Thu Jun 5, 2008 — by Van Jensen

Review: This Week in 'Trinity' - Part 1

Your weekly dose of DC's big three

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This week we begin a new regular feature on ComicMix in which we'll review DC's latest weekly series, Trinity, featuring a story by comics legend Kurt Busiek and art by one of the industry's biggest names, Mark Bagley. Join us every week as ComicMix contributor Van Jensen analyzes the most recent issue of Trinity and decides whether the series lives up to the hype. -RM]

A couple years ago, DC made history by undertaking a weekly series and, miraculously, actually getting an issue out on time every week for a year. As much of a success as 52 was, their following weekly, Countdown, was an utter flop.

Now we have the debut of Trinity, which instead of following mostly lesser-knowns, focuses intently on the big three: Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. The creative team is as good as it gets, with Kurt Busiek writing and Mark Bagley drawing, so this has the potential for big things.

Will Trinity come through? I don't know, ask me in a year, when I'll either be singing DC's praises or freebasing illicit substances while muttering incoherently.

Introduction aside, how was this first issue? Pretty not too shabby, which is a vague way of saying it wasn't stellar and it wasn't horrible. The story so far:

We start out in the cosmos, with a big flaming face screaming, "Let me out!" Turns out the central three heroes have been dreaming about this entity, which they discuss over a way-too-public breakfast in Keystone City.

We've had an awful lot of comics in recent years with these three characters sitting around and chatting, so I guess Trinity gets credit for at least coming up with a new setting and taking them out of costume. Still, their visit comes across as needless attention-grabbing, especially for the vigilantly cautious Batman.

During the discussion, we learn that each hero dreams of the trapped entity in a different way that reflects their backgrounds, Clark an alien, Diana a god and Bruce a victim. We also learn other heroes aren't having the dreams, as Flash and family tussle with Clayface and stop in on the trio.

Then things get freaky-deaky, as the voice becomes audible while the heroes, now on their own, are awake. The issue ends as a big meteor-looking thing falls from the sky toward Superman, energy blasts shoot at Wonder Woman and a cloud of leaves attacks Batman.

The backup story is a meeting between Morgaine Le Fey and an apparently new villain named Enigma. He has a staff shaped similar to the Riddler's, but has a half-scarred face and seems to be someone new. Any thoughts?

They're looking to make a villainous trinity after seeing an ominous future image of the big three heroes carved into a mountain. It's a bit, well, weird, and too disconnected from the main story.

What I really enjoyed about the issue was how Busiek set about addressing the entire notion of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman being the tip-top heroes in the DCU. He hints that it's not because they're the most popular, and the goal here seems to be at creating a new wrinkle in the mythos.

It's a promising start, if not overwhelming. But then there's a lot of ground left to cover.

As for Bagley's art, his DC debut is perfectly solid. He does straightforward superheroics as well as anyone.

Van Jensen is a former crime reporter turned comic book journalist. Every Wednesday, he braves Atlanta traffic to visit Oxford Comics, where he reads a whole mess of books for his weekly reviews. Van's blog can be found at graphicfiction.wordpress.com.

Publishers who would like their books to be reviewed at ComicMix should contact ComicMix through the usual channels or email Van Jensen directly at van (dot) jensen (at) gmail (dot) com.

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