Time to catch up on Trinity War!  There are a few things becoming clear in this story arc that spans all the Justice League titles – most especially that there will be long-standing effects on the entire DC Universe from this series.  This tale is picking up speed as it goes along, and it is actually improving in quality as it picks up the pace.  Let’s start with JLA #7, and then we’ll take a quick jump to JL Dark #23 (Note how the covers are matching up, just as the first three installments made one picture…wonder what the last part of THIS picture will be):

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7 :

There are a lot of overlapping story threads being moved forward here.  Lex Luthor is offered an opportunity to open Pandora’s Box…but is stopped by Wonder Woman!  The search for just who is behind all this continues, as we find that the Secret Society is not done with (what’s left of) Dr. Light.  The Leagues learn the shocking secret behind the formation of the JLA…of who and why this group was put together.  Finally, we see what happens when an Amazon opens Pandora’s Box!

This is an excellent issue of Justice League of America, a title that I keep near the top of my pull list.  Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire have put an excellent script together here, pulling multiple threads together into a fast-paced and powerful storyline.  Doug Mahnke handles the pencils with a large group on inks – Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Marc Deering, Doug Mahnke and Walden Wong.  Colors are handled by Nathan Eyring, Pete Pantazis and Gabe Eltaeb.  Surprisingly, the artwork stays at a consistent level of quality even with all the cooks involved in this brew.  This is well worth the look!

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #23:

We see the world through Madame Xanadu’s eyes…and she can see all the battles going on here.  Things are getting worse for our heroes by the minute as everyone is fighting over Pandora’s Box.  No one trusts anyone…and for good reason as this Box is corrupting everyone.  As one player comes back into the fray, Pandora’s Box is spirited away.  To where?  It seems that our players are being pulled toward someone who can finally see what’s really going on…but possibly too late!

I thought about calling the review of this issue “MINE MINE MINE!!!”, as that seems to be what’s going on for a large part of the story.  But, it makes sense here – this is a powerful artifact that has yet to be fully understood, and it certainly has enough power to impact literally any player in the DC Universe (well, almost…the holder of Pandora’s Box at the end of this issue seems not to be affected so far…).  The one thing that is obvious at the end of this issue is that Trinity War simply cannot end well for our heroes.

Jeff Lemire has scripted a stellar issue here, turning up the intensity without falling into the easy gimmicks that have plagued some past crossovers.  The artwork by Mikel Janin on pencils/inks and Jeromy Cox on colors is breathtaking, with wonderful page layouts and excellent action sequences.

THE BOTTOM LINE (SO FAR) FOR TRINITY WAR:

Yes, Trinity War is leading up to another event (Forever Evil), but this story does stand on it’s own quite well, and it is picking up speed nicely as it moves along.  This storyline delivers what any event comic should – an excellent overall story arc with a powerful threat, great match-ups both among allies and enemies, and pacing that just doesn’t let up.  I started reading Trinity War with a little skepticism…but I’m definitely enjoying this more and more as it moves forward.  We have one more chapter to go…and even though we can guess a bit of how this ends I’m looking forward to seeing just how we get there.

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