Broken Frontier

Sure, one could very well question the need for this one-shot, but it’s a nice breather from the hectic battles going on in the Top Cow titles as of late. It reminded me of the great Elseworlds annuals and mini-series that DC put out with such regularity back in the day. Those tales were always off-centre gazes at familiar characters through varied prisms. You won’t find Jackie Estacado or Sara Pezzini in Blood on the Sands however, but it is an enjoyably brief look at the history of the Trinity.

Consisting of three short stories by different artists (all with writer Philip W. Smith II), these Arabian set adventures focus on bearers of The Darkness, Witchblade and Angelus in the 14^th century. Kicking things off with Part 1 of Diyafa with artist Sheldon Mitchell is a wise way to open. A raid on a few villagers and the kidnapping of his sister drives a young man to seek Idris, the only man (or demon) to stop the raiders so he can save his sister. Mansur travels the desert looking for The Darkness, but it finds him first. Just when things start to get interesting we are introduced to two sisters, Amani and Amali, in a new story, Assahiya. The Witchblade sought them out as youths, splitting in half. Amani used her half to create beauty while her sister became cruel, killing animals and eventually her friends. The villagers cast her out, and as the years pass, Amani seeks out her sister and the pair do battle. The third tale, Chermera centres on the winged warrior Abdul Salaam and his battle to reclaim his lover, who has been twisted into a serpent creature.

This one-shot finishes with the conclusion of the Diyafa story. Mansur has fallen to Shadow City, home of The Darkness bearer Idris and becomes desperate, so agrees to serve Idris, and the pair raid the raiders, but as Mansur soon learns – there’s no light in the darkness.

I never really expect much from these short spin-off books, but this is a fast paced and well-constructed adventure. Idris, the Darkness bearer, narrates all three tales, and breaking up the Diyafa story in two parts really helps the flow of the hectic pace. There’s nothing unique or startling revealed about The Trinity, but the art styles blend well together enough to make it an appealing issue. Smith paces the story very well and uses the pages economically. There’s not a lot of dialogue, so narration is the key, but there’s never a sense of melodrama in Idris’ short speeches. All three tales are focused on love and what we do to save those whom we cherish, which makes for a tidy thematic link.

Admira Wijaya’s painterly art in Assahiya is the standout and Sunny Gho and Arif Prianto from the Singapore based Imaginary Friends Studios (known for their Radical books) put a great polish on the work of the artists here. It’s good to see Tom Grindberg’s pencils again and here he resembles Joe Kubert to some degree. The desert setting is sold well on every page and the brutal violence is what you’d expect from a Top Cow book. This one is definitely for Trinity completists but its straightforward approach and easy on the eyes artwork means it should appeal to those unfamiliar with the workings of the Trinity epic in the current Top Cow titles too. This accessibility is helped by a closing page which describes the meanings of the story titles and character names.