DC’s Trinity starts strong

DC Comics constantly frustrates me. DC probably has the most recognizable and iconic superhero characters in the world — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc. — but they’re written as untouchable gods. We’re rarely given an opportunity to relate to DC’s biggest characters. It drives me batty. DC’s supergods may be great at fighting the bad guys, but who cares, if they never show signs of having a soul?

The problem isn’t with the characters; the problem is the company’s editorial direction. They seem bound and determined to keep their characters in costume at all times, pounding fists into the bad guys as much as possible, and rarely letting their characters take the time to have personal lives.

52 was a bold experiment in doing a weekly comic book, and I picked up every issue based on the strength of that concept alone. It was a good story overall, with some weak spots but largely well-executed. The follow-up, Countdown to Final Crisis, was a disappointment on every level, with storylines that felt disjointed and clumsy characterizations. Countdown was enough to make me swear off buying weekly comics for good.

But then the good folks at DC’s publicity department sent me a gratis copy of Trinity #1, the first issue of their new weekly, which follows the group adventures of the company’s “big three” — Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. (Why we’ve never seen these three team up in an ongoing book before seems like a ridiculous oversight, because they’re such a natural fit together.) So, since I’m not in the habit of getting free comic books very often, I picked it up and gave it a read.

And doggone if it isn’t pretty darn good.

DC wisely puts new exclusive artist Mark Bagley to good use here, in pumping out half a comic every week. Bagley proved he could keep up with the demands of a fast-paced writer on Ultimate Spider-Man, and he doesn’t disappoint here. The consistency of having his art at work on every issue of Trinity should go a long way towards establishing a strong continuity. Teaming with Bagley is fan-favorite writer Kurt Busiek, who knows a thing or two about writing team books with fun characters.

Clark, Bruce, and Diana pop off the page with a team-style dynamic based on their status as the “big three of DC,” and it works. Something dangerous is afoot, something calling to the three of them — and only them — in their dreams, from the depths of space. A backup story by Busiek and artist Fabian Nicieza seems to be setting up an anti-trinity of sorts, a team of three evildoers plotting to take advantage of the situation by outsmarting their good-guy counterparts. Sprinkle in one mysterious but intriguing new (or old?) character, a few dashes of prophetic visions of things to come, and you’ve got a “meanwhile…” look at the flip side of Trinity that works just as well as the main story.

Trinity feels like a HUGE step in the right direction for DC. Instead of showing us endless setup for disconnected characters that were clearly chosen for their use in a weekly comic setting, Trinity sets out to just be a good comic book, regardless of its weekly status, and it succeeds smartly. If subsequent issues can maintain this quality level, I’ll gladly pick up each and every one.