Trinity Special #1 features five stories all written by Tom King and published by DC. Artists include Belen Ortega and Daniel Sampere. Colourists include Alejandro Sanchez and Tomeu Morey . Letters are by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Sampere and Morey.
Trinity Special #1 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your copy from Comixology right here.
Synopsis
Featuring DC’s brightest new star, Trinity! Discover Lizzie’s earliest adventures as she takes the world of heroes by storm! Reprinting the character’s first appearance alongside hilarious tales of the little Amazon and her Super Son babysitters, this special will be an instant classic for fans old and new. Plus, a brand-new story from the all-star creative team behind Wonder Woman that will tease the future of Diana’s daughter!
Review
Like it or not, Tom King’s run on Wonder Woman has begun in incredible fashion with the introduction of Trinity. The daughter of Diana Prince, daughter of Themyscira and current Princess of the Amazons. Though we don’t know the full story of her parentage, Trinity has already made her presence felt in the backup stories in King’s main Wonder Woman title. Now DC is collecting those together with a couple of other shorts in Trinity Special #1, available today.
King’s collected backup shorts are a brilliant introduction to the character. Through the three part story, called “World’s Finest”, King has built up a strong bond between Trinity, Jon Kent and Damian Wayne. Part three even teases calling them Trinity’s Trinity. DC: The Next Generation as it were. But more than superficially connecting these three together, King has chosen to show us then as children, teenagers and, in part three, young adults. We’ve witnessed their bond over a space of time which, though accelerated, has projected a sense of longevity.
Rather than asking us to sit through a traditional origin story. King instead simply allows Trinity to exist. We discover her personality and her abilities through her interactions with Jon and Damian. Given the popularity of the Super Sons this was definitely a good idea. Visiting them in three different periods also gives a great opportunity to flex the style of storytelling. In part one we see Jon and Damian the babysitters in a comedy adventure. In the second, Trinity has aged up and able to show more of what she is capable of. In the third the three are now equals. The progression is natural and teases an interesting future where these three could be the DC’s foremost heroes.
Each of the three parts is drawn by the electrifying Belen Ortega. Ortega’s style is the perfect choice for these more youthful, exuberant stories. There’s a strong sense of movement and excitement which is pitched perfectly at the young heroes. The same can be said of Alejandro Sanchez’s colours which add to the energy of “World’s Finest”.
This is followed up by a pair of further King stories with artwork by long-time collaborators Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey. The first, “Mothers and Daughters”, is classic King. A relentless, eight-panel per page, back-and-forth between Trinity and her mother Diana, juxtaposed against Diana having a similar interaction with her own mother, Queen Hippolyta. It’s sensational character storytelling. The back-and-forth is incredible. King’s dialogue is so tight that it’s up to Sampere and Morey to distinguish who is speaking. Often the dialogue cuts between the present (Trinity/Diana) and the past (Diana/Hippolyta). Such is the nature of both conversations that they become interchangeable. It beautifully illustrates the similarities between mother and daughter in both scenarios. Whilst there is action there’s almost no need other than to punctuate the events which are taking place. The tightly framed, close up imagery is more than capable of carrying such an extraordinary piece of character portraiture.
The final story, simply titled “Trinity”, takes the character’s story in the future and loops it back around to events unfolding in Wonder Woman. It’s a fun, full circle moment for King and the characters. Picking up some time after the events of “World’s Finest”, Trinity and an older Jon (as Superman) and Damian (as Batman in full Batman #666 costume) are forced to confront The Sovereign. The villain, currently manipulating the US against Diana in the present day, is seemingly being kept under lock and key on Themyscira. The twist certainly indicates that there is far more going on in King’s Wonder Woman than meets the eye. In terms of spoilers, all it really does is confirm that Sovereign’s narration in that main book is his recounting of the story to Trinity in this very moment. The intricacy of the storytelling is typical King and perfectly executed.
Verdict
A cool collection of stories which will easily acclimatise any reader to this new character. Trinity is fun, exciting and yet not too far away from being deep in to one to the DCU’s biggest contemporary storylines.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
