*Warning Spoilers Below*

Francis Manapul pulls out all the stops for an amazing sophomore issue to the new Trinity series. DC Comics should be proud. Issue #2 of the Trinity series give us part two of “Better Together” a story line that has Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman visiting Clark Kent’s past and visiting his father while Lois and Jon deal with his absence and his fight to save their present.

This time jump is sure to send ripples through the timeline as Superman comes face to face with his dad and younger self. The fear of the trio showing up and the presumed death of his father sends a young Clark Kent running away and encountering one of the very threats that Superman was trying to avoid. Superman gets to have a warm but, real conversation with his dad on fatherhood and love while Batman fears that having contact this close with his Superman’s past self could make things worse.

As the trio, joined by a bewildered and weakened from the shock Mr. Kent, search for the lost and frightened young Clark, Superman falls into a lake with some Kryptonite residue that weakens him. Young Clark forms an alliance with the mysterious force haunting the trio causing them to do some real soul searching with disastrous effects. When the reunion between Mr. Kent and young Clark finally happens the joy of the moment is overshadowed by the appearance of Poison Ivy who has tricked young Clark into planting seeds that may bring about the destruction of them all.

Francis Manapul‘s writing is pretty damn good and the story tugs at the heartstrings. His style is honest and open and gives a voice to the complexity of the characters with a nice sense of empathy for their situation. It evokes feelings of family and what someone, no matter how powerful, would do with   one last chance to talk to someone they loved and loss. His writing provides us with a glimpse into the soul and desires of Superman and makes him appear human and even though he’s invisible for the most part physically, he still has some vulnerability. Manapul makes Superman easy to relate to and real which makes this issue a refreshing turn for the hero.

Manapul also provided the artwork for this issue , which means that everything works well together and comes off as seamless and purposeful No stroke is unnecessary, now line is without purpose and every panel serves the purpose of drawing the reader in and pushing the story along. The style is pretty old school and simple but, brilliant and beautiful in its simplicity. The art work does not overpower the words or the story, it enhances them.

The symbiosis between the story and the art make issue #2 of Trinity an overall great comic. Everything about it is damn near perfect and I am looking forward to see what happens when the trio returns to the present to face the threat that has them on a time run. Will Poison Ivy’s seedlings cause a change in Clark Kent/Superman? Will the timeline be forever changed for the worse? Will there be a Jon Kent and/or Lois Lane in his life in the future? So many questions and such a worthy story arc to wait and find out.

Story: Francis Manapul Art: Francis Manapul
Story: 9.2 Art: 9 Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review