You know what the number means. Someone dies. The Top Cow Universe will change forever. Does Broken Trinity #3 live up to the hype?
Broken Trinity #3
Writer: Ron Marz
Artists: Stjepan Sejic, Phil Hester
Cover: Stjepan Sejic (pictured), Dale Keown
I’m not going to lie – this is a tough one. How do you review a comic of this magnitude without spoiling the ending? If you have been following the Top Cow universe at all – or more specifically the recent Broken Trinity run – you know what this comic signifies. Someone is going to die. Well, to rephrase, someone already did – you just don’t know who yet.
So I find myself between a rock and a hard place. I have been quite vocal in the past about how I wanted this event to end. Because of this, I fear sharing even my level of satisfaction with the comic will accidently give something away. But forge ahead I must. So here you go, read on for one tap-dance of a review.
Summary: The event of the year concludes! Just like First Born before it, the outcome of Broken Trinity will affect the Top Cow Universe forever.
The mini-series lives up to its name as the trinity of Witchblade, The Darkness and The Angelus is broken when a character dies, causing an upset in the balance between Light and Dark. But amidst all this destruction, there is creation. The entire Top Cow Universe hangs in the balance as one story ends…and some new ones begin.
Review: Top Cow delivers as they said they would. By the end of Broken Trinity #3, the Top Cow universe has changed forever. As promised, by the final page of the book one story ends, but I am left feeling that the greater ramification of the issue is the birth of many, many, more.
I went into the book on pins and needles. Top Cow set the series up masterfully, giving the reader a feeling that none of the three were really safe. Think about it. Sara recently had a child – who inherited some sort of supernatural power. She also splits the Witchblade with another bearer. The Witchblade story could feasibly continue without the iconic comic heroine. Jackie finds himself in a similar situation. Having fallen out of favor with the Darkness, he is feeble and weak – a perfect advantage for the ever-watching Angelus to strike. And the Angelus? She’s one crazy b*tch. The volatility of her character alone leaves her vulnerable. This is how my mind worked up till the last frame. I was not sure who would exit stage right until the killing blow was unequivocally delivered. And it was. Despite several red-herrings left to throw the reader off, by the end of the book the departed was set in stone.
What was birthed in his or her departure? By the end of Broken Trinity a whole new lore has been added to the Top Cow universe. If you have read the past books, something has been hinted at by the Curator for some time now. With the appropriate prodding, in Broken Trinity #3 he opens up to reveal that the balance between the Witchblade, the Angelus and the Darkness is much more complicated than it may seem. The number 13 has some significance, and my mind reels at the thought of what this means for the future of Top Cow. Right now Top Cow has a plethora of new intellectual property to expand on. And I hope they do. I would love to see two of the new characters fleshed out further, especially one that has a certain affinity for flame.
By the end of Broken Trinity #3, there is a new duality of good and evil. Some bonds are strengthened while others are broken. Despite the promised fatality, you somehow know at the back of your mind that the Trinity will become whole again. Things primeval in nature tend to work that way.
As for the nitty-gritty details? As before, the art is spectacular. Stjepan Sejic is becoming a favorite artist of mine without a doubt. Marz crafts a story strong enough to draw deep emotional reactions from me, and the mini-event sets itself up for much bigger things.
So how does the series end? Who dies? One thing is for sure, you are not going to get an answer from me. Go and pick up the book and find out yourself. Broken Trinity #3 hits comic shelves today.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Well said, Meg. Marz is hitting this comic out of the park!