Review: Dark Nights: Death Metal – Trinity Crisis #1

"Trinity Crisis"

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Francis Manapul
Color Artist: Ian Herring
Letterer: Tom Napolitano

Review by Steve J. Ray

Dark Nights: Death Metal – Trinity Crisis #1 is almost a mini event in itself. Do you remember DC’s Crisis On Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis? Prepare yourself for a crash course on all of them… and a lot more besides!

As you’ve probably guessed from the title, this issue focuses heavily on the DC Trinity of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman; that’s a given. The fact that it also homages and remembers the previous three huge Crisis events is a wonderful bonus. Scott Snyder, not content with flipping the DC Universe on it’s head with the dreaded Dark Multiverse, is turning the tables on us all once again. If you think you know those classic mega-adventures, then prepare yourselves for a big surprise.

Francis Manapul is the perfect choice of artist for this bumper book of boisterous bravado. The opening splash, and the following double page spread, put a huge grin on my face, for sure. The anti-monitor, parallel worlds, Conner Kent battling the Earth-Prime Superboy… such great memories. Manapul evokes the legendary George Perez and Phil Jimenez, but still has a style and flare all of his own.

I must also give kudos to the great color art by Ian Herring. The Crisis pages really do feel like those of the 80s and early 2000s, but are also here, now, and bang up to date.

I’ve loved Tom Napolitano’s work for many years, and the way his style can also feel brand new, yet simultaneously vintage, is gorgeous. Add in the many different speech styles, sound effects and titles, and what we get in this issue is the work of a tried and tested veteran.

I can’t fault the story in Dark Nights: Death Metal – Trinity Crisis #1, or the visuals. Oh… and that last page knocked me for six!

Conclusion

I’m absolutely loving the whole Death Metal event. No, this isn’t deep Watchmen, or Sandman style literature, but what it is is huge, fun, cosmic, Technicolor entertainment, and the kind of comic that’s just a pure joy to read.

I love the way that the creative teams are writing this blockbuster in a way that make it completely accessible to new readers, but that also rewards old (and in my case, long in the tooth) fans, too.

Great stuff.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment