Trinity #8
“Superman Reborn” did a lot for the DC Universe, and I have a feeling the repercussions of that mini-event will be felt for months to come. The degree of activity that went into those four issues was staggering, directly leading to the need of epilogue issues such as Trinity #8. Mainly because a lot of us are still really confused, and thankfully so are the characters.
The Trinity epilogue doesn’t dig deep into the hows or whys of “Superman Reborn,” but mainly serves as a stepping stone to the bigger mysteries of Rebirth. Superman brings Batman and Wonder Woman into the knowledge that reality has been dramatically messed with, almost on the scale of a Crisis-level event. At least, he thinks so. As it turns out, Big Blue is just as in the dark as the rest of us. We may even have or two up on him at this point. I can’t deny that I love the result of “Superman Reborn.” New 52 Superman never well with me, and I’m happy that this more familiar take on the character seems to have taken center stage again. However, I do want explanations. I want to know what counts. No, I need to know what counts. Continuity is important to me. It seems we’re going to get more of that aspect of the fallout over in the Action Comics title, so this leads me to wonder what exactly the purpose of this epilogue is.
The Trinity is brought together and now everyone knows something fishy is going on. Great. They decide to keep it to themselves for now while acknowledging that it makes them feel somewhat uncomfortable. Fine, I get it. Why aren’t they telling each other what they know? Cullen Bunn’s interpretation of Batman is extremely chatty, why isn’t he chiming in something to confirm Superman’s hunches? For real, I’m fairly certain that in this issue Batman has had more dialogue than in the entirety of Tom King’s run on the solo Batman title. This was a fine story. It had some good moments, mainly the references to the multiverse and hypertime. The concept that “everything counts” is a welcome one. It’s what comics are all about for me. However, I do want more than Dan DiDio smiling and saying “See, we fixed it!” while doing a jig. Go all-in. Get weird. It’s comics.
Bunn has been a capable fill in for Francis Manipul, but I’ll be happy to have the original writer/artist back for the next arc. Bunn’s interpretations of the characters didn’t really feel unique. They all seemed to have the same voice. If not for the art and the direction on the word balloons I’d have had problems identifying who was speaking. The art has promise, but I’d like to see penciler Emanuela Lupacchino take some more risks. Everything came across as very safe. There were really no visual clues as to whether or not we were in the real word or Superman’s dream world (other than there being two Superman’s in the dream world, that is). It was a missed opportunity for me.
I don’t like being down on books. I just wanted a lot more from this epilogue than space filler. Use these moments to tease what’s to come or expand on what’s already happened. Limping through is no way to spend 20 pages worth of story.
The Trinity epilogue doesn’t dig deep into the hows or whys of “Superman Reborn,” but mainly serves as a stepping stone to the bigger mysteries of Rebirth. Superman brings Batman and Wonder Woman into the knowledge that reality has been dramatically messed with, almost on the scale of a Crisis-level event. At least, he thinks so. As it turns out, Big Blue is just as in the dark as the rest of us. We may even have or two up on him at this point. I can’t deny that I love the result of “Superman Reborn.” New 52 Superman never well with me, and I’m happy that this more familiar take on the character seems to have taken center stage again. However, I do want explanations. I want to know what counts. No, I need to know what counts. Continuity is important to me. It seems we’re going to get more of that aspect of the fallout over in the Action Comics title, so this leads me to wonder what exactly the purpose of this epilogue is.
The Trinity is brought together and now everyone knows something fishy is going on. Great. They decide to keep it to themselves for now while acknowledging that it makes them feel somewhat uncomfortable. Fine, I get it. Why aren’t they telling each other what they know? Cullen Bunn’s interpretation of Batman is extremely chatty, why isn’t he chiming in something to confirm Superman’s hunches? For real, I’m fairly certain that in this issue Batman has had more dialogue than in the entirety of Tom King’s run on the solo Batman title. This was a fine story. It had some good moments, mainly the references to the multiverse and hypertime. The concept that “everything counts” is a welcome one. It’s what comics are all about for me. However, I do want more than Dan DiDio smiling and saying “See, we fixed it!” while doing a jig. Go all-in. Get weird. It’s comics.
Bunn has been a capable fill in for Francis Manipul, but I’ll be happy to have the original writer/artist back for the next arc. Bunn’s interpretations of the characters didn’t really feel unique. They all seemed to have the same voice. If not for the art and the direction on the word balloons I’d have had problems identifying who was speaking. The art has promise, but I’d like to see penciler Emanuela Lupacchino take some more risks. Everything came across as very safe. There were really no visual clues as to whether or not we were in the real word or Superman’s dream world (other than there being two Superman’s in the dream world, that is). It was a missed opportunity for me.
I don’t like being down on books. I just wanted a lot more from this epilogue than space filler. Use these moments to tease what’s to come or expand on what’s already happened. Limping through is no way to spend 20 pages worth of story.
A Look Inside
