In Trinity #17, Batman and Superman decide to help Wonder Woman find her lost island home of Themyscira, which has been missing since the beginning of Rebirth. In order to explain how Diana kept visiting the island throughout the New 52, it’s been suggested in Greg Rucka’s recent run that the wool has been pulled over her eyes again and that she wasn’t really visiting Themyscira at all. At the end of the ‘Godwatch’/’The Truth’ storyline in the pages of Wonder Woman, Diana glimpsed her real mother through a magic portal in a tree but cryptically told Steve Trevor afterward that Themyscira remains lost to her. Its probably high time the princess was allowed back home but fate (and writer James Robinson who will be covering at least two arcs on Trinity) has other ideas…
As the cover suggests, ‘No Home For You Here’ will instead take place on Skartaris (if you look closely, you can see Patch Zircher has credited Mike Grell, the original creator of the mythical subterranean world, on the cover). We last saw the savage home of Warlord and Deimos during ‘Convergence’ when it was relocated to the interior of the planet Telos but now it’s back under the Earth’s crust as is the way with magical realms (Here on Earth 33, ‘Hollow Earth’ theories of forgotten worlds beneath us were taken seriously as recently as the 19th Century).
The story is narrated by the trinity, who appear to be under interrogation after the event (which rather removes the fear of anything fatal or incapacitating happening to our three heroes, though I suppose by now we know they’ll live forever). Batman is shown defiantly standing in the corner of the interrogation room, far from the seat he’s supposed to be occupying, which is pretty funny and typical of the dark knight. This device of being told the story from a first-person perspective is very effective for showing the vulnerability of the heroes; Bruce blames himself for not stopping his friends getting dragged into a mysterious vortex and praises them for their skill in combat- something he’d be unlikely to do to their faces. It also provides another amusing moment when Batman complains that he was irritated about being away from his beloved Gotham. However, I’m hoping this narration doesn’t continue through the remaining issues of the arc because by the end of this issue, its rather wearing.
There’s very little plot progression this issue; it’s all about the trinity arriving on Skartaris and, as the cover promises, fighting lizard men. Just like Supergirl in the Justice League Unlimited episode ‘Chaos at the Earth’s Core’ (which I was reminded of throughout by design elements and the general plot) Superman finds his powers disrupted by magic which should make the adventure a bit more of a challenge (and also leads to a ridiculous non-sequitur from Batman where he compares magic to insanity).
The main draw for this issue is the art; Robinson’s sparse script leaves Zircher plenty of room to draw big, dramatic spreads. It’s not as pretty as the art Manapul gifted us at the beginning of the series but Zircher’s work, especially on the lizard men, is bold and detailed, and Eltaeb’s colours (blue for Earth, faded orange for the skies of Skartaris) beautifully convey the otherworldliness of the story.
Recommended if:
- You’re looking for a Trinity arc that’s a bit more straightforward and fun than ‘Dark Destiny.’
- Lizard-men and muscular guys in loin-cloths are your idea of a good time.
- You got a taste for the absurd during Metal and you don’t want the feeling to end.
Overall: Despite all the mythology surrounding this arc, it looks set to be an old-fashioned brawl of a story. A bit of daft fantasy could be just what the series needs after a post-Manapul slump.
SCORE: 6/10
