Last issue ended with the blowing up the temple, and it lands us in a topsy-turvey new world. And when I say topsy-turvey, I really do mean it. Half of the comic is upside down.

So, for those of you who haven’t read it, let me give you a quick little bit of advice so you don’t get lost like I did. Read the top half, and when you get to the end, flip the comic over, and read the bottom half.

Now with that out of the way…

‘Trillium’ never fails to astound in the way it thinks outside of the box, or since this is comics, shall we say thinks outside of the frame? The first issues had two stories, upside down relative to one another, but meeting in the middle. Following issues dealt with lack of communication, and just plain weirdness. In short, it’s not your typical comic, and this issue is no different. In fact, it’s even more unique than its predecessor.

What’s interesting about this comic is that the characters of Nika and William are suddenly flipped. Nika is in a post-Great-War haze, trying to live her life with PTSD and without medication, and William is suddenly in the farthest reaches of space. The flip you have to do to change viewpoints at the end of the comic, essentially, is as analogous to the situation as it is metaphoric.

What’s even more beautiful is that sometimes, their two backwards stories meet up, creating this fantastic foil of art and emotion. The amount of thought that went into the story line of this comic is intense, and worth every page turn.

Picking up ‘Trillium’ on a whim, and a fondness for a story Jeff LeMire drew about a time traveler being eaten by a dinosaur in ‘Time Warp‘, has really been one of my better comic choices this year. For you more adventurous types, or those who like to get outside of the world of superheroes, this really is the book for you.

 

TRILLIUM #5
Written by: Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Jeff Lemire and José Villarrubia