Trinity: Dead Space (Comics) | Review

Sometimes the hardest battles aren't against world-ending threats but the moral compromises they force. Trinity: Dead Space throws Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman into that nightmare: watch their Justice League teammates die from an alien virus.

There's no clean solution, no third option that preserves everyone's life, and writer/artist Francis Manapul (Justice League: No Justice, The Flash: Rogues Revolution) knows it well. This collection pulls together issues 7-11 from the Rebirth-era Trinity series, bridging multiple storylines that test the trinity in different ways.

You get the villain-focused Pandora Pits arc, a Superman: Reborn tie-in dealing with Clark's existential crisis about his merged identity, and the titular Dead Space story where the Justice League Watchtower becomes a potential extinction-level threat.

The volume opens with what Manapul calls the "Dark Trinity": Lex Luthor, Ra's al Ghul, and Circe drawn to the mysterious Pandora Pits somewhere near the Kahndaqi border. These mystical wells aren't your standard Lazarus Pits. They're older, stranger, and apparently capable of manifesting physical embodiments of abstract concepts.

In this case, they birth the Composite Trinity, a monstrous fusion of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman's worst aspects designed to test whether these three villains can work together. The Composite Trinity fight is visually striking but narratively thin.

You have three master manipulators forced into an uneasy alliance against a creature that knows their weaknesses. Ra's wants the pits for his usual schemes immortality schemes. Circe needs them to restore her soul. Lex plays his own game, positioning himself as Metropolis's Superman while undermining the real one.

Then the book pivots hard into Superman: Reborn territory. If you didn't read the Superman: Reborn crossover event, you'll be lost. Clark is having nightmares about fighting his New 52 self, traumatized by the revelation that they merged into a single being with both sets of memories.

Bruce's reaction is particularly frustrating as he scoffs at Clark's concerns, which reads as tone-deaf given Batman's own issues with identity and trauma. Diana offers empathy, but the resolution comes from outside forces rather than the Trinity working through the problem. It's a tie-in that exists because editorial mandated it.

Dead Space arc is where the volume finds its footing. The trinity receives emergency summons to the Justice League Watchtower. When they arrive, League members have been infected by an alien virus that will kill them, then use their bodies as incubators to spread across Earth.

Here's where Manapul's setup pays off. This isn't surprise betrayal or mind control. Infected League members know they're doomed, begging the trinity to kill them before it's too late. Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Cyborg– all conscious, terrified, resigned. The weight lands because these are friends making impossible requests.

The alien threat follows standard sci-fi horror beats. Benign aliens promise to cure the virus if the Trinity trusts them. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have to navigate between the aliens' lies, their teammates' suffering, and the ticking clock toward planetary infection.

What makes this work despite the predictable plot is how each member of the Trinity processes the dilemma differently. Superman wants to save everyone. Batman calculates acceptable losses. Wonder Woman balances warrior pragmatism and diplomatic hope. Their approaches clash, then synthesize into something earned.

The resolution involves the Trinity accepting that sometimes heroism means making impossible calls. They find a third option, but it's not clean or painless. People get hurt. Trust gets damaged. The Watchtower situation gets resolved, but emotional fallout lingers.

The volume works best when read as character study rather than plot-driven narrative. You're watching three different leadership styles navigate different crisis scenarios. The actual threats matter less than how the Trinity eventually responds to them.

Francis Manapul handles art duties on the Pandora Pits and Dead Space arcs, and his work is the main reason to pick up this collection. Manapul's style is instantly recognizable: watercolor-influenced colors, dynamic panel layouts that guide your eye across the page, and character expressions that convey emotion without overacting.

The Composite Trinity design is appropriately nightmarish - a distorted amalgamation of heroic iconography twisted into something predatory. It moves with uncanny familiarity, using combat techniques borrowed from its component heroes but executed with malicious intent.

Clay Mann illustrates the Superman: Reborn tie-in issue. While his technical skill is undeniable, the tonal shift is jarring. Mann's work is more traditionally superheroic with cleaner lines, more defined musculature, and less expressionistic color work. It's competent without being inspired, which matches the nature of that particular story.

Cullen Bunn co-writes the Dead Space arc with Manapul, and their collaboration produces tighter pacing than Manapul's solo work. The dialogue snaps, moving scenes forward without drowning in exposition. Character voices remain distinct even under existential pressure.

Trinity: Dead Space is a collection that lives and dies by Francis Manapul's artwork. The visual storytelling is consistently excellent, delivering moments of genuine beauty and horror often within the same sequence. If you're someone who prioritizes art over plot in superhero comics, this volume absolutely delivers what you're looking for.

The writing is more uneven. The Dead Space arc succeeds because it gives the trinity meaningful choices with lasting consequences. Their different approaches to heroism complement rather than cancel each other out, even when tensions run high.

The Pandora Pits story feels like setup without payoff, which makes sense given it leads directly into Vol. 3's Dark Destiny arc. The Composite Trinity is visually memorable but dramatically inert. The villain team-up never generates the energy it should, leaving you with a cool concept executed in the most straightforward way possible.

If you're invested in the Rebirth era Trinity series, this volume is essential despite its flaws. If you're looking for a standalone Trinity story, Better Together is the stronger choice. Dead Space rewards series readers while leaving casual readers feeling like they missed context.

Trinity: Dead Space physical editions are available in trade paperback and hardcover through comic-book shops and major retailers like Amazon. Digital version is also on ComiXology, Kindle and DC Universe Infinite for readers who prefer instant access.