Artists: Daniel Sampere & Patrick Zircher
This was a series that I was originally going to pass on, but due to the fact that Pandora will supposedly play a big role in Trinity War, I decided to get this issue, and the other two that tie in with the crossover, as well as the one issue from The Phantom Stranger, the only other series I wasn't previously getting.
Plot
After freeing the Seven Deadly Sins, Pandora is punished alongside The Question (Vic Sage), and Phantom Stranger, being collectively called the Trinity of Sin. Pandora now has to spend eternity walking the Earth, whilst trying to atone for her sins.
Review
Although this wasn't an astonishing issue, it was still very good, and an interesting insight into Pandora's past. Ray Fawkes, who currently co-writes both Justice League Dark, and Constantine with Jeff Lemire did a great job with this issue, and he put real emotion into the Pandora character, showing that she wasn't as bad as her tale would appear. I also loved how he spent time telling how she spent her time through the years, and how he showed the determination she had to atone for he sins. I also loved how he handled the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Circle of Eternity as after seeing them briefly in Shazam back-ups in Justice League, it's nice to see them in more depth. It was however slightly slow at times, and this is what let the issue as a whole down.
The art from Daniel Sampere, and Patrick Zircher was very good, and although the change is noticeable, due to their styles being similar, along with the fact that Hi-Fi (Brian Miller) does all the colouring, makes it flow very smoothly. I did however much prefer Sampere's art, as although both artists art was highly detailed, and dynamic, Sampere's was much smoother, which appealed more to me. Zicher did however do a great job of the few action sequences he worked on, as although they weren't startling, they were very dramatic. Sampere's did however also do a better job of showing Pandora's emotion, and the character expressions, as although Zircher also did a good job, especially with Greed, the smoothness of Sampere's art just made his stand out more, feeling much more emotional.
The issue starts by showing Pandora prior to releasing the Seven Deadly Sins, and it shows a woman who cares for her family a great deal, actually going to gather myrtus berries to help heal what I assume is her brother. This begs the question even more of how this young girl could possibly release the Seven Deadly Sins. We don't however have to wait long, as during her hunt for berries, she finds a gold skull, and picks it up, which release the Seven Deadly Sins. Now to me this is an easy mistake, and I found the punishment from the Circle of Eternity to be a bit harsh. This does however add to her character, making her more innocent, unlike what she appears to be prior to this issue.
Pandora would then go through the time trying to atone for her sins, learning new things along the way. Now I found this interesting, and although due to the time moving quickly, not allowing us to get a proper look at any particular period, it hurts the story's structure, making the story feel rushed. None the less it was interesting to see her try and confront the Seven Deadly Sins, as well as see the different time periods. There were also some parts that were much more dramatic than others, which made up for the lack of structure.
The story eventually takes us to the present, showing Pandora in the current world, still continuing her quest to defeat the Seven Deadly Sins. Now I won't go into much detail about the story, as to avoid spoilers, but I will say my thoughts on what was easily the best part of the issue. This sequence sets up the Trinity War crossover perfectly, showing that Pandora will have a big role to play. It also kind of showed how certain series' stories tie into this which was also nice. The dialogue and conversation that Pandora had during this sequence was also interesting, and very dramatic, making me more excited for Justice League #22 which is out next week.
Final Verdict
Although not the best start to a series, this was a interesting issue, showing how Pandora came to walk the Earth as an immortal. It also featured the Seven Deadly Sins, as well as the Circle of Eternity, even briefly featuring the other two members of the Trinity of Sin, the Question, and Phantom Stranger. The issue was also the perfect set-up for the Trinity War crossover, and although it'll probably not be necessary to read this in order to enjoy the main part of Trinity War, I'd personally recommend this, as although it wasn't brilliant, it was nice to see Pandora's origin, and how Trinity War came about.
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