This should be read after you pick up Justice League Dark #23, but seeing as how not much happened in that comic you would really be shooting yourself in the foot if you decided to read this one first anyway.
It’s no secret that I don’t think much has happened in Trinity War and they’ve basically been dragging things out for a big reveal in chapter #5 (the upcoming Justice League #23) which will trigger the massive Forever Evil event. But no moment has been as funny to me as the final page of Pandora #3. Pandora does something incredibly important and very surprising in the final pages of this comic, but you’re left sitting there going “Whoa, how did she do that?” and as if the comic book heard you, Pandora then says “How? I can explain. But first…” and then the book ends in an ad/caption that reads “What’s changed? Read the conclusion of Trinity War in Justice League #23”
But it does make a nice supplement to today’s Justice League Dark. If you read that issue you’ll recall that, just like in every other Trinity War chapter, Pandora shows up with that box and then just sort of hangs out in the background for the rest of the comic. With the events of this comic playing along side-by-side with Dark’s events we see what exactly Pandora was up to back there, which is nice.
Look, I’m sure that all of this is going to be recapped in the upcoming Justice League #23 finale but if you felt a little disappointed in today’s Justice League Dark then I think you’ll be pleased with Pandora #3. It gives you a better understanding of the Seven Sins and if you meditate on Pandora’s actions long enough and the meaning behind the comic’s numerous flashbacks then you might just figure out what she did in the final pages before Justice League #23 comes along and she explains it to all the squabbling heroes. I believe that if Justice League Dark #23 had been paced better and included Pandora’s actions from this particular comic then it would’ve been a pretty worthwhile issue. It’s just a shame that you have to pick up both books to feel like we actually got somewhere in the story today.
The artwork is decent for the most part. The low point is definitely a two-page spread that features a neanderthal-like Shazam (He’s been corrupted by the box, sure, but that shouldn’t jack-up his face that badly, should it?) but besides that one awful looking character I think the rest of the book looked pretty good especially when you consider how much Daniel Sampere had to do. Not only did he have to draw all of these heroes fighting, but he had to draw all seven deadly sins, and then he had to make the quiet moments (which I think were the best panels in the book). Hi-Fi’s colors definitely kicked the imagery up a notch and I loved the expressions on the faces of the characters who witnessed the “important thing” that I told you happens in this comic.
Overall
This goes really well with today’s Justice League Dark. It’ll surely be recapped in Justice League #23 since it’s a tie-in but if you want some substantial plot progression in the Trinity War story today then this is where you should look.
SCORE: 6.5/10
