Trinity War (Comics) | Review

Three Justice League teams walk into what should be a simple international incident involving Black Adam's burial. Superman accidentally murders someone in cold blood. Now everyone's pointing fingers, chasing a mysterious cursed artifact and nobody realizes they're all dancing exactly as planned by dark forces pulling strings.

That setup kicks off Trinity War, the New 52's first major crossover event after two years of careful and deliberate buildup across titles. This isn't some random superhero brawl where everyone forgets about it next month and moves on like nothing ever happened.

Pandora's been wandering Earth for thousands of years carrying a mysterious and ancient skull-shaped box, believing it contains the Seven Deadly Sins she accidentally unleashed on innocent humanity long ago. She desperately thinks Superman's pure and incorruptible heart can finally open it and fix everything she has ever destroyed.

The moment Superman touches that mysterious and cursed box in Kahndaq, something breaks deep inside him completely and irreversibly. He loses control of his deadly heat vision during a tense diplomatic standoff and kills Doctor Light, the Justice League of America's newest recruit.

Pandora approaches Superman at Belle Reve prison, believing his pure heart can open her cursed box and trap the Seven Deadly Sins. When Superman touches the artifact, he becomes possessed briefly before seemingly returning to normal, though something's clearly wrong.

Shazam flies to Kahndaq to bury his defeated nemesis Black Adam, creating an international incident that draws both Justice Leagues. During the tense standoff between Superman and Shazam, the former's heat vision suddenly fires out of control and incinerates Doctor Light, a family man barely trained in his energy powers.

The death triggers a three-way investigation as heroes split into factions hunting different leads. Wonder Woman recruits Justice League Dark to track down Pandora and the box, believing it holds the key to curing Superman's condition and understanding what happened.

Batman leads Phantom Stranger, Deadman and Katana through a mystical journey into Heaven to interrogate Doctor Light's soul for answers. The dead hero remembers nothing about his murder, adding mystery to an impossible situation nobody can explain rationally.

Superman and the Question chase Doctor Psycho to Pittsburgh sewers after evidence suggests the telepath was present in Kahndaq during the killing. When confronted, Psycho admits the Secret Society sent him there but denies responsibility for Superman's actions, leaving everyone back at square one with no answers whatsoever.

The Atom confesses she's been Amanda Waller's mole on the Justice League. The revelation causes Superman's team to storm A.R.G.U.S. headquarters demanding answers, only to arrive as Plastique detonates a bomb made from Doctor Light's corpse that destroys the facility.

Wonder Woman intercepts Pandora at Luthor's prison cell and grabs the box herself. The moment she touches it, she transforms into a corrupted version with an eyeball growing from her tiara, pink lightning crackling everywhere and a massive sword chained to her arm proclaiming the box now possesses her completely.

Heroes scramble to free Wonder Woman from the box's corruption but one by one it begins affecting them all. Shazam takes the box and gets corrupted even worse because of his connection to Earth's magic, sending danger warnings to magical heroes across the planet.

John Constantine saves everyone by touching the box himself. Because he's already corrupted by his own choices and darkness, the box finds no pure good or evil to exploit in him, rendering its possession powers useless against someone who's embraced being morally compromised.

The Outsider emerges from shadows to claim Pandora's box, revealing it was never a mystical prison for sins at all. The artifact is actually advanced alien technology from Earth-3, his dying homeworld and only someone from that reality can open it because it operates on their world's specific science rather than magic and mysticism.

The Outsider opens the portal using the box, shattering it. The Crime Syndicate emerges from Earth-3: Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick, Power Ring and Deathstorm, all evil versions of Earth's greatest heroes ready to conquer this world while their reality collapses.

Artist Doug Mahnke (Black Adam: The Dark Age, Green Lantern: Sinestro) contributes solid professional artwork that grounds the story in Johns' established aesthetic. His character work excels with heroes like Hawkman, Martian Manhunter and Frankenstein, though this wasn't his strongest effort compared to previous projects.

Ivan Reis (Blackest Night, Infinite Crisis) delivers the crossover's most visually stunning work with spectacular splash pages and meticulous detail during hero battles. His panel layouts guide readers through complex action sequences without losing narrative clarity or emotional weight.

Mikel Janín (Justice League Dark: Death of Magic, Justice League Dark: In the Dark) brings dark, moody visuals perfect for mystical segments. His expressive character work during dialogue-heavy scenes provides emotional depth, though his subdued style contrasts sharply with Reis's over-the-top approach, creating visual whiplash.

Writers Geoff Johns (Brightest Day, Flashpoint) and Jeff Lemire (Cosmic Detective, Inhumans Vs. X-Men) split writing duties. Johns excels at weaving two years of plot threads into coherent mystery, though the resolution disappoints by functioning primarily as Forever Evil setup.

Trinity War attempts something ambitious by creating a genuine mystery where heroes investigate rather than punch problems away. The whodunit structure keeps readers guessing as suspects change every few chapters and Johns deserves credit for layering plot threads across two years of lore into one cohesive event.

The execution frustrates because the entire crossover exists to launch Forever Evil rather than tell its own story. The final issue reveals everything was manipulation, the Crime Syndicate arrives and it ends without resolution, forcing readers to buy another event for closure.

Ivan Reis delivers breathtaking artwork that makes the superhero battles worth experiencing, while Doug Mahnke and Mikel Janín contribute professional work that maintains visual quality. The massive cast creates problems where many heroes contribute nothing meaningful, existing only to fill out panels without advancing the plot.

For committed New 52 readers invested in continuity, Trinity War provides essential context for Forever Evil and shows how the Crime Syndicate entered this reality. Casual readers should skip this because it's a prologue pretending to be an event with no satisfying payoff for its setup.

Justice League: Trinity War is collected in a single trade paperback and hardcover edition from DC Comics. You'll find physical copies at comic shops, bookstores and online retailers. Digital editions can be read on Amazon Kindle, ComiXology and DC Universe Infinite platforms.