CC2K’s Comic of the Week: Trinity #1

Written by: Ron Bricker

Every week, there are a multitude of books being released from multiple different publishers. And while we here at CC2K like to provide as many reviews as our limited numbers can provide, there is always one book that is the cream of the crop. Comics are expensive, and so is the gas to get to the shop. So that's why we've started giving you the one, absolutely unmissable book every week. This week: DC's new weekly series' debut, Trinity #1!

Trinity #1

Writer – Kurt Busiek
Artist – Mark Bagley
Inks – Art Thibert
Colors – Pete Pantazis
Letters – Pat Brosseau
Cover – Carlos Pacheco

Back-up Feature:
Story – Kurt Busiek
Writer – Fabian Nicieza
Artist (s) – Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens
Colors – Allen Passalaqua

And here we have DC’s third weekly series in a row. After the impressive feat of 52, and the severe awfulness of Countdown to Final Crisis, the debate has been raging about Trinity for some time. But, if this first issue is any clue, then this series is gearing up to be one hell of a book. With Trinity #1, DC seems to have hit the nail on the head concerning what a weekly book should be. With 52, they filled in a year long gap in DCU continuity as a storytelling device. In Countdown, they attempted to provide a cohesive backbone to the DCU, but failed miserably. Here, they seem to have given to us, quite simply, a great story featuring their strongest characters.

Trinity plays out in continuity, we’re just not sure where, and it won’t matter. It’s not trying to tie-in with anything, like 52 was tying into Infinite Crisis and Countdown to everything. Busiek has given us a first issue that raises many philosophical and high concept questions about why DC’s Big Three (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) are so important not only in the DCU, but in superhero comics as a medium. In doing so, Busiek has given new and lapsed readers a superb (re-)entry point. Not only this, but this issue is the first time I’ve felt that the regular cover price of $3 is justified for a weekly book.

Hopefully it’s not just because it’s the first issue, but this book is jampacked. Trinity is going to be split into two parts for each issue: the main part, written by Busiek with superb interiors by Mark Bagley, and the back-up feature with a story by Busiek and written by Fabian Nicieza. Thus far, the two features work nicely in parallel, with the main featuring following the namesake Trinity and the back-up telling the same story, but from a different, more sinister angle.

Busiek approaches these characters from their most basic characteristics, including thoughts on secret identities and their roles as archetypes for all superheroes after them. For a superhero book, this issue alone is a truly thought provoking insight on how these characters have so affected the medium we all love. It’s interesting because although Busiek’s love of the Silver Age pours through this book, it’s a far cry from his lackluster run on Superman for the past couple of years. His approach is less of a cliche and instead an homage to those old books, all the while infusing the characters and story with his own commentary.

And let’s not forget DC’s biggest score in a long time, with the exclusive contract of Mark Bagley. Bagley is a superstar artist that can pump out work on time, all the time. The art in this first issue is phenomenal, with characters iconic and even scenes wrought with dialogue are exciting to look at. And of course, the action  is superb. There is a great moment with the Flash battling Clayface, and the action is just well blocked, making full use of the panels and playing to the strengths of what makes Flash action so fun.

It wouldn’t be fair not to mention the great work by back-up artists Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens, who provide a different style to their work, successfully separating the back-up feature from the main one, but not isolating it. All in all, every aspect of this issue has come together beyond expectations, and for a weekly series following the tragic Countdown, that is just what DC needed. Here’s hoping this book will remain on the top of my stack for the next year.

5.0 out 5!