Trinity #17 Review

On a Routine Expedition

Written by: James Robinson
Art by: Patch Zircher, Gabe Eltaeb, and Josh Reed
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 17, 2018

Trinity has been a book without a real direction since (must be...) Superman Reborn.  While the book seemed to be set up to allow the Pre Flashpoint Superman to get to know Batman and Wonder Woman and vice versa, that kind of went out the door when the continuities fused together and well, here we are.  That being said, there is always room for a book where DC's Big Three go out and have adventures and fight evil and right wrongs, right?  You better be shaking your head "yes" right now because there is room and it should be in this book.  So, does this book give us that and does it make me happy?  Let's find out...


The issue opens with what appears to be an interrogation of the Trinity before going off to the meat and cheese of the issue.  I am sure this quick beginning will bookend as a kind of debriefing (and thus, why we are being told the story), but right away, I was more interested in what was going on...Batman and Superman helping Diana find Themyscira!

Yea, this issue is written by James Robinson who recently took over the Wonder Woman book and while he kind of tweaked a bit of the earlier Rebirth Rucka stuff, finding Themyscira for Diana would make me so, so, so (insert a hundred more so's) happy.

After a little explanation of what they are looking for (seriously, this could be looked at as a little dig at Rucka as well, if you ask me), we waste little time finding it...or at least something like it.  It's basically the Bermuda Triangle and after saving a ship, the three heroes get sucked into a world of magic, wonder...and lizard men.

For some reason, this magical land (which is eventually named, but I will not spoil it) causes Superman to lose his powers and Wonder Woman to go blind.  Really, besides the explanation of "magic", the reader has to just go with it.  If anything, it's a nice way to both get our heroes all on an even playing field for once, but also show that Superman is still super without powers and Wonder Woman is still a wonder without sight.  We see that because they are attacked by the lizard men I mentioned earlier.

The fight lasts a bit while we get more of the post-adventure/debriefing narrative (which I usually hate since it throws out tension, but really, do any of us think the Trinity is dying here?) that ends with the big reveal of where they are and who is the big cheese in charge.  It's a cool nod to the 70s and fans of Mike Grell should have a smile on their face by the end.

I had a bit of a grin as well.  I liked the concept of this issue a whole lot and had fun with it even though the execution was a bit clunky.  James Robinson writes the Trinity a bit heavy-handed here and while I usually don't mind a fun issue that flies by, this one felt on the thin side.  Still, the idea of the Trinity looking for Themyscira and getting stuck (at least for now) in the land of the lost, gives it a bit of a bump in my final tally.

Patrick Zircher is on art and I do love me some Patty Z!  His big panels are a reason this is such a quick read, but while I liked his character models a whole lot, the backgrounds were kind of nonexistent.  It's a shame because the local really screams for more detail.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue gets points for concept, but loses some of those in execution.  James Robinson has a wonderful idea going in, but the Trinity's voices feel a bit off and the story is forced to hit the ground running.  I am looking forward to the next issue since the cliffhanger promises some old-school fun, but can only cautiously recommend this for those on the fence with this book.

6.8/10