of mediocrity. It features a number of storylines that are either uninteresting or unoriginal, robbing the story of excitement. These arcs aren’t bad to read but they simply are not that good either. The book also lacks any significant positives, as the best portions of the book end up being the moments that set up future volumes. The end result is a book that is passable but not necessarily something that will succeed in thrilling or delighting most fans.

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Dead Space starts out with a chapter, written by Cullen Bunn, that appears to be a prelude to future storylines. It brings together one villain from each member of the Trinity’s rogues’ gallery and demonstrates why that villain is opposed to their respective hero. Seeing the Trinity through the eyes of villains proves to be a unique and somewhat interesting experience since it is not something readers often see. The story teased here also seems to have some potential and will hopefully come into play in the next volume.

The following chapter, also written by Cullen Bunn, is much less entertaining. It is a Superman: Reborn (Review) tie-in issue that has the two versions of Superman fighting each other. Though this is somewhat interesting, nothing actually happens here. Readers do not learn anything more about Superman’s condition and this does not really build much excitement for the larger event.

The rest of Dead Space is written by Francis Manapul and sees the Trinity face off against an alien threat onboard the Watchtower. There are moments of excitement here, particularly when it seems as if the members of the Trinity are in real danger, however the overall appeal of the storyline is rather low. This is primarily because the plot is incredibly generic. Plus, small flaws, like Batman flying a spaceship with a hole in it or the Flash being saved by a candy bar, further damage this storyline. It sill isn’t terrible, but it isn’t something that most fans should go out of their way to read.

In addition, part of this final storyline’s failure comes from the lack of focus on the Trinity itself. For the most part, the members of the Trinity have little contact with one another and each end up performing different roles all on their own. Superman himself is barely present here and spends most of the arc simply holding the Watchtower up with his super-strength. Instead of feeling like a unique adventure starring the biggest heroes in all of DC Comics, this just feels like a second-rate Justice League comic.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork is this collection’s saving grace. From beginning to end, Dead Space is a beautiful looking book filled with gorgeous depictions of DC Comic’s greatest heroes. Work from artists like Clay Mann, Emanuela Lupacchino, and Francis Manapul stands out and ensures that every page found here looks great.

In particular, Francis Manapul’s chapters, which comprise the majority of the volume, end up looking wonderful. His use of color and light make the Trinity look majestic, something that is highlighted in a number of great splash pages. Plus, the structure of these chapters is creative and stands out in the mainstream comic landscape. All of this helps make for a better reading experience and gives Dead Space a few undeniable positives.

Continuity

Trinity Vol. 2: Dead Space continues the story from Trinity Vol. 1: Better Together (Review).

The story here continues in Trinity Vol. 3: Dark Destiny (Review).

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

• The DC Comics version of Pandora is briefly mentioned here. Her history can be found in either Trinity War (Review) or Trinity of Sin: Pandora Vol. 1: The Curse (Review).
• The second chapter of this volume is a tie-in to the Superman: Reborn (Review) event. Some of the mysteries here are solved in the event itself.
• Superman talks about recently meeting a cloaked man. This man first appeared back in Superman: The Men of Tomorrow (Review) but made a more recent appearance in DC Universe: Rebirth (Review).
• Wonder Woman says she understands what it is like to have history toyed with. This is likely a reference to her recent struggles in Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Lies.