TRINITY #2

Trinity #2 (September 1993)

script: Mark Waid, Gerard Jones, & Michael Jan Friedman

pencils: Barry Kitson & Chris Hunter

inks: Dan Davis, Dennis Kramer, & Frank Percy

colors: Stuart Chaifetz

letters: Albert DeGuzman

editing: Kevin Dooley

cover art: Barry Kitson & Scott Hanna

Recap: Several planets came under attack by mysterious, powerful beings. After Green Lantern encountered one, the Guardian's recognized the name of Quarra and were terrified that it meant the return of the Triarch, a race of Gods from Maltus, the same homeworld as the Guardians and the Controllers. Long before those races existed, the Triarch slayed their own father, Daalon. The Triarch were made up of Quarra the Creator, Archor the Sustainer, and Tzodar the Destroyer.

On the planet Elyrion, the Darkstars battled Archor and suffered several casualties. Meanwhile, the L.E.G.I.O.N. were setting up a new base on Maltus when they come under attack by Tzodar. Green Lantern arrived to help but did not fair well. When Hal awakened, he found a very angry Vril Dox waiting for him. They argued and Dox ordered Lobo to subdue Hal. Eventually, Comet interrupted Lobo's battle because they received new orders and were told to leave Jordan to the newly arrived Darkstars, led by Colos. However, they were more concerned with seeking revenge on the Triarch and suggested an alliance with Jordan. Meanwhile, the Controllers learned of the Triarch's return, and since their legends said the Triarch must succeed at their mission to usher in the rebirth of Maltus, they sent other Darkstars to stop Jordan. The two teams of Darkstars battled as Killowag arrived with reinforcements. This was just the distraction Dox hoped for so he could have time to locate the father of the Triarch, who was imprisoned but still alive. Dox appears to have assumed that Daalon would help them but he turned on our heroes and rallied his creations to fulfill their destiny.

Hal Jordan attempts to unite the Corps, the Darkstars, and the L.E.G.I.O.N. against Daalon and his Triarch.

Daalon explains that he believes all life to be tainted by evil and that he attempted to control it but failed. Inspired by ancient Maltusian legend, he created the Triarch to begin the universe anew. His words rally the Triarch and our heroes struggle against them.

While Hal leads those with him against the Triarch, the newer L.E.G.I.O.N. recruits struggle to save the civilian population.  Even the Khund warrior, Amon, questions whether there is any hope against such overwhelming odds.

Hal Jordan gets Colos, the Darkstar who used to be a member of the Green Lantern Corps, and the two take a large force of troops to battle Daalon. While the battle continues, Dox decides to implement his own plan.

On Maltus, the attack against Daalon is failing and the destruction caused by the Triarch continues unabated. Even Kilowog and one of the Darkstars began to question the approach of Hal and Colos to focus on the mad Controller.

Meanwhile, Dox confronts the Controllers with his knowledge that the Triarch were never Gods, but only elevated to mythical status by legend over time. It turns out that Dox invited not only the Controllers, but the Guardians, who only now learn the secret of the Triarch. Both the Guardians and the Controllers were birthed by Maltus, but there is an ancient enmity between the two races. Dox suggests that they must work together to stop the Triarch and they scoff at first. But as usual, Dox manipulates them into getting his way.

The Green Lantern Brik is injured by Daalon and Strata rushes to help. Until now, Strata had believed herself to be the last of her race, but she has found an unexpected sister in Brik. They are both anxious to explore their dual heritage but agree that it must wait until after the battle. Assuming they both survive. 

Dox continues to struggle with getting the Guardians and Controllers to work together, but believes that if they do so, they can use their powers to stop the Triarch.  Elsewhere, Lydea takes her frustrations out on one of the Darkstars but finds herself quickly humbled.

Colos grows more horrified at the destruction being wrought on Maltus, but continues to follow Jordan's lead, despite his unpleasant history with the Corps.  The Darkstars, Corps, and L.E.G.I.O.N. began to lose hope as they absorb what the Triarch has done. Daalon tries to seize the advantage but is surprised when the Triarch do not answer his call.

The Triarch see what they have done and believe that their holy mission has been corrupted. The Guardians and Controllers appear and explain to the Triarch why they brought death when they sought to bring life. They put the blame on a single mad controller, their creator Daalon, and the Triarch turn their attention towards him.   

Just as they are about to kill their creator, Hal Jordan intervenes, insisting that there has already been enough death. They declare that what they have done to Maltus is too much to bear and that they must unleash their power to wash the blood from their hands. Jordan fears that they are destroying Maltus, but when they explosion clears, everyone discovers that they have done the exact opposite.

The Triarch sacrificed themselves to renew the planet and a giant stone is erected in their honor at a special ceremony. Dox pledges to help the population to preserve their new order and Jordan mutters "from prophet to profit, he Dox?' under his breath. When Dox notes that everything went according to his plan, Hal scoffs, noting that all he did was set a renegade Controller free. Dox explains that this was what he wanted Hal to think, but he knew that Daalon would be the key to getting the Guardians and Controllers to work together. Hal doesn't buy it, but admits he cannot disprove what Dox is claiming either. 

Strata finds a quiet moment to speak with Brik and mentions that she has seen the barren surface of Dryad and believed herself to be the only survivor. Brik explains that her people live below the surface, and Strata realizes that the legends of the Metamorphs, the first speicies of sentient life on Dryad, are true.

Finally, the Guardians, the Controllers, and Vril Dox come to an agreement. The Green Lantern Corps will patrol the space ways, limiting its involvement in the internal affairs of planets. The Darkstars will attend to their individual districts as planetary protectors, intervening whenever they feel they are needed. And the L.E.G.I.O.N. will be the first line of protection for whatever planet has hired them.

This was a pretty satisfactory ending to this crossover. My biggest complaint early on was how slow paced the story was but that was definitely not the case here. And it has not been the case for the last few issues. In fact, if the first four issues were condensed into one, maybe two, I think the series would have been much better. 

The only criticism I have of this installment was that the Triarch's turn seemed a little too sudden and involved a bit a revisionist history. Yes, the legend suggested that their ultimate goal was one of rebirth, but the impression was that this was only followed by the destruction of Maltus, which we witnessed throughout the series. It seemed a bit odd how quickly they seemed to reject that very destruction and turn on Daalon.

On the other hand, I still enjoyed the issue and thought it contained quite a few good character moments. Strata and Brik bonding was a favorite, and seeing Lydea vent her frustrations at one of the Darkstars only to regret it moments later was another. Dox returned to prominence with this installment, and he was portrayed very true to character. And frankly, I am not sure how truthful he was being with Hal Jordan at the end. Did he really plan this all along? Or was he trying to cover for himself in failing to see Daalon as a threat early on?

For most of this crossover, I have been lukewarm when it came to the Darkstars, a title I have not read. But I grew to really like Colos and this was the first issue where I found myself drawn to other members of the team as well. It also gave us our first prolonged exposure to the Controllers, at least outside of Daalon. I always planned to eventually go back and read Darkstars because I have a few friends who enjoyed it, but this was the first issue where I found myself actually excited at the prospect.

Overall, this was an uneven crossover, and not one that will likely stand out in my mind as particularly memorable. But the creators did eventually pull things together in a way that led to a satisfactory conclusion that left me happy I read it. Next week we will be getting back to the regular adventures of our team so please join me for L.E.G.I.O.N. '93 #59!