Trinity of Sin #1

By JM DeMatteis, Yvel Guichet, Jason Gorder & Gabe Eltaeb w/ Guillem March & Tomeu Morey

The Phantom Stranger was one of this reader’s favourite titles from DC Comics since JM DeMatteis took over from Dan Didio and it was disappointing to see the more dark and supernatural series conclude just before September. Thankfully though, readers didn’t have to go long without DeMatteis writing the Phantom Stranger because DC have found a good way to launch one new title but appease fans of the entire Trinity of Sin, not just the Stranger, and handle both Pandora (coming off her own recently cancelled series from Ray Fawkes) and the Question as well, all three characters who have been incredibly mysterious since virtually day one. Hopefully this new series will last at least as long as The Phantom Stranger did (and ideally longer) and based on what we’ve seen here, it will be a very entertaining one indeed.

It’s safe to say that the Stranger, the Question and Pandora don’t have the best shared history between each other and their uneasy reunion is handled well by DeMatteis. We get to spend a healthy amount of time with the three major characters and it’s going to be fun following their adventures on a monthly basis. It’s designed to be new-reader friendly, with plenty of information provided about the three characters allowing for people who aren’t too familiar with the Trinity to jump on and start reading.

The issue itself however feels too much like a standard first issue from a team-up book, which sees individual threats attacking the Question, the Stranger and Pandora respectively, forcing them to band together. We’ve seen it happen before in multiple series in both DC and Marvel so as a result the idea often feels tired. It’s mainly designed as an introductory issue and, as a result, there is little focus on developing the ongoing plot.

It’s great to finally see the Question get the attention he deserves – this character was the only one of the Trinity who didn’t get his own solo book and that’s partly why it’s so fun to see him here. DeMatteis handles him well and gives him his own distinctive voice, which is the same that can be said for both the Stranger and Pandora as well. He captures their characters very strongly indeed and it’s going to be incredibly interesting to see what DeMatteis can put them through in the months to come.

The pencils from Yvel Guichet are pretty good, with some great panels throughout the book. Jason Gorder and Gabe Eltaeb work together with inks and colours, and the end result makes this book look the part. The cover itself is also pretty cool, featuring the three main characters in all their glory, and Guillem March and Tomeu Morey handle that element very well. The monsters inside the book are played to Guichet’s strengths and they look very menacing indeed, which is great to see

Trinity of Sin #1 may feel like your standard first issue of a team book, designed to get inform new readers of who the characters are, but DeMatteis handles it very well. Pandora, The Phantom Stranger and the Question are some of the more unusual members of DC’s roster and it’ll be fun to explore them going forward, with it being great to see that we’re not done with these characters yet.