Review: Trinity #1 “Better Together: Part One- Family Dinner”

Submitted: Ken Trickey, Comic News Writer

23 September 16

Script, art, and cover: Francis Manapul

Trinity is a comic book geek’s grand fantasy. Batman, Superman, AND Wonder Woman in one comic series. Baddies beware! This trinity of justice is set to deliver the bang, pow, and boom with righteous expediency, right? Well, no. Not yet anyways. Fans chomping at the bit for action from their three favorite superheroes may be disappointed by this initial issue. For those of us that appreciate character building and interpersonal relationships, this is a necessary step to begin exploring a new dynamic.

Anyone who has been keeping up with DC’s Rebirth will remember this universe’s Superman has already passed away after his final battle with Solar Superman. During that fight, we learned that a Superman from another universe has been living on Earth for a short period of time. This Superman has a family with Lois Lane, Superboy, and their dog Krypto. While this world’s Superman was alive, the newcomer was content with living a quaint existence as a farmer in Smallville, Kansas. Now, however, a meeting of the minds is in order.

The artwork in this book is reminiscent of great American landscape paintings. The soft, undefined rolling hills of Kansas dance pleasantly across the iris with the warm colors of a sunset. The readers’ attention is gently directed to the sharper, finely detailed subject of each panel. This issue feels like a real piece of Americana. It's obvious that Manapul understands how to set the effect of the environment. It will be interesting to see if he’ll maintain this art style or if it will shift significantly as the setting changes. The clever unorthodox paneling is a nice touch as well, displaying his ability to play both within and outside of our expectations.

While we’ve started down the path, we have yet to solve the numerous mysteries of this universe. How did Superman get here? What happened to his universe? Who is this human Clark Kent and where did he come from? What are the implications of his arrival? Have more people, friendly or otherwise, taken the same path? How will the Justice League react to him? There's a lot to unpack here, and I suspect it will take a while to sort it all out.

The Verdict: Fans anticipating an action packed slugfest will certainly be disappointed. Patience, dear reader! There will be time enough for all that, and the wait isn't likely to be a long one. Instead, this issue is about building new friendships that feel familiar, and addressing lingering enigmas.

Everything to Know for Arrow Season 5

In the previous year, Team Arrow successfully defeated Ra’s Al Ghul, saving Starling City from destruction. Following saving the city, Oliver and Felicity decided to take some time away from crime fighting and travel the world in a new relationship which eventually leads to an engagement. In the meantime, Diggle, Laurel, and Thea were left to defend the city. However, they soon found themselves overwhelmed by a new crime wave organization, and Oliver soon rejoined the team as the newly christened Green Arrow. As the Green Arrow, Oliver hoped to inspire the city to fight against the latest evil: Damian Darhk.

Unfortunately, facing off against Darhk proved to be more difficult with his mystical abilities. With the newly-named Star City going through rough times, Oliver decides to run for mayor in hopes of fighting back in the light as well as the dark. Although Oliver attempted to fight his demons, the rest of the team struggled in their own obstacles. Diggle, who eventually overcame his distrust of Oliver, was shocked to discover the return of his dead brother Andy as a soldier of Darhk’s. Thea suffers from an uncontrollable bloodlust as a result of being brought back to life by the Lazarus Pit. Laurel feels betrayed upon discovering her father’s own connection to Damian Darhk works to bring her own sister Sara back from the dead. Finally, Felicity attempts to take on her new role as CEO of Palmer Technologies with the help of her new employee Curtis Holt.

The fight against Darhk eventually takes a turn for the worst as a fight later leaves Felicity paralyzed. Even worse, Darhk makes a personal blow to the team by going after Oliver’s own son, recently discovered by Oliver himself in Central City. The reveal of his son soon led to the disintegration of Oliver and Felicity’s engagement. Thankfully, though, a new development by Curtis allows Felicity to walk again, and Nyssa Al Ghul delivers Oliver a cure for Thea’s bloodlust in exchange for helping her to reclaim and then disband the League of Assassins. As the struggle increases, Oliver then decides to take Darhk head on by learning to harness his own form of magic against him. However, the battle against Darhk takes a turn for the worse when he murders Laurel Lance in the midst of fighting.

Eventually, Darhk’s plan is discovered as an apocalyptic destruction of the world with an underground dome protecting a select few to survive. With the help of Felicity’s returning father, the team shuts down Darhk’s nuclear destruction and evacuate the underground town. Oliver then successfully defeats Damian Darhk by harnessing the light and hope of the city

In the end, Oliver is sworn in as interim mayor as the rest of the team go their separate ways. After killing his own brother, Diggle decides to rejoin the army. Thea chooses to step away from the vigilante life after to overcome her own bloodlust. Felicity loses her position as CEO, but, despite the loss of the team, she chooses to stay with Oliver in his plan to save the city.

Five years ago, Oliver returned to Lian Yu under orders from Amanda Waller to assess a new threat. The new threat turns out to be a military operation run by a man named Reiter. Oliver successfully infiltrates the operation and befriends a local prisoner Taiana. Following an encounter with John Constantine, Reiter uses Oliver’s protection to locate a totem that holds magical properties. Those magical properties give Reiter new powers as he kills his own men. Oliver and Taiana manage to free the prisoners and steal the totem. Unfortunately, the totem begins to affect Taiana, granting her power but also corrupting her. She manages to kill Reiter, but, upon realizing the totem’s effect, she begs Oliver to kill her. He kills her out of mercy and, after meeting up once again with Amanda Waller, plans to go to Russia as a promise to her.

Season Five

In season five, Oliver and Felicity work together to protect Star City, though, of course, things will have to change as the rest of the characters return to the story. However, since Oliver cannot protect the city on his own, this season will introduce a squad of new characters to be the latest vigilantes on the street. This will include Curtis as Mr. Terrific, Evelyn from “Canary Cry” this time as Artemis, and newcomer Rene Ramirez as Wild Dog. In this midst of this, Star City will also gain a new district attorney in Adrian Chase who is known for future as the Vigilante himself. Also, despite the two’s absence, Diggle and Thea likely won’t stay away from their hero roles for long.

However, that just revolves around his night job. Oliver Queen will also deal with the new issues of being mayor of Star City. While this puts him even more in the limelight, the position also places him in the line of new characters such as reporter Susan Williams and new crime lord Tobias Church, who seizes control of the criminal underground. These characters will most certainly work on the front line of earlier episodes before moving onto the more significant antagonist in Prometheus. For now, he seems like a darker archer, but his deeper history might tie back into a darker Oliver from the past.

In addition to the present, this will be the last season that includes flashbacks to Oliver’s time before returning home. More importantly, Oliver will make his long-awaited trip to Russia where he will join the mafia. To make matters more interesting, he appears to be coming in the midst of a threat to a village as described by his friend Taiana. Finally, the archer will come face to face with comic book familiar Kovar who is also known as Red Star, here played by Dolph Lundgren. Whether his history as Red Star emerges or even if he will be good is unclear, but Oliver will inevitably face the event that will convince him to return home.

If that’s not enough, Arrow will cross another major milestone with its 100^th episode. In the momentous occasion, the show will take part in the four-way crossover with the other members of the DC-CW network. However, with five seasons under its belt, the latest episodes of Arrow will likely return to the earlier roots as the grounded city superhero he is. That doesn’t necessarily bar the appearance of a few metahumans, but this year will likely go down a gritty superhero drama path that helps the show stand out among the science fiction aspects of The Flash or Legends of Tomorrow. In other words, be prepared for some top-notch fighting.

Bottom line is, Arrow is returning for a fifth season and will likely stay around for a few more years. Whether it gains new characters or return to its roots, there is something about the show that keeps people watching. Whatever that something is, there’s sure to be more this year. 

Photo Credit: CW

The Geekcap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Meet the New Boss"

In a child’s bedroom, a ghostly woman watches a boy sleep. The boy wakes up to see and quickly screams for his dad. His father asks him about the ghost but then tries to send him to bed. However, when he reaches to pick up a fallen picture frame, the man suddenly sees the ghostly figure. The woman asks what they’re doing in her house and calls for Joseph. The man tries to explain that Joseph no longer owns the house, but the woman instead flies through him. Coming back, the man then sees a ghoulish look on his son’s face.

Robbie Reyes leaves his home and then drives his Dodge Charger to his job as a mechanic. In the back, two fellow mechanics ask if he saw the game the other night. Robbie tells them that he was busy, leading to the men to ask about the woman’s name. He tells them discreetly that he didn’t catch her name as he spots a familiar name passing his garage.

Back at the base, Fitz and Simmons observe the container that drove the men insane. While Simmons observes that it’s just an ordinary box, Fitz begins to search on different quantum levels. Theorizing that the substance could be of a different world, he then sees that there is indeed a different substance. As the two look further, Mack arrives to add another wrinkle. From a witness’s family, he has discovered a similar reaction from a man who claimed to have seen a ghost. Fitz and Simmons scoff at the image as a hallucination, but Mack then shows them footage of the other night. When paused just right, the three see the same ghostly woman.

Mack: Or...maybe it's just a ghost?

Outside the hall, Coulson and May wait for a meeting with the new Director, though he is already an hour late. Despite the wait, Coulson himself accepts his position and plans to apologize for going after Daisy in order to quickly move on to his next mission. May questions how he can be so eager to leave once again, and Coulson admits that the Zephyr feels more like home after the changes at the base. It appears to be the one thing the new Director cannot take away.

At the garage, Robbie finally approaches the van outside and breaks it open. Finding no one, he returns to his garage, only to find Daisy chatting with one of the mechanics Canelo. She claims to be a friend of Robbie’s from Garfield High and asks for help fixing her van after the engine burst into flames.

Robbie observes her van and notes it fine for use. Daisy notes that an engine on fire must have problems, revealing her knowledge of his secret. Although Robbie tries to dismiss her, Daisy presses further, questioning that there is no way for him to verify every one of his victims. Robbie explains that she doesn’t know anything about him, she reveals her own research. Claiming to know him in front of another mechanic, she notes that he went to Crandall Elementary and went to the Moonraker Arcade in Little Tokyo until his uncle picked him up. Back then, Daisy says he was quiet, as though he was hiding something. Robbie then warns her not to go further before he gets any angrier. He quickly fixes her van to send her off, but Daisy then uses her powers to bust the engine, forcing him to work again.

Coulson and May meet up with the new Director, a man named Jeffery, two hours behind schedule. Though neither May nor Coulson are excited about the meeting, the Director greets them cordially and speaks with them privately. Coulson apologizes for taking part in an unauthorized mission to find Daisy, but the Director graciously accepts his reasons, noting that Daisy was a close friend. However, he reminds Coulson that, in order to provide a clean image of SHIELD’s legitimacy, they can’t let news escape that a rogue agent is in the public. Coulson argues that Daisy would not want to tarnish the agency, but the Director states that they need to build trust. He then sends May off in order to describe a new mission for Coulson but not before May spots the same ghoulish face on the Director himself.

Looking into the image, Fitz, Simmons, and Mack deduce that the figure was able to drive the men insane after a single touch. Fitz and Simmons try to analyze it from a scientific perspective while Mack interjects that it could just simply be a ghost. More importantly, however, they find that the box’s material was only created in three locations that were all shut down. With one location in Pasadena, not too far from the trade, Mack plans to scout the area with Fitz joining. Unfortunately, Simmons remains behind. Being tasked by the Director to help the latest tour.

The Director explains that since Coulson knows more about the history of the base than anyone, he should also help on the tour. While Coulson believes his knowledge could best be used elsewhere, the Director then advises Coulson on the benefits of the tour. Though Coulson has always been able to find money for their system, the tour for UN, Congress, and Sokovia Accord representatives could provide a significant boost for SHIELD moving into the public. This move becomes even more important as the Director reminds Coulson how he got the position in the first place.

At Momentum Energy Lab, the ghostly woman moves through the rooms to find one with a reactor and more containers. Looking into the systems, she opens another box to release another spirit, a man named Hugo. He demands to know what happened to them and why they were trapped. The woman pleads for him to remain calm as they try to find the others, but the man implores what could happen if they were trapped for days. She then mournfully reveals that they have been locked up for years.

Director: Melinda May, now there's a riddle I'd like to solve.

Daisy continues to ask how Robbie could possibly know the crimes of his victims, though Robbie continues to ignore her questions. She then tries to appeal to him as an Inhuman, believing him to be going through a rough transition. He states that he isn’t Inhuman and instead, in a way, sold his soul to the devil. Because of that, he isn’t afraid if she’s willing to fight. Daisy brings up that he shouldn’t want to leave Gabe without his brother. At the mention of Gabe, Robbie takes a pipe and ignites it to fight. Though Daisy puts up a struggle, Robbie gets the upper hand by knocking her unconscious.

At the base, Coulson and the Director begin their tour of the base to the political elite as May surveys the area. Although the tour begins on a good start, May continues to see ghoulish faces in everyone. Desperately, she speaks to one of the gang members in captivity to ask about the images. The man understands seeing the images everywhere but panics that there is no way to stop them. In his frenzy, he repeatedly slams his head against the wall. Simmons quickly arrives to tranquilizes the man but finds May gone when she tries to question her.

In the meantime, Fitz and Mack travel on the Zephyr One to Pasadena to look on Momentum Labs. Though both are researching the facility, Mack struggles with some of the numbers, admitting that isolation in the plane has made him tired. Fitz tries to remind him that he still talks with Elena, but Mack still recognizes the hurt from the fact that he was unable to find Daisy.

At Momentum Lab, the woman, named Lucy, releases another spirit as they begin to argue on what happened to them. Hugo argues that they have been backstabbed by Lucy’s husband, but Lucy tries to keep them together in order to discuss a plan on who’s really responsible. Reminding him about the use of the Darkholde book, Lucy tries to plan to find the man responsible and then kill him for revenge.

Daisy wakes up tied to a chair as Robbie goes through her few possessions. Though Daisy wonders why he doesn’t kill her outright, Robbie once again explains that he only goes after victims who deserve it. The fact that she appears to have a death wish from the other night which leads him to question her guilt. However, he offers that if she seems to deserve it, he will oblige by taking her life.

The spirits release another spirit by the name of Vincent who seems to have lost his ability to speak. Though Vincent and Hugo are eager for revenge, Lucy reminds them that they need to find the Darkhold to reverse what happened. Hugo instead argues that she is partially responsible for the book and desires to destroy the reactor in the lab, which has enough power to take out the entire block.

As Robbie looks further through Daisy’s items, he sees that she has gone after plenty of similar people as he has. The only difference, he notes, is that she seems to go after people for penance rather than vengeance, finding a picture of Lincoln among her research. Though Daisy doesn’t denounce her guilt, she appeals to him in their agreement to observe the big picture. While the people he killed were guilty gang members, they were transferring a weapon that could potentially kill more people as well as them. However, when she brings up Momentum Labs as the source of the weapon, Robbie quickly leaves without another word. Daisy breaks free from her binding and chases after Robbie when he drives off in his car. Then, Robbie ignites his engine, forcing Daisy off as he escapes.

May makes her way to her locker passed the gym as the tour continues in the base. As the Director shows his guests the lab, Simmons notices a response team moving a man out of the containment units following his outburst. When the group is interested in seeing the containment units, the Director is forced to distract the others by diverting to the quinjets as Simmons attempts to observe the “incident.” When Coulson presses further, she admits one of their subjects had a mental breakdown after coming in contact with something the other night and worries if the same happened to May.

Daisy: And you just said we're not that different. I'm sorry, but you just said that like, ten seconds ago.

Mack and Fitz make their way through Momentum Labs which appears abandoned and dark. After searching, they come across the room with the reactor and opened containers. As the two question what went on in the lab, they come face-to-face with Hugo, another ghost to them.

May searches through her locker for something to fight against the images she sees. In her frantic behavior, Coulson comes to see what’s wrong. May tells him that the base has been infiltrated, and she fears what could happen to the others if she does nothing. Coulson tries to calm May down and advises going to the lab to see if Simmons can find a solution to the infiltration. Unsure, May follows him.

Mack attempts to fight off the spirit, but Hugo quickly disappears after every blow. Recognizing the same spectrum from the image, Fitz believes that Mack could suffer the same fate as the gang if the ghost would touch him. Unfortunately, the fight leads Mack trapped inside the reactor as the machine starts, and the ghost continues to disappear.

As May walks with Coulson, she grows more nervous seeing images in her team’s faces. Suddenly, she turns on everyone, fighting off Coulson and her trainees as they struggle to take her down without hurting her. When she tries to escape, May faces the Director who orders her to stop. Not heeding orders, she tries to fight him, but her blows seem to have no effect on his body. The Director then lifts her with one arm and tosses her into a wall, revealing himself to be an Inhuman with surprising strength.

The reactor heats faster and faster, threatening to kill Mack and everyone around it with Fitz unable to help. When Hugo then goes after Fitz, however, he is stopped by the sudden appearance of the Ghost Rider who can touch the spirit without any effects. In fact, Robbie’s touch incinerates the spirit before he can do any harm to Fitz. Daisy follows shortly behind and uses her powers to rescue Mack as Robbie escapes. Before he leaves, he takes a nearby photo off the wall.

Reuniting, Mack tends to Daisy’s arm, finding a fracture. Though they’re happy to see her, Mack and Fitz are concerned about what Daisy is after with Ghost Rider. Although Mack sees him as a killer, Daisy remarks that Robbie seems to go after guilty criminals and already rescued Fitz. Nevertheless, Mack tries to convince Daisy to return to SHIELD in an effort to help her heal, though he slowly realizes that she and Elena have been conspiring behind his back for medicine. Daisy argues that she’s doing what she thinks is best, but Fitz calls back that no matter what happened to the team, they tries to stay together. With no agreement, Daisy leaves once again.

Back at the base, the Director finishes up the successful tour and speaks with Coulson. Privately, the Director asks if he is doing things right. He reminds him that it was Coulson’s idea, first of all, to step down from the director position for SHIELD to move to the public. After Captain America’s escape, Coulson then requested a powered person the public could trust to be put in the position, and the Director hopes to have him as an advisor. However, he knows that Coulson cannot be objective when it comes to people like Daisy or May. Coulson then wonders what the Director has planned for May, but the information remains classified. Meanwhile, May continues to suffer her breakdown, strapped to a bed on the quinjet.

Afterwards, Daisy attempts to start her van to no avail. Fortunately, Robbie drives his car near her location and offers her a chance to find the connection between the gang members, the lab, and the box. He reveals that he knows where it could center: himself. 

N.O.T.E.S.

• The Director's first name is Jeffery. This could be a hint that he is actually Jeffery Mace, a 1940's Marvel character who was the third man to become Captain America. However, in the comics, he did not have superpowers.
• The Darkhold book the spirits mention is likely the Darkhold Book of Sins, which contains all the works of black magic in the Marvel Universe. Its counterpart book, the Book of the Vishanti, is owned by Doctor Strange. 
• Mack's shotgun-axe first seen in the previous season finale makes another appearance here.
• Simmons references Tobias Ford from the season one episode "Repairs" when discussing possible explanations for "ghosts."

Photo Credit: ABC/Marvel

Review: Doom Patrol “Happy Birthday, Casey Brinke: Brick by Brick- Part One”

Submitted: Ken Trickey, Comic News Writer

23 September 16

Writer: Gerald Way

Artist: Nick Derington

Something strange this way comes. Young Animal’s Doom Patrol #1 is a disjointed, schizophrenic series of incomprehensible events that lack cohesion. Before we continue, I feel it necessary to confess that I am totally unfamiliar with this franchise. I have, so far, been unsuccessful in my attempts to alleviate my ignorance as there doesn't seem to be a great deal of information about the series outside of rather dated source material, and what I have briefly seen of that doesn't appear to closely resemble its current iteration. It is entirely possible, if not probable, that longtime fans will breeze through these vignettes, these small moments, with a complete understanding of their meaning. To those readers, I apologize, but Doom Patrol is not friendly to newcomers.

Casey Brinke, the protagonist, appears to be an expert ambulance driver with an unreliable memory and a need to do good deeds at every opportunity. Her after-hours riffing session with a coworker provides us with an entry point into a strange world existing within a gyro. The gyro-based world introduces us to a humanoid robot as he escapes and assumes the normal size of a man before being shattered by a garbage truck. There also appears to be an alien conspiracy involving fast food, a homeless man who has lost a friend, a lion riddled with arrows, and a looming nuclear apocalypse. What any of these things have to do with each other is well beyond my reach.

The artwork in this comic is enjoyable. The deep purple and blue colors of Casey’s environment are rich but not oversaturated. The shift in style for the gyro’s microcosm provides a distinctive visual cue so that, even if most everything else is unclear, the transition to another world is easy to pick up on.

The Verdict: All in all, I am glad to see DC is experimenting with its new Young Animal imprint. A company with a legacy like DC needs some room for this sort of thing in order to stay relevant. That being said, this is not a series that just anyone can pick up and understand. Newcomers, beware: this issue was not written with you in mind. There's something unique happening here. It might be worth investigating, but the story better start to come together before its whimsical charm wears off.