Trinity of Sin #5 opens with Pandora, the Question, and the Phantom Stranger following an angelic figure known as the Caretaker. As they follow the apparent rescuer through a portal, they find that it was an illusion and the three are actually being crucified in the Redemption Box.
Their doom comes in the form of crystalline vultures, picking at their flesh while they struggle, bound to their stakes. And as the birds take their fill, all manner of other creatures begin to descend upon them. The Question refuses to accept this end and fights his way off his cross, seeking the answers about his own identity that have eluded him. There in the desert he is confronted by the specters of the identities he’s assumed, a myriad of faces calling out, “who am I?”
It is here that the Caretaker truly enters the story, positing to the Question that it is the acts of a man that are important, not the identity of the man. The Question isn’t fully satisfied by this answer but it triggers a nagging feeling: doubt. He begins to doubt the hell he and the rest of the Trinity of Sin are trapped in and races back to free Pandora and the Phantom Stranger so that all three can escape the Redemption Box and take down Nimraa.
THE POSITIVE
By focusing in on the Question, both in voice and in action, J.M. DeMatteis provides the series with an immediacy that was missing from other issues. The series centers around the conflict between fate and expectations, as well as the guilt that can drive them both, and this has never been more apparent than in this issue.
There are some fantastic visual moments to this issue as well, as the Question takes on versions of his counterparts, Pandora and the Phantom Stranger. These battles allow the primarily internal conflict to take on a visceral form, adding to the tension in the issue.
THE NEGATIVE
Yvel Guichet’s artwork has normally been a strong point on this series, however with Trinity of Sin #5, there are some inconsistencies in the artwork, especially in the earlier pages. In some panels, the Question’s head is arranged in such a way that it looks like his neck was broken. It’s possible that this was a stylistic choice to externalize the internal conflict the Redemption Box is twisting around him, but if that is the case, this was not the most effective way to visualize that.
THE VERDICT
The tighter focus on the Question helps to drive the issue and makes it a solid improvement over its predecessors. Unfortunately, the art is not as strong as previous issues, though the images continue to excel in the bigger pieces the issue provides. Ultimately Trinity of Sin #5, makes for a good, fun read leading into the series finale.
