Trinity #3

Quick Summary

Pros: The character development and mystery that is slowly being unraveled in this series is still becoming more and more interesting with each issue. In addition, the art is great once again.

Cons: Bruce Wayne’s parent’s murder is the subject of this issue, a subject that many fans have seen too many times to be interested in again.

Overall: This issue tries to do for Batman what the previous issue did for Superman, however it fails to drive this point home as nicely. However, the story is still extremely interesting and the art, once again, looks beautiful.

Story

This story takes a trip into the mind of the Dark Knight and brings Superman and Wonder Woman along for the ride. Many fans may find this issue to be less satisfying than the previous one because it tells something that they have seen many times already. However, it does offer something new in that now fans can see the rest of the Trinity as they observe each other’s character. This offers some really great building of the relationship between Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman and is something that will surely play a big part in the rest of this series.

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This series is continuing what is now clearly its primary objective, building the Trinity as a family. Each member of the Trinity has dealt with tremendous loss and trauma. The problem with this then, is that these traumatized men and women are nearly gods among men and thus have no one to turn to, until now. This is what this series is showing both to the members of the Trinity and the audience, that these three characters are not alone and that they have someone, like themselves, who can be there. I really love this theme and am very glad that this bond between friends is being rebuilt into the DC Universe.

The problem with this issue then is that, unlike the previous issue, there is not a lot of new character building to show off here. In the previous issue we saw something unique, we saw Superman get a chance to talk to his father again. In this issue, we see something many fans have seen dozens of times, the death of the Waynes. Unfortunately, this story is just a little played out and thus does not really excite as much as it used to. Hopefully with the next issue shining the focus on Wonder Woman, her story will feel more like Issue #2 did.

(spoilers end here)

Art

Probably one of the best parts of this is Clay Mann’s artwork, especially in Gotham. This was probably the perfect issue for Manapul to sub out as Manapul excels in vibrant, sunlit scenes, something Gotham is not known for. Clay Mann then steps in for some beautiful scenery and character depictions. Each member of the Trinity looks fantastic in this issue, specifically in the panels where they are split-screened with a villain. Anyone picking up this issue will not be disappointed with the artwork inside.

Continuity

There are not too many connections in this issue that were not present in the first issue, which really just explains how the character’s got themselves into this situation. To see those check the Continuity section of ComicBookWire’s review of Issue #1.

• Bruce Wayne’s parent’s deaths have been depicted many times in comics but the most prominent can be found in Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1, Batman: Year One, or Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year-Secret City.
• The fate of Tim Drake (Red Robin) is depicted in Detective Comics #940, which is collected in Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen.