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Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials

Trinity #8

Trinity #8

Scheduled to arrive in stores: July 23, 2008

Cover date: July 23, 2008

Main Story: "Have You Tied Him Up Yet?"

Main Story Writer: Kurt Busiek
Main Story Penciller: Mark Bagley
Main Story Inker: Art Thibert

Back-Up Story: "Dreams of Power"

Back-Up Writers: Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza
Back-Up Art: Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens

Reviewed by: Barry Freiman with Jeffrey Bridges and Neal Bailey

Click to enlarge



Morgaine and Enigma arrive on Despero's world to invite him into their trinity. Despero reveals he has the cosmic egg.

There's a huge party at Wayne Manor. Dick Grayson and Tim Drake are uncomfortable. Bruce is nowhere to be seen because he's in the Batcave working on the dream-case. Oracle is helping him figure out why the bat rogues are seemingly helping with the mystic robberies. Alfred and Oracle convince Bruce to make an appearance at his party.

Meanwhile, Superman is in Rabat, Morocco fighting a robot-ship. After he's finished he (as Clark) meets up with Lois (who he brought with him). Superman finds a techno-beacon that the robo-ship was trying to recover. Lois and Clark continue to find clues to additional robberies.

Elsewhere, Diana Prince and Etta Candy are shopping. Diana asks Etta what regular people think about Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Etta explains that, as a warrior here to change the world, people are afraid of her because they're afraid of change.

Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce makes his appearance at the party. Suddenly he's attacked by mystic wolf creatures who are trying to brand him.

To be continued...



Back-Up Story: "Dreams of Power"

Three - or is it four - beings dream and their dream energy is being harnessed.

The evil trinity - Despero, Morgaine, and Enigma - prepare for some cosmic ceremony. They discuss their goal of reordering space and time by replacing the superhero trinity with themselves.

Meanwhile, the captured Tarot is being kept under secret spells where her powers are being used to reveal how the evil trinity can accomplish their plan.

The evil three perform a 'beta test' on the cosmic egg - they use their combined evil to create foot soldiers out of the egg's energy.

To be continued...



Barry's Review:

2Main Story - 2: This story really needs to stop being about something. Superman's pal, Kurt Busiek, needs to take a tip from Superman's pal, Jerry Seinfeld, and use this title to tell a story about nothing. Because when the story is about nothing and it's just the heroes interacting, it's actually interesting and decent characterization. The best moments this time out: Tim and Dick at the party, Lois and Clark in Morocco (and Superman fighting a robot in Rabat is kind of funny), and Diana Prince acting the most human in her human identity as I've ever seen her act.

But in between all the character bits, there's what attempts to be a story with a point to make about how important the Big Three are. We know how important the Big Three are. Next...

4Main Art - 4: Overall, Bagley's art is good this time out with one notable exception: Wayne Manor. Bagley's overhead spread of stately Wayne Manor is gorgeous and it's more than just a beautiful depiction of a beautiful house. To the right of the Manor is the Wayne barn which, in 1950s comics, is where the bat vehicles would exit the Batcave from. Very cool. But wouldn't Bruce Wayne have more than one outdoor swimming pool?

1Back-Up Story - 1: I don't get it. I'd like to get it. I like to think I'm a relatively intelligent guy capable of figuring out most things. I look at words and pictures ordinarily and I can create a connection in my brain that allows me to fashion together a story. But in this case, well, I don't get it. And, quite frankly, I'm kind of glad I don't get it. It means I'm not insane. I'm not sure what it says about Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza though.

1Back-Up Art - 1: The story's confusing enough. The art doesn't help. Overall, if I were a cosmic egg, I'd be throwing up too.

4Cover Art - 4: A Kubert-penned image of America's favorite Dark Knight that's unworthy of the issue. And, finally, the cover logo matches the featured hero again.

Oh, and Bats, look out behind you, "hairy and horny" on the card wants you to "live long and prosper".

Jeffrey's Review:

2Main Story - 2: Clark, Bruce and Diana suddenly feel like they don't belong in the world? Or something? I honestly don't even know how to review this book anymore. Nothing happens from issue to issue, and when something does happen (OH NOES, wolves attacked poor Brucie!) it fails to leave any kind of impact or hold any meaning.

What's left to say?

3Main Art - 3: Perhaps it's growing on me, or perhaps I'm just growing weary. I don't know, but it seemed a bit better to me this time. I kind of enjoyed it.

1Back-Up Story - 1: A gorilla.

Named "Primat".

So Busiek's thing is just naming things EXACTLY what they are, as he's shown us time and time again.

If this keeps up we might have to dub him "Mediocrit". Or "Forgettab". Or perhaps "It'sSupermanBatmanAndWonderWomanHowDoYouMessThisUp-ington".

3Back-Up Art - 3: There's only so much you can do when you have to draw a whole lot of "cosmic egg".

4Cover Art - 4: Rather generic, but still a fine image of Bats. 10 to 1 odds that he gets the best cover again... this is head and shoulders above poor Diana's cover last week, and I bet the same holds true (again) for Supes next week. Any takers?

Neal's Review:

1Main Story - 1: It's almost hard to write a rating, because there's actually nothing that kind of happens here. I mean, what are the beats?

Despero re-affirms what we already know, that he's been offered a position as a lord of all creation. He then shows that he has the Cosmic Egg. How? Hey, whatever.

Superman stops a robot we never learn the nature of.

Wonder Woman shops, and, agonizingly, continues to talk about what a trinity is, what it means, what Batman and Superman mean.

Batman has a party, and is attacked.

WE GET IT. THESE HEROES HAVE A ROLE. ENOUGH. How about DOING SOMETHING WITH THOSE ROLES?

So in other words, here is what happens, what ACTUALLY HAPPENS, this story. Physically.

1) Despero reveals he has the Cosmic Egg.

2) Batman is attacked by people who want to brand him.

Yawn city, man, I mean, just look at it.

Now let's go meta-physically, the stuff I actually tend to LIKE in an issue. Not what happens, but what it's ABOUT.

Wonder Woman trying to assimilate to the brainless "dish" culture? Batman trying to cope with being a socialite? Superman realizing that he must sometimes sacrifice time with Lois for his job?

Does this captivate any of you?

Beyond that, what happened to threat-alpha-omega-thirteen-jackhole-springboard-delta? I mean, Batman was ready to eat a keyboard, he was so afraid last issue. Now it's like, "Hey, dudes, let's party!"

In other words, this book is floundering and eating time like Countdown did, but with a far less interesting premise.

4Main Art - 4: Still digging Bagley, though I wish he'd be given more than talking heads. I am a longtime enjoyer of his work, and this continues the trend. Not much else to say.

2Back-Up Story - 2: Ur-stuff of the cosmos?

Not Wolfsies. Howlers. Sigh.

Well, we see the lair of where the evil trinity will be stationed, there's a lot of talking, and we see three random people taken as either footsoldiers, a diversion, or a new third trinity. I couldn't exactly figure it out.

At very least, something happened, so it wasn't a total loss, but what happened wasn't much, I had trouble understanding it, and it smacked, like much Dematteis work, of some cryptic zoology that is there, we just, as readers, cannot understand it?

Regardless, I wasn't particularly entertained by it, but it didn't make me cringe. It was just kind of boring.

5Back-Up Art - 5: Still liking McDaniel and Owens. I think there was a lot to draw here, and it could have gotten cluttered and awful, bit instead it was distinct, which is the only thing that I believe saved this semi-boring story from a one or gave me any curiosity into the three weird new strangers.

4Cover Art - 4: Actually semi-decent. Sure, the goat's making a Vulcan symbol, but the Bat symbol is above the Bat, he's in a captivating pose, and there's good composition.


Mild Mannered Reviews

2008

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

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