Trinity, Vol. 1 (Trinity, #1) By Kurt Busiek

An interesting venture into mythbuilding focused on DC’s Big Three (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) that can’t help but feel a little meta. Not in a negative way, though. The first of three collected books does a good job setting up the mystery at their core and ratcheting up the tension as it goes along, culminating with a rather explosive finale. The way there can feel a little needlessly long-winded and meandering, however.

I also love Bagley’s overall style, even if all of his women kind of look the same. Very eager to see where this series goes. 1401222773 I do not know how I feel about this, overall. I liked some of it; it was an interesting premise, I guess, to have DC’s “Big Three” tied together like they are in this series, to have the series focus specifically on them like it does. The artwork was very hit-and-miss for me (which makes sense, since there was an issue being released every week, so they would need to rotate the work among different artists in order to keep up). This first volume felt slow; the story felt dragged out and the narrative flow as choppy (they would leave parts of the story ‘out’ [so to speak] like, when Superman is rushing to fight an alien ‘antagonist’ at what must be the end of one issue; the ‘next’ issue shows Superman on the ground, stunned, as Wonder Woman leaps to the attack. I do not know if some pages are missing or if the reader is just supposed to ‘picture in his/her mind’ what happened to Superman in the ‘missing panels’). It was weird – it felt bloated at points and other points felt like there was not enough information given to the reader.

The artwork really bothered me – it was distracting enough that it took away from the story for me. One thing that really bothered me was Bruce Wayne. I really did not like how they made Bruce’s face look when he, Diana Prince, and Clark Kent are having a mild meal together to discuss dreams that only the three of them have had (pp. 11, 15). He looks nothing like how Bruce should look (at least, in my mind); it really detracted from the story, that moment in the story, in my opinion. There were other moments in the story where the artwork reminded me of some of the ‘garbage’ that was produced in the 90s; it was pretty bad. I think what bothered me the most was that it was so inconsistent (for each individual artist; I realize with three different artists at work, the artwork is going to be different from issue-to-issue. I just did not like how a specific artist’s work was not consistent between each issue on which he worked). I have liked Bagley’s work that he did for other books, other stories; this one, though, not so much, overall. I did like some of the stuff he did; I will not deny that. The work from the other artist(s) did nothing for me, at all.

There was one really ‘bad’ moment in the story for me; it occurred towards the beginning. It was the whole “who’s going to tell me to see a doctor to get my wound checked�� bit (pp. 110 – 111). I felt it was incredibly stupid; just asinine. Wonder Woman is asking (teasing) Batman and Superman who is going to tell her she should go get her injuries/wounds checked out by a doctor and accuses both of them of worrying about being either patronizing to tell her to do so because she’s a woman or holding back from telling her she should get checked out because she’s a woman. That had to be the most idiotic line of reasoning . . . well, one of the most idiotic lines of reasoning I have read in a long, long time. I have read other stories, even books about real events, real battles, where a man is hurt and another man tells him he should get his wound checked out. I do not understand or see what the big deal is if either Batman or Superman (or, any other male hero, for that matter) tells Wonder Woman she should get an injury checked out. She is one of the strongest members of the JLA and if something is able to injure her, to cause her to bleed or bear a scar, she should be checked out! It is in no way denigrating for either of them to tell a female teammate to get an injury looked at.

I also found myself growing tired of the whole “search for items of power that can be used by the villains in their master plan of success.” I felt like Busiek had really done that one to death in the JLA/Avengers crossover, to be honest, and it also felt a bit like the first few issues of his run of the Avengers (when they had to defeat Morgana La Fey after she changed reality; that also involved certain items of power being seized by Morgana for her to change reality like she did). This series was crazy in the number of items either being sought or actually stolen. I don’t know if some of the items were decoy items of some sort to throw the heroes off the scent, as it were, but it seemed like a lot more items were stolen than were actually used by the villains during the ‘initial stages’ of their master plan taking place.

Now, I did enjoy the different ‘discussions’ about heroic archetypes and whatnot. The ‘fact’ it tended to involve tarot cards, not so much, but there were some interesting ‘moments’ in the book when the relationship between Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman were looked at from various perspectives. It was not something I had thought about, to be honest, when reading stories involving the three of them working together or in their own separate series. In any case, though, I did feel that Busiek made a pretty good case for the three of them being archetypes for the DC Universe, for DC’s ‘version’ of a “Prime Earth.” I also liked how the spell being woven started blending the personalities of the three characters, so that they started ‘thinking’ like each other and were able to turn what could have been a potential weakness (the distraction of thinking differently and not being able to trust their own thoughts/instincts/actions) into a strength (as they found ways to take advantage of the different perspectives and possibilities offered by the blending of their thoughts and minds and personalities). It was an interesting ‘after-affect’ of the spell being cast that nearly worked in their favor.

I also liked the “Escher-like” nearly two-page spread on pages 346 and 347. That was a pretty awesome pic! There were some other pretty cool shots involving multiple heroes, some ‘wannabe splash pages’ of sorts, scattered throughout the volume (especially towards the end) that I really enjoyed. Those were a lot of fun to look at, to see how many of the DC heroes I recognized.

It was also interesting to see Superman take on Morgraine Le Fey after DC’s Big Three find their way into her castle, considering her powers are magic-based and he tends to have the most problems with magically-based (-powered) villains (opponents).

When the villain Enigma showed up, it made me wonder if he was some other-dimensional version of the Riddler; as it turns out, I was correct (even though I did not know which ‘universe’ he was from). I also liked that “this universe’s” Edward Nigma was a detective who was hired by Dick Grayson and Timothy Drake to try and solve the puzzle behind why the majority of the museum heists were by members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery. I have not kept up with Batman at all, so I was surprised to see that Edward Nigma now worked as a private detective instead of continuing a life of crime.

I am ambivalent about “Tarot” as a hero or second-tier/third-tier hero. I suspect she is quite a bit more powerful than how she is first presented as being. It will be interesting to see if that holds true, as some characters reacted as if she were some variation of Wanda Maximoff (in my opinion, but that is just how I interpreted things).

I did enjoy the ‘toss-out’ to the JLA/Avengers crossover and that the Cosmic Egg with Krona was re-introduced in this series. I often wondered what had happened to him and his Cosmic Egg; it seemed like both companies had forgotten about him for a time after that legendary crossover. I also thought it was funny how the crossover was referenced (“The League was there. The League and Others. . . “ (163)). Also, I liked how Krona’s backstory was expanded upon a bit further in this story. I don’t know how much more detail it really gave, on the one hand, except that it expressed his emotional state more than the crossover did. I did find myself wondering how Krona’s being defeated by Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) tied in with the JLA/Avengers crossover, to be honest, or how Krona came to be defeated before ‘returning’ to his non-corporeal state and floating between universes.

The whole bit involving the Crime Syndicate’s Universe was . . . both overwhelming and underwhelming. It provided a different look for Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman that I think helped make the characters interesting. It also took up a good chunk of the story (or so it felt like) in the latter half of the . . . second act, I guess it would be. That is definitely a crazy universe! (It also reminded me of the “Mirror-Universe” episodes of the different Star Trek series.) I kept expecting the citizens of that universe to have some kind of ‘goodness’ in them, but it was not to be. They were truly ‘evil/bad’ to the core. It really ‘creeped’ me out to see members of the Church of Lucifer and members of the Church of Satan fighting and killing each other. That was just nuts! I also loved how Superman really unloaded on Ultraman and beat him badly before slamming him into Superwoman and knocking them both unconscious (280 – 282). I also loved Batman’s comment when Superman refused to listen to Bruce’s “plan of action” (Well, that was disappointing. And what do you usually do when I act like that?”) followed by Wonder Woman’s response (“Mostly, we follow along behind you and do whatever we can do help!”) (264).

I know I said this already, but I have very mixed feelings about the start of this series, this volume 01. It has really good moments; it has really ‘bad’ moments. It has some great artwork and some really bad artwork. I will probably rate it three stars; I would say 2.6 – 2.8 rounded up to 3. It did not leave me with an overwhelming desire to read the next to volumes, but I will probably read them if only to see how things play out and to see if Krona plays a part and how much of a part he plays in this series; it will also be interesting to see if he is put back into stasis inside the Cosmic Egg at the end of it all. Overall, I am glad that I read this volume, if only because I have been curious about reading it for a bit, now, but never took the time to read it. Now, I know what I was never missing by not reading it before now. Hopefully, the next two volumes will be better than this first one (but the tone it set is not promising, so we’ll see). 1401222773 First things first...this gets 2.5 stars.

Second things second...I wanted to like Trinity. I have a fondness for Kurt Busiek, whose run on the Avengers is my favorite for that title. KB doesn't play favorites and is good at showcasing his characters' strengths, giving them all something to do and making sure they all have a moment. This is very important in good team books (unless you stick your company's franchise characters on the team, in which case you can do pretty much whatever you want).

So...I wanted to like Trinity. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish it. KB's weaknesses are on display, here: I kept on noticing his dialogue, which is sort of pokey. Also: tThe pacing was glacial, there were too many characters, and I had to stop reading before my head exploded. Great art, though; maybe someone with more patience with me will enjoy this.

I'm not sure if we're meant to have 52 issue storyline. I think the DC title that came closest to succeeding is 52, which in my opinion is still the gold standard. 1401222773 I ordinarily enjoy Busiek's work, but I found this a little lacking. It may be because it is only the first third of the story, or because the comic was written in a weekly format, which kind of dragged out the plot. I'm going to read the next two to see where this goes before making a final judgement. 1401222773 Peguei pra ler esse arco em 2009, na época até tinha achado ok, mas lendo 10 anos depois vi uma história fraca com pouca motivação e só frases de ação sem sentido 1401222773

Kurt Busiek ↠ 8 Summary

DC's hit weekly series arrives in its first collected edition from writers Kurt Busiek (ASTRO CITY, JLA, Marvels) and Fabian Nicieza (X-Men, ROBIN) and a legion of artists including the sensational Mark Bagley (Ultimate Spider-Man)! Features TRINITY #1-17 as a devastating cosmic force targets Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman! Featuring stunning covers by Carlos Pacheco, Andy Kubert and Jim Lee and Scott Williams, this is the first of three volumes collecting the series. Trinity, Vol. 1 (Trinity, #1)

Trinity addresses the concept of arguably the three most famous superheroes of all time as archetypes for a trinity. I happen to really like Kurt Busiek's work on anything he has written to this point and that hasn't changed after reading Trinity.

Trinity possessed everything I like in a graphic novel: fine artwork, a compulsive and adrenalin filled storyline and finally the characters that I love. As for what the storyline is: well it follows a mystic plot by three lesser known DC villains to assume the powers from Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman (the three most famous heroes I talked about earlier) and become Lord of the Universe. In typical DC fashion this story is delivered with a whole lot of fun, complexity and colour - but mostly fun.

The whole idea of the three heroes each being part of a mystical trinity is interesting as I've always noted the differences and similarities in how the three heroes complement each other. You have Day and Night with Superman and Batman and then Wonder Woman exists as the balance between those two. You have man of the future, man of the present and woman of the ancient mythological world. As also mentioned in the comic you further have different forms of hope, truth and justice represented by the three characters - ideas which represent America, and they are heroes who fight for America traditionally, but also ideas which represent humanity.

Either way if you want a comic featuring any of the three big DC heroes, particularly with a few screen adaptations of the heroes having been released and due for release in the next while, I recommend Busiek's work here. It is colourful, fun and wacky in several different ways.

1401222773 Yeah, this just isn't going to happen. Not enough story development in the part that I read, and not enough interest for me to soldier onward. I'd honestly rather attempt Countdown to Final Crisis again. Maybe DC just needs to step away from the 52 format (weekly issues with multiple storylines) for awhile. 1401222773 Three Things About Trinity

1) there is only one 52. i understand that success at a particular thing will often make a company want to do more of that particular thing. the weekly spectacular called 52 was a brilliant concept that was brilliantly enacted (well at least in those issues dominated by Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, and Greg Rucka; Geoff Johns: ugh, hack). but perhaps DC should have laid the 52-issue mini-series idea to rest after 52 because various follow-ups have been uninspiring. and long-winded. and often just plain tired. such is Trinity, or at least the first volume. it suffers from a grinding busyness: overstuffed, overblown, overbearing. it is all over the map and has a real whiff of desperation to it. not hot! and all the mystical tarot magical magick became wearying. as far as mysticism goes, this is definitely a far cry from Alan Moore's infinitely superior Promethea, despite the similar symbology. on the very, very small plus side, i did appreciate the use of the formerly (?) heroic Quizmaster Enigma, Counter-Earth's answer to The Riddler. pretty cool.

2) Kurt Busiek disappoints. i'm not used to being disappointed by Busiek because he's so often an innovative and brilliant writer. just as 52 cheekily tapped the cheeky talents of Waid & Morrison to cheekily reconstruct the entire multiverse, Trinity attempts to put Busiek's specific talents to work in re-imagining its trinity of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman as universal super-archetypes. should have been a perfect fit: the three are already mythic icons and Busiek's stock-in-trade is the revisiting and deconstruction and often reconstruction of various comic-heroic archetypes. his series Astro City accomplishes that to expert and often moving effect. unfortunately his voice is quite lost in this mega-series. doltish dialogue. doltish villain Despero returns. even worse, page after page of doltish fight scenes involving doltish new character Konvikt (sweet Jesus, even that name is doltish). i understand what Busiek was trying to accomplish - he's revisiting the Golden Age through a modern lens. it worked a couple times but those sweet moments are lost in the flood of d'uhlt.

3) just as 52 elevated a lot of b-listers into characters of interest and worth (particularly The Question: Lady Edition), Trinity attempts the same with b-listers like Gangbuster and Enigma. the results are mainly lackluster. i was rather surprised at Trinity's elevation of continuity-cursed Hawkman. this is the perpetually reincarnated Carter Hall Hawkman but for some reason his passionately lovelorn and vaguely mystical personality is gone, replaced by the rough, tough, hairy-chested brutality of the Thanagarian policeman Katar Hal version of Hawkman. in Trinity, we witness (and also read various supporting characters regularly comment on) this typically dour Hawkman's tough love approach, his rough justice, his brutal relentlessness, etc, on a constant basis. at one point, eccentric villainess Primat mentions how much she appreciates Hawkman's musky man-smell: ...a heady mix of anger and passion--. huh. well, okay.







a more sensitive Hawkman + hawkpackage:


1401222773 Holy Watchmen, Batman! This thing is long! I have the other two volumes, and I kinda wanna finish them...and yet, I kinda don't care.
I'll give it this, toward the ending the pace picks up enough that it is pretty fun to read. The beginning and the middle...eh, not so much. I can see why several of the other reviewers didn't finish it. I must have picked this up and then put it down about a hundred times. It's never a good thing when you get a sense of accomplishment just because you managed to finish a comic book.
After reading this, I'm reminded of one of the reasons that I usually gravitate toward Marvel. *cough Alternate Universes cough* DC seems to have a love affair going with the idea of time-travel and alternate dimensions. Personally, I find it annoying. Now, not only to I have to keep up with Superman, but I have to keep up with the seemingly endless list of other Supermen. Honestly, how many time-traveling clones and evil/good alternate reality twins can one guy have?! Does anyone remember when there was only Bizarro? I say Bizarro was enough. Alright, end of rant.
The other thing I thought was a little off was the mysterious origins of the character Enigma. I don't get what was so mysterious about him. Cause, as soon as he introduced himself I thought to myself, Hey, isn't that...?. However, I have to say he wasn't exactly who I thought he was, because (wait for it...wait for it) this one was from and alternate universe. Hmmmm. How did I not see that one coming? 1401222773 I'd be hard pressed to characterize this as anything other than a colossal mess of a story that is long on promise, short on the goods. Who wouldn't love a tale of the symbolic significance of the titular trio being turned against them by their evil counterparts? And with magic and wacky pseudoscience to boot! Sounds awesome, right? Remaking the multiverse in the image of a corrupted superhero triumivirate? Sign me up! Too bad this mostly sucks. For one, volume one write large could easily be halved: there are way too many superfluous other characters and meaningless runnings-about that detract much from the ongoing story arc. For another, the characterization of the Trinity is incredibly poor and Bats, Supes, and WW are shallower than is needed. They all just kind of go through the motions and even when their personalities start to overlap, they remain largely bland and stupid. On top of it all, a good, basic storyline gets bogged down in insane amounts of complication and convolution so that by the end this reader hadn't a goddamn clue what was going on.
High hopes dashed like so many Kryptonite enemas... 1401222773