Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger, Vol. 2: Breach of Faith

Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger

by J.M. DeMatteis, Gene Ha (Illustrations), Fernando Blanco (Illustrations)

The Phantom Stranger is sucked into a metaphysical poker game against the sons of Trigon! And on the eve of “TRINITY WAR,” the Stranger is forced to make the most difficult choice he’s faced in thousands of years walking in the wilderness. Collecting issues #6-11.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy, Superheroes, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Also Credited As:
DeMatteis, John Marc
Ellis, Michael
Lombego, Wally

Bio:
J.M. DeMatteis was a professional musician/singer and rock music journalist before entering comics in the late 70's.

Credits include Spider-Man, Moonshadow, Brooklyn Dreams, Justice League, Abadazad, Hero Squared, the Life and Times of Savior 28.

Created I, Vampire , Creature Commandos, Moonshadow, Hero Squared (co-creator), Abadazad, Stardust Kid, Savior 28 and more.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

You probably seen me sleepin
Out by the railroad tracks
Go on and ask the prince of darkness
What about all that smoke
Come from the stack

Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard – Tom Waits

I have no clue as to why I picked this volume up at the local library. I don’t remember being that enamored with Volume 1 (Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger, Vol. 1: A Stranger Among Us) and in my experience, New 52 Volume 2’s don’t have a great track record – they suffer from writer indifference, writers writing under the influence (Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 2: Bulletproof), and of course there’s that familiar comic publishing strategy of only including issues from the titled hero when it’s included in a bigger crossover event, rendering the storyline almost incomprehensible without picking up and reading the other missing titles (Swamp Thing, Vol. 2: Family Tree).

Who’s Phantom Stranger?

He’s a thinly veiled Judas, who has been forced to betray others over the centuries in order to work off the silver coins he received for turning in the Man Jesus. He only betrays one person in this volume, but quite frankly, that dude had it coming.

He’s got creepy, mystical powers which include:

Using Jedi mind tricks on knuckle heads…



…bewitching Vegas hookers…



…smuggling his buddy, Deadman, into movies.



The basic story: In the last volume, his family is abducted and he’s forced to scour Heaven, Hell and Vegas lounges looking for them. He has a talking pooch/God that sometimes travels with him and forces the reader to read ginormous word balloons.



The last issue in this volume ties into the Trinity storyline and sees Mr. Phantom Stranger, Deadman, Katana and Batman travel to Limbo, trying to prove that Superman didn’t kill Dr. Light, but succeed in revealing once again that Batman is a psycho cool.



Even though it’s got the crossover stamp all over it, shockingly, it does dove tail nicely into this volume.

Bottom line: In spite of the meta-physical trappings, this can be entertaining and heart breaking and who doesn’t love a talking doggie.



Three and a half stars!!

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Bad! I really came to this series not knowing much about the Phantom Stranger but the writing here is pretty good. I love the fantasy and the philosophical ideas about heaven and hell in this book. I do not think the writers at DC comics are trying to be preachy or evangelist but are telling a story about good vs. evil and its sometimes gray areas. The artwork is pretty good at moving the reader's eyes through the story. My real gripe with this character and many of the not so well known DC universe of characters is often times the editors & creators do not seem to have confidence in the characters to have standalone stories without guess characters. Do not get me wrong I love the interactions between the Stranger & the DCU characters but please batman and superman should not have to be in every comic. The sales of Green Lantern should prove that comic readers are hungry for new heroes and good storytelling. I hope in the near future characters like the Phantom Stranger can carry books without so many guest stars. But this New 52 series is worth a read.

[Shamus · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I still see people not liking this comic, their claims that it is unreadable are false. The Phantom Stranger has been enigma that could never properly hold its own series because of the basis of what it was supposed to be. There have been hints at his origins ranging from The Wandering Jew or even Judas Iscariot himself. They finally decided to make his origin as Judas Iscariot. Many people are upset about that, however it was well done and as they are trying to give him a continuing series leading up to something major in the DC Universe I have no major problem with it.

Volume 2 delves deeply into one aspect of the Phantom Stranger and that is his last minute decision to grasp onto an orphan family and making his own. The consequences of this decision are violently detrimental and lead up to the Trinity of Sin storyline that takes over the entire Justice League group of series. Having reread the saga of The Swamp Thing comics that defined what would later become the Vertigo series of comics, I am absolutely comfortable with what they have done with this series. I love seeing The Phantom Stranger laid out in a more human and understandable way. He still has a grasp and connection to the mysterious that make him an enigma to those around him, but we simply have a better view of it now from the outside. I hope to see more done with this series.

[Jacinta Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the majority of this graphic novel. I especially enjoyed getting to learn more about the human man who was replaced by The Phantom Stranger and now wants revenge. However, there was a section at the very end that involved The Phantom Stranger teaming up with Batman and it just didn't seem to fit the rest of the narrative.

[Francisco Becerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

De Matteis had to come and clean the mess Didio made; but alas, he came too late. Although things got clearer regarding that mysterious "family" this Stranger got, and a new nemesis appeared out of that, things didn't improve enough to get back on the rails. A better read than the first one, but still mismanaged.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it was okay. Much like volume 1. Had a descent story and art work. I'm glad I saw it through till the end.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great continuation to the work in volume 1.

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ambitious storytelling, but ultimately it sinks to a mid-level pulp. Giving the Phantom Stranger a family was an interesting way to roll the dice with the character and his stakes. However, it was an epic that was rushed and mishandled. An odyssey that includes trips to hell and heaven shouldn't wrap quite as quickly or easily as this one did. Lots of detours along the way that seem more like killing time than building suspense.

I'm not a fan of the character and I'm not familiar with the writer, but I picked this up because I had a great interaction with a couple of the artists who worked on this run (although they mentioned that they were not necessarily fans of the character or this run.)

[Devero · Rating 2 out of 5]

DeMatteis interviene cercando di instradare e migliorare le trame e le storie iniziano effettivamente a migliorare, peccato che il danno di base creato da DiDio, ossia l'aver definito origini e limiti del personaggio, rimane.
Inoltre si esemplifica bene, in queste storie, il perché la DC è meno valida della Marvel: eccesso di cristianesimo.
Tutte queste stronzate sugli angeli, Dio, la Provvidenza, il Libero Arbitrio, sono, appunto, stronzate.
2 stelle e mezzo.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic was unexpectedly good.The Phanton Stranger journeys throughout hell and heaven to recover his lost family.He comes to a resolution that I saw coming,but was heartbreaking nonetheless.You can feel the loneliness of this soul that has travelled the world for 2.000 years.

There are some cameos from Katana,Batman and John Constantine sparsed in the comic,plus the personal heavens of Batman and Katana.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty heavy stuff, similar to Sandman, with the Stranger dealing with god, demons and angels. This volume concludes an arch about his family and then the last issue seems to be connected to another event/arch that I haven't read yet having to do with Superman and Dr. Light.

I like this kind of story, but it does seem a little strange when "heroes" like this team up with guys in colorful costumes. It makes a very serious story seem less serious.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Phantom Stranger series steps up a notch when the focus is narrowed down to just the lead character's desire to hunt down his family. We get some of history and it plays out well. The guest stars are well done but the book does get overly verbose at times. The art is good and the book is a decent read.

[superhero fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great sequel

[John Reimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one where i would do 3.5 if i could. This series has been keeping me wanting more the whole time. Excited to see how it all comes to an end

[Xavi Luzu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fue muy bueno ver todo el desarrollo de pj que tuvo el phantom stranger para llegar al punto de decidir hacer lo correcto recordando a ese hombre que traicionó hace 2 mil años.

Peak fiction

[Kris Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

News of this series being cancelled hit the airwaves of the Internet as I was finishing this book up. It doesn't surprise me that this series is being cancelled, as The Phantom Stranger has never had much luck in terms of long term popularity. While it doesn't surprise me, the news does disappoint me, because with a little bit of a push, DiDio and DeMatteis could have moved this into some really deep emotional territory.

As finally revealed in Volume 1 of this reboot, The Phantom Stranger is really Judas Iscariot, doomed to wander the Earth trying to right enough wrongs as his penance for betraying Jesus Christ. This really puts an interesting spin on the character. There is a wrinkle in it, though, as while doing his duties he takes over the life of Philip Stark, a serial killer who was planning on killing his family when The Phantom Stranger paid a visit. The Stranger desperately wants to be with his adopted family. This is touched upon but a deeper probe of these scenarios, away from the DC Universe at large, coupled with the macabre could have made this series something very special. Instead it is merely a good read.

Then there is the rest. The God/dog entity who seems to both lead and torment The Phantom Stranger is interesting. I kind of hope that they never reveal if the dog is God or merely a servant or angel. The rebooted Doctor Thirteen is the weak link in this chain. I am not feeling it at all, and he seems to only be here for name recognition and the old timer Easter egg factor. Nightmare Nurse seems to be little more than cosplay fodder, something that DC seems to cater to with all of their female character costumes.

Things go well enough in this book until you hit the speed bump that is issue 11, which is part of the Trinity War crossover (available in the Justice League: Trinity War hardcover). While I am glad that it was included here as well, it would have benefited from one of those Marvel-style text recap pages before the issue to help bring the reader up to speed. All of a sudden Batman, Deadman, and Katana are journeying through a limbo of sorts with The Phantom Stranger and you are left scratching your head. Crossovers suck. Endless line wide crossovers interrupted by intermittent “family”/group titles suck even more. These things suck the life out of titles and fans tend to get tired of them and jump ship. The endless series reboots of the past few years should demonstrate why none of these things are good long term solutions to declining readership. In short, the reason why Image is gobbling up DC's market share at an alarming rate is because they don't demand fans buy eighteen different titles to get a complete story. An average fan could buy only Saga or The Walking Dead and go home happy. There is a lesson to be learned here. A shared universe is great. One that demands that fans spend tons of money on it just to barely keep up is a barrier to entry.

Issue 11 aside, this was a fine read with decent artwork by a slew of different artists. It somehow did not feel disjointed, so kudos to all for that. If you have ever been a fan of The Phantom Stranger then this should be right up your alley.

[Cale · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is awful. I hoped Didio's influence wouldn't show through, but I was forcing myself to finish. The main plot makes no sense, the new villain and his reveal are stupid, and two thirds of this book wanted to gouge my eyes out (not because of the art, which isn't bad. But the dialog just hurt. And then Etrigan rhyming... ). The appearance of Justice League Dark seems contrived ('look, he mysteriously showed up on our doorstep!' Literally that's how they get involved), and the introduction of the new character Nightmare Nurse is just embarrassing; pandering cosplay fanbait character with no redeeming values (at least here). I understand dealing with religion and spirituality is a tough subject for a comic book; Didio, even assisted by DeMatteis, is not up to the challenge, offering inane platitudes and vapid commentary.
The final section of the book ties into Trinity of Sin; at least I'm assuming it does; the story jumps into the middle of something new with little explanation. And it ends with no real resolution; I kind of hoped it was the end of the series, but not even that can be handled well.
Phantom Stranger is an interesting character; or at least he can be. But trying to overexplain him and not really developing what he is or what he can do makes this series a painful waste of space and character.

[JM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good continuation of the Phantom Stranger story with more guest appearances from other mystical DC characters including Katana and Justice League Dark. Interesting storyline of the 2 Philip Starks. This series continues to pique my interest so I will continue to read. Great companion to the JLD series.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea of immortals living amongst us, and I think DC and Vertigo does an amazing job with the long-living and the mystical. I'd gladly read more about the Trinity of Sin.. both Pandora and The Phantom Stranger are fascinating.

[Juan Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely a good reading, even with DeMatteis writing it.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book always seems to give me something the think about.

One issue is clearly part of Trinity War.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather average.

[Paweł · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historia Phantom Strangera zrobiła się bardziej ciekawa, gdy wkręcił się w Boską Komedię.