Review: Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger Vol. 2- Breach of Faith
Quick Summary
Pros: The Stranger’s story becomes far more interesting in this volume. The mystery surrounding the Stranger’s family is well done. The book does a fantastic job in providing thought provoking story elements.
Cons: The book’s first two chapters aren’t bad but also aren’t that good either.
Overall: Though a bit lackluster at first, this book really hits its stride right before the halfway point and becomes a very worthwhile read. At this point, the Stranger’s story hits a major twist that is guaranteed to pull readers in and expand their interest in the story as a whole. Meanwhile, the books also begins to explore interesting concepts surrounding morality and the mysteries of fate. If you are looking for a book that focuses more on intellectual musings than action then this collection may be for you.
Story
Trinity of Sin- The Phantom Stranger Vol. 2: Breach of Faith, by J.M. Dematteis, starts out with a pretty average level of quality but then ramps things up to become an interesting piece of philosophical exploration. High concepts like moral objectivity, destiny, and personal independence are all brought up and discussed through the Phantom Stranger’s exploits. This allows for an entertaining story with plenty of thought provoking moments to go along with it. The success of the ending more than makes up for the rough start and turns this book into a winner that rekindled my hope for the series as a whole.
(spoilers start here)
The book starts out slowly, with two unrelated stories that feel similar to the stories featured in the first volume. They are unique tales that help explore who the Stranger is and how he is handling his current mission. Though not bad, these stories feel more like a distraction from the main event rather than solid adventures in their own right.
Things start to get interesting when the person who kidnapped the Stranger’s family forces him to confront his own past. We learn that the Stranger didn’t become a part of his family simply by falling in love with his current wife. He was tasked by the Voice to kill a man named Philip Stark, who was secretly a serial killer planning on murdering his family. Instead, the Stranger judged this man to be unworthy of the family he was a part of and took his life, thus assuming his place as a husband and a father. He effectively stole the man’s family and identity, yet did so in a way that he believed would ultimately protect them.
The book gets even more interesting when the kidnapper is revealed to be the original Philip Stark. It is an unexpected twist that caught me completely off guard and pulled me into the story even more than before. Seeing the Stranger justify his questionable actions while simultaneously battling for the fate of his family is heartbreaking. It also brings up a host of questions on morality regarding the ends justifying the means and if an act of evil can bring about good.
This is where the book sees the majority of its success, in the exploration of philosophy and the metaphysical. The Stranger is in a constant battle against the concept of destiny and the assertion that he is anything but his own master. And yet, every step of the way, his actions conform to fate and the desires of the Voice. Through these notions, the Stranger is also in a constant moral dilemma as his own actions are evil at face value, despite creating a better reality in the future. All of this adds to a story that will leave readers with something to think about long after putting the book down, something admirable and reminiscent of comics from the high points of Vertigo’s success.
The book concludes with a Trinity War tie-in issue that relates more to that event than it does to this series. Because of the overall poor quality inherent to Trinity War (see what I mean in our review of the event here) this chapter is a bit less entertaining than the rest of the collection. However, the Phantom Stranger bits still hold up and leave the series on a cliffhanger that made me want to read the next volume even more.
(spoilers end here)
Art
Gene Ha and Fernando Blanco provide the majority of the artwork in this collection. Both artists manage to match the serious and somber tone that this series requires and maintain an above average level of quality while doing so. In particular, Fernando Blanco’s work on the second half of this collection looks fantastic and does a great job in displaying the cosmic wonder found along the Stranger’s journey though magical lands. These portions of the book are the best aspects of the work and perfectly match the intense philosophical discussions being held within the pages.
Continuity
Trinity of Sin- The Phantom Stranger Vol. 2: Breach of Faith continues the story started in Trinity of Sin- The Phantom Stranger Vol. 1: A Stranger Among Us.
The Phantom Stranger series continues in Trinity of Sin- The Phantom Stranger Vol. 3: The Crack in Creation.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- Raven’s current condition is mentioned. This is detailed in the second half of Teen Titans Vol. 3: Death of the Family.
- The current version of the Challengers of the Unknown makes an appearance here. Their backstory is told in DC Universe Presents Vol. 1 featuring Deadman & Challengers of the Unknown.
- The final issue of this collection ties in with the Trinity War (Review) event. See our timeline here to learn exactly how it fits.