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Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials

Trinity #39

Trinity #39

Scheduled to arrive in stores: February 25, 2009

Cover date: February 25, 2009

Main Story: "Metropolis"

Main Writers: Kurt Busiek
Main Pencillers: Mark Bagley
Main Inker: Art Thibert

Back-Up Story: "The Power You Deserve"

Back-Up Story Writer: Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza
Back-Up Story Penciller: Tom Derenick
Back-Up Story Inker: Wayne Faucher

Reviewed by: Neal Bailey with Jeffrey Bridges and Barry Freiman

Click to enlarge



The JSA confronts the Dark Arcana in Metropolis in what they term a final battle.

Joker goads Luthor. The JSA starts to lose. Morgan uses an eye blast to kill Martian Manhunter.

Will is blasted and killed, to Tomorrow Woman's dismay. The Dark Arcana declares victory. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman appear in god form.

To be continued...



Back-Up Story: "The Power You Deserve"

Konvikt, suffused with power, goes wild. Graak tries to warn him that he's following a dark path by showing Konvikt he's killing innocents, so Morgan Le Fay kills Graak, sending Konvikt on his way to remake the world.

To be continued...



Neal's Review:

1Main Story - 1: Basically, this is supposed to be, I suppose, a broad culmination of all of the story arcs that have been weaving themselves since the Trinity disappeared. But I care nothing for (nor do I understand) Tomorrow Woman or Will beyond their one contradictory scene where they both basically acknowledge they want to commit suicide for a world they've never seen. Nor do I care for a Martian Manhunter introduced last issue to be thrown to the wolves.

It takes a heck of a culmination to justify multiple splash pages. Here it was just "Let's see how many things we can get on the page."

Bagley, bless his heart, did, but none of them were story functional beyond cool factor.

So if I understand this correctly, Morgan Le Fay's magic for some reason didn't KILL the three mains, it turned them into near omniscient gods. Because before they weren't near-omniscient gods. Oh wait...

Still fundamentally lame.

5Main Art - 5: The art was actually phenomenal this time around. Bagley is carrying the book, and though I can look logically and say, "It's stupid to make four splash pages in one issue just to showcase heroes in poses," it's hard to argue that Bagley's art doesn't make it seem worthwhile. But then, he's half the collaboration, and while his rocks, it's like when the Zoo Crew appeared in Final Crisis. You're still putting the Zoo Crew in Final Crisis.

One complaint: We already tried a blue energy Superman. Sucked.

1Back-Up Story - 1: I would rather have glass shoved up my nose than listen to any more Graak dialogue.

You're not supposed to go "YES!" when Morgan kills him, you're supposed to be feeling sympathy. I wanted to give her money.

Let's make a whole story that emphasizes how out of character the character in question is being through a tertiary proxy. Wise writing. On Earth-3.

And what the hell is up with that frog?

5Back-Up Art - 5: The art takes it up here in amazing fashion. Fine, strong work. This even manages to make Konvikt semi interesting visually, something Bagley didn't even manage.

2Cover Art - 2: An average Superman image where the other two were pretty darned well done, and under the Wonder Woman banner.

Jeffrey's Review:

1Main Story - 1: The "main" story was... six pages?

And it's nothing but flash and splash.

This isn't even worth reviewing.

5Main Art - 5: What the heck! It's like a brand-new artist team stepped in.

That was glorious to look at, and I actually LOVE Konvikt's new design. It's exponentially better than his old one.

1Back-Up Story - 1: So the backup story scolls backward from the six-page main story, and talks about being in Gotham even though the fight is in Metropolis? I don't get it.

And if the Trinity are back, isn't this all moot now? Wouldn't reality, if it was so hinged upon them, instantly revert itself upon their return? There's no more void for Enigma, Morgaine and Konvikt (or Joker, Lex and Cheetah) to fill, right?

So... book over!

Phew.

*phone rings*

Hello, Neal Bailey's Frog-Boy Emporium. How can I help you?

What's that? 11 more issues you say? Really? Even though... right, but I mean, they're back and... nothing happened in the first 11 issues, and that's justification for nothing happening in the last 11?

Well that's "Trinity" for you.

4Back-Up Art - 4: I actually loved this just as much as the main art, but I'm docking a point for the God-Trinity changing appearances AGAIN... and the new appearances still being somewhat lame.

5Cover Art - 5: Boo-yah.

Barry's Review:

1Main Story & Back-Up Story - 1: Jay Garrick doesn't joke. Konvikt and Kurt Busiek are one. Try not to wake me when you leave.

4Main Art - 4: This is a climactic issue. It takes a special art team to pencil and color a hero/villain free-for-all. When the Trinity art team has something meaty to chew on like this issue's battle, their efforts combine to our reward. The real trinity of Trinity are the artist, colorist, and inker.

All around, the art team is on fire. An army of heroes versus an army of villains with Kurt Busiek stuck in the middle. A fight like this is only as good as it is drawn and it's drawn pretty darn well. With details and precision. Bagley isn't George Perez, but there is almost a cosmic "Crisis" feel to parts of this issue and the only reason is the art. Colorist Pete Pantazis deserves special mention here as well. His colors are bright but not so bright to over-shadow the (for better or worse) story. His shading works especially well against Art Thibert's deliberate heavy inks. Overall, an impressive effort.

2Back-Up Art - 2: Eh.

2Cover Art - 2: As predicted, the third of three in the triptych is dull as an idea three weeks in and duller in the execution than the previous two covers. Batman's Goth nature lends himself to a stain glass representation. Diana's Greek mythology roots make a natural leap to stain glass. But Superman, despite the similar color scheme to Wonder Woman's, doesn't make the leap to stain glass with even the clumsy grace of his Golden Age counterpart's eighth-of-a-mile leaps.

The general public seems to have a view of Superman as a classic figure and he is that in terms of the heroic motif of, say, Moses, Hercules, and even Paul Bunyon. But since 1938, Superman has represented modern viewpoints with the views changing to reflect the times. Take the classic Golden Age story in which Superman beats up a wife beater; his actions were heroic. Following the Byrne revamp, a late 1980s/early 1990s Man of Steel adventure revisited that classic tale following the contemporary and adult ramifications of that action. Superman belongs embossed in steel engraved with the energy of 100 suns (how's that for Morrison-speak?), not encased in stain glass.


Mild Mannered Reviews

2009

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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