It’s odd. The solicits for this series seem to be completely different from what actually happens in the comics. Both the solicits for issue four and issue five have stated that Pandora would be continuing her quest to kill the Seven Sins, but there really hasn’t been any of that. Obviously the plan for this series has been changed to fit in with “Forever Evil: Blight”, which is kind of a shame, because these constant event tie-ins are what’s holding it back, and it seems like Ray Fawkes could make something really good with this character if he just had the freedom to write her doing her own thing for a while. So, can Trinity of Sin: Pandora shine in spite of constantly being a tie-in to something else? Well…

The Bad:

No. In 21 pages, there has been no progress between the ending of issue #4 and the ending of this issue. The bulk of the book is just Pandora talking to the Outsider, and while the conversation is interesting and does relate to Pandora’s personal quest, it would’ve been nicer to have this information delivered organically over the course of a story rather than just have it dumped on us. Basically, the Outsider points out to Pandora that getting rid of the sins won’t get rid of evil in the world, and it’s really anticlimactic to have some character who really isn’t that important explain this and what it means for Pandora as a character instead of having her discover it for herself. It’s just bad storytelling, it takes up most of the book, and it just makes it really boring to read. Not much of substance happens here. It really feels like a filler issue to line things up with the Blight crossover.

Also, the Outsider doesn’t really look like he did in Trinity War.

The Good:

We get a bit of time with Marcus again. This is a really cool supporting character. It’d be even cooler if we could see him more than two pages an issue.

I just can’t get enough of this guy.

But focusing on the bigger positives, the art is absolutely fantastic. Outsider’s face aside, Francis Portela’s pencils are just fantastic. Everybody and everything is nice and detailed, with bold outlines and really cool and imaginative designs for the Seven Sins. Add in the beautiful colors of Hi-Fi and this book has some of the best art you’ll get outside of Harley Quinn #0 this week.

This massive Greed Demon in a tiny bowler derby makes me really happy.

Final Verdict: 2/5

The biggest problem Ray Fawkes seems to have with this series is a constant breaking of storytelling’s Golden Rule: “Show, don’t tell”. When we’re told what’s going on, like Marcus’s backstory or Pandora’s combat abilities or the truth behind the Seven Sins in this issue, it just cheapens the story. When it’s properly shown, like Pandora’s history or her learning how to combat the Sins, it’s a lot better. This issue is basically the opposite of the previous issue, which was fantastic. The quality of this comic seems to rise and fall from issue to issue, and it needs to stabilize at or above the quality line soon if Pandora wants a chance at sticking around.

Trinity of Sin: Pandora #5 is available for $2.99 USD from physical and digital retailers.