Astro City #14 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair & Wendy Broome (colors)

The Story: Reform school for robots.

The Review: Much as I love the superhero genre, I recognize its limitations as much as anyone else does, and Astro City frequently helps me in this regard. By constantly abridging the superhero material to their essence—hero versus villain; punches, blasts, explosions; rubble and property damage; inevitable triumph of good over evil—Busiek reveals that the most interesting parts of a superhero story are the things that take place outside of it.

Busiek applies this approach so often in Astro City that it’d almost be formulaic if it didn’t yield such wildly different results each time. This issue, he explores the aftermath of a common feature of superhero battles we often take for granted: the wanton destruction of robots, giant or otherwise. In doing so, he takes something we would never give a second thought to and finds the emotional layers hidden underneath.

Astro City #13 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: It’s just like the townspeople in Footloose thought—dancing does lead to sex.

The Review: I admit that I tend to get a little nervous around non-linear stories. I can handle the back-and-forth jumps between two time periods that you get on Arrow or Rocket Girl, but keeping track of what’s happening at a string of different timelines feels like more work than I really want to put in. I like my fiction like reality: once something is in the past, I like to keep it there, looking back only when necessary.

So I was prepared to dislike this issue, it being not only chronologically out of order, but also broken into half a dozen storylines all featuring characters I’d never met before, some of whom go nameless the whole time. But it just goes to show you: if you have a writer who knows what he’s doing on a really compelling idea, then anything can work. It also helps that this jumbled narrative, which, true to the issue’s title, waltzes from hour to hour with no apparent pattern, is contained to this issue alone. I don’t know whether I could’ve handled an ongoing series done like this.

Astro City #12 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Graham Nolan (art), Wendy Broome (colors)

The Story: Clothes make the villain.

The Review: Every time I read an issue of Astro City, I always think to myself, with no small degree of wonder, this is a superhero series. It gives hope to the entire genre that Busiek can deliver, month after month, a series featuring characters in the same ridiculous costumes as their peers over at the Big Two, engaged in the same endless battles, yet still possessing dignity, originality, and depth that outstrips practically everyone else in the genre. Lavish praise, I know, but mostly deserved, I think.

It’s true most Astro City issues lack the primal thrill of its mainstream peers, but what it does have is longer-lasting. For one thing, you can always count on Busiek to give his characters real motivation, by which I mean they have needs and desires that heroism and villainy only partly fulfills. It’s amazing how often this basic principle of fiction is either neglected or completely ignored by Big Two writers, leaving their characters forgettable from the moment you stop reading. Busiek characters stay with you, even after one issue, memorable as the stranger you spend a bus ride talking to, never to meet again.

Astro City #11 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair & Wendy Broome (colors)

The Story: Unfortunately, there’s no spell for good organization.

The Review: There’s a kind of segregation that happens in the superhero world, namely between the heroes and the civilians. In one sphere, the heroes fling punches and energy blasts, crashing off and through buildings, flying overhead and grappling with their foes. In another sphere, the civilians dutifully run about, panicking or trying to stave the damage, according to their natures. The two groups interact infrequently and usually in the most cursory manner.

Astro City isn’t so different in this regard, but it does the rare exceptions. Raitha McCann, personal assistant to the Silver Adept, functions much like a Pepper Potts or Alfred Pennyworth, and if she existed in any other comic book universe, we’d most likely only see her a couple times an issue max, delivering exposition, wit, or emotional support as needed. But since this is Astro City, it’s Raitha who takes central focus. We’re only invested in Adept’s life insofar as it impacts Raitha’s.

Astro City #10 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Victory apparently never learned to turn off all electronic devices before trial.

The Review: Since this arc has firmly kept us on the topic, let’s talk about another problematic area in feminism and its understanding of female-male relations.  In #7, I discussed the hostility certain feminists have towards men, and how unnecessary and unfair it is.  But even without mean-spiritedness, women can hold on to an impractical resistance to men with the mistaken belief that this somehow empowers them.

Just as it doesn’t make sense to rely on men for every little task, it doesn’t make sense to eschew them entirely as a resource.  Yet that’s exactly what the Council of Nike expect of their figurehead, someone who’s supposed to symbolize women’s strength and independence.  Taking that view to the extreme, the council sees something demeaning in Victory’s relationship with Samaritan and even her membership in the “male-dominated” Honor Guard.  They may not say it, but what they’re advocating is pure segregation, and we all know how well that works out.

Astro City #9 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Winged Victory learns what the wise already know—a good tea solves everything.

The Review: The flipside of trying to support the historically disadvantaged is that you might end up showing your own gentler brand of racism or sexism.  I think we can all agree there’s a fine line between providing opportunities to the disadvantaged and patronizing them.  This kind of dilemma is what I like to call liberal anxiety-plus.  Not only are you self-conscious about coming across as prejudiced, you’re self-conscious about your self-consciousness.

Speaking as a member of a minority group, I don’t experience this extreme level of political correctness that often, but I can recognize it, and I definitely see it in Samaritan’s uncertainty after he flies in to give her a last-minute assist in fighting off the Iron Legion.  “Should I have held back?” he asks.  “Let you handle them?”  But even the very question has a vaguely paternalistic air, as if he’s the one in control and he need only “[l]et” Victory “handle” things.

Astro City #8 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: The Trinity of Astro City come together and just barely avoid a trademark violation.

The Review: The brilliance behind Astro City is despite its cornucopia of heroes and villains, the focus is rarely on the supers or their endless battles.  There is, however, one distinct benefit to being a superhero in Astro City: civilians come and go, entering the spotlight for an issue or so before moving on, but the capes are constant.  No matter how powerful each Astro citizen’s story, it’s the ones in costume that remain recognizable over the course of the series.

This is especially true for Samaritan, Winged Victory, and Confessor, who are as much icons for the Astro City universe as their forbears, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, are for the DCU.  While mostly useful as stand-ins for more famous, but copyright-protected figures, this particular trinity of heroes does occasionally bear intriguing stories of their own, as character-driven and relatable as any tale from the Astro citizenry.

Revisiting Avengers Forever

by Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern (Writers), Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino (Artists), Steve Oliff, Olyoptics.com, Graphic Color Works (Colorists)

There are several stories that are hold with high regard in the industry. Marvels, Kingdom Come, Watchmen and many others are such stories that people are still talking about to this very day, leaving an impact that can be debated for hours amongst fans. Most of them are cherished for their unique stories or with their presentation, which is the stuff that comic fans are living for. Still, amongst all of those critical darlings, there are some stories that represent either a specific character or concept at its best, like Batman: Year One or Daredevil: Born Again, which can be used as the summary and explanation of why this specific character is great.

Avengers Forever is sometimes referred to as one of the very pinnacle of the Avengers franchise, namely the pre-Bendis era of the title. Written by Kurt Busiek of Marvels and Astro City fame, it tries to hold the very essence of what makes the Avengers what they are while telling a story of cataclysmic proportions. Still, with the present era of Avengers being definitely different than the previous one written by such like Roy Thomas or Kurt Busiek himself. With such a big disparity between styles, can this book actually provide entertainment with a more modern outlook on it?

Astro City #7 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Winged Victory realizes that boys have feelings, too.

The Review: While I’m very much all for supporting the progress of women in society, I’ve never much appreciated the ladies who labored under the impression that they could only advance themselves by treating men as the enemy.  After all, men can be victimized and unfairly stereotyped, too, though more rarely and with less serious consequences.  Statistically, women are more vulnerable, but that doesn’t make guys somehow invulnerable.

Joey Lacroix, a young man escaping abuse and seeking sanctuary with Winged Victory, is a good example (and, I might add from personal experience, entirely credible).  This is someone who’s suffered no less from callousness and domination as the people Victory usually takes in, yet the immediate response from one her workers to his plea for help is, “Whoa.  We don’t do that, kid.  We teach women self-defense here.  Just women.  No men allowed.”

Astro City #6 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Special delivery, for one Telseth of the star-spanning Kvurri!  Sign here, please.

The Review: For all the efforts made to produce diversity in comic books, it’s amazing how little we actually get.  That’s probably because publishers’ conceptions of diversity tend to miss the point.  Stories don’t prosper just by ticking off a checklist of superficial qualities: a black man here, an Asian woman there, a few gay folks thrown in for good measure.  Without strong characters to fall back on, you can discredit the very demographics you wanted to promote.

On this point especially, Astro City stands out.  Busiek has brought back diversity—real diversity—to comics, not by picking and choosing from underrepresented classes of people, but by delving into the things that truly make people different and interesting: their backgrounds, families, attitudes, and experiences.  This is how Busiek can get away with writing stories featuring seemingly ordinary characters; he knows the powerful effect of details.

Astro City #5 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Never mess with a man’s data wall, especially a Broken Man’s.

The Review: In the short time that it’s returned to the living, Astro City has quickly gotten us back into its rhythm of done-in-one’s and two’s, so much so that you’ve nearly forgotten that there’s an overarching plot lurking around somewhere.  It’s been four months since we last saw the Broken Man and his ranting and raving about Oubor and nothing we’ve read so far has given us even a hint about what’s happening on that front.

Here, Busiek makes up a bit for lost time, even against Broken Man’s will.  True to the purple-skinned man’s name, however, the information receive is fractured into vignettes, each of which sheds a little light, a mere candle-flicker, onto this thing he’s striving against.  The pieces aren’t such that you can fit them together into a coherent picture, but you can at least get some sense of what we’ll ultimately be dealing with here.

Astro City #4 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Wendy Broome (colors)

The Story: Why chase supervillains when you can eat English muffins with jam?

The Review: I’ve spent a lot of time—some would say too much time—pondering on what I’d do if I had superpowers of my very own.  I’m sadly unimaginative in these daydreams; most involve me cheating my way out of school in one respect or another.*  It rarely occurred to me to use my powers for the greater good, in some kind of costumed capacity.  I don’t know; I never saw myself in spandex.  Indeed, the very idea is too disturbing to contemplate for very long.

I imagine that for a lot of us, our instinct would be to approach our superpowers as we would with any special talent: more for our self-interest than for the public interest.  I mean, as many many star athletes and brainiacs that do end up in non-profits or government work, there are leagues more who decide to apply their gifts towards making a living, the typically profit-driven way.  Martha Sullivan, this issue’s featured Astro citizen, does just that, revealing that there’s a trade-off between glory and peace of mind when you decide to use your powers for something between heroism and villainy.

Astro City #3 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: If you’re gonna get fired, you might as well put your employee benefits to good use.

The Review: I won’t go into the cringing specifics, but I’ve made some doozies of mistakes in my time.  Some affected only me, but a few had rippling ramifications for lots of other people and those were by far the most humiliating moments of my life.  It’s impossible, at these times, to not take your mistakes personally.  No matter how much others might insist that you did your best and there’s nothing to feel ashamed about, the weight of your screw-up lingers on.

I’m sure most of us have felt this anguish before, which makes it that much easier to sympathize with Marella’s deep, crippling self-loathing in this issue.  It’s a very human sort of experience she’s going through; no other species so readily punishes itself even when the mistake is made with the most innocent intentions.  No matter how details about the disaster in Equador come to light, you can’t see how Marella can blame herself for what happened, yet she is deeply convinced otherwise and won’t stop at finding any detail to tack onto her guilt.

Astro City #2 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Technical support—do you have super-crime to report?  Please hold.

The Review: The idea of technical support for superheroes is nothing new.  As characters like Snapper Carr or Oracle prove, plenty of other writers have arrived at the conclusion that any modern vision of superheroism requires some attention to administration.  It’s asking too much of readers to accept anymore that the only time a hero will leap into action is if he happens to be in the right place and right time.

It’s particularly interesting to compare Busiek’s idea of the Honor Guard call center to Kieron Gillen’s depiction of the emergency call line Prodigy operated in Young Avengers #6.  Gillen uses the concept to poke fun at the clichés of the superhero genre, coming up with ridiculously elaborate emergencies and allowing Prodigy to respond with advice equally as ridiculous and elaborate.  In contrast, there’s not a trace of irony in the way Marella or any of her fellow H.G. responders conduct their business.  Unlike Prodigy, they are driven in their work, despite how much more banal their own phone calls are.

Astro City #1 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Brent Eric Anderson (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: There are worse retirement gigs than being an extradimensional diplomat.

The Review: The last time I read an issue of Astro City was so long ago that I don’t even recall what it was about.  All I remember is something about the issue really resonated with me and left me contentedly thoughtful long afterward, and this was one of the few times that had ever happened to me outside of reading a proper book.  A lot of comic book writers try to be introspective and deep, but few succeed so easily and naturally as that issue did so long ago.

Since then, I’ve always held Busiek’s name in high regard, one that only grew after reading the quietly powerful Superman: Secret Identity.  So you might guess that the idea of reading Astro City on an ongoing basis again fills me with a lot of excitement.  Still, it’s been a long time since Busiek wrote the series or anything noteworthy; a part of you can’t help wondering if he can revive the magic without working through some painful rust first.

Superman: Secret Identity – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (story), Stuart Immonen (art)

The Story: Clark Kent’s greatest weakness?  Superman jokes.

The Review: Funny thing about this review.  I bought Secret Identity when it was reprinted as part of the DC Comics Presents campaign, fully intending to review it right away.  But life, as usual, got in the way, and before I knew it, it’s been nearly a year and a half since that day.  Now, with the big Superman push in front of the Man of Steel premiere, as well as Kurt Busiek set to make his comeback on Astro City, the timing is perfect to finally get this review out.

“Realistic” takes of Superman have been attempted many times, and even stories where a Superman franchise predates the Superman character have been done.  The difference between those stories and Busiek’s is one of commitment.  More than any other writer (that I know of), Busiek explores the question of what would happen if a kid suddenly woke up with the powers of Superman to the fullest extent possible, resulting in a one of the most accessible, relatable, most human portrayal of Superman you’ll ever read.

Superman #712 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (writer), Rick Leonardi (penciller), Jonathan Sibal (inker), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: What’s the matter, boy?  What?  Connor’s stuck in a time-space crisis?  Let’s go!

The Review: As much love exists between a man and his dog, it has nothing on that between a dog and his boy.  As a clone with hyper-accelerated growth, Superboy had little in the way of a typical boy’s life—and that’s before he started playing the teen vigilante in Hawaii, often with two girls on either arm.  But owning a dog can’t fail to inject some responsibility into your life, so Krypto has had the effect of normalizing Connor a great deal.

Most writers have fun with Krypto as Superboy’s loyal companion, but few have really explored the depth of his affection for Connor.  I can think of no better man to do so than Busiek, whose work on Astro City proves him as one of the greatest humanizers of superheroes.  Here, he shows what makes Krypto inarguably the most appealing and lovable of super-pets (besides the fact that he’s a dog with a cape, of course).

Underneath all his powers, Superman is in spirit an overgrown Eagle Scout with your good ol’ Midwestern values, and by the same token, Krypto has the soul of a playful, devoted hound.  Busiek lets that soul shine in all of the super-canine’s behavior in this issue, making the story that much more touching.  Really, if you look past his flying around and using X-ray vision, this is at heart the tale of a dog looking for his lost boy.

Even so, Krypto’s powers allow greater understanding than most dogs, giving that much more weight to his simple range of emotions.  As he tracks Connor’s trail (during the events of Infinite Crisis), his enhanced senses give him rich details of what his owner got up to, ending amidst the ruins of Alexander Luthor’s world-destroying tower, which Connor destroyed at the cost of his life.  Krypto’s glass-shattering howl upon the discovery is a poignant allusion to Superman’s cry upon Supergirl’s death in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, and quite heartrending.

Kirby: Genesis #1 – Review

 

By: Kurt Busiek (writer), Jack Herbert and Alex Ross (artists), Vinicius Andrade (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor)

The Story: We get to see a whole lot of Kirby and his hot platonic friend Bobbi. The backdrop for their story is the sudden appearance of all sorts of weird stuff that hearkens back to when NASA’s Pioneer 10 probe, carrying a message for aliens on how to get to Earth, was lost in some strange effect. And the story opens…

The Review: I was absolutely flattened by the art. I mean, wow. Kirby’s face alone is worth the price of entry. It’s life-like, expressive and unique, with a wealth of details, from the slight hollows around his mouth and his perma-five-o’clock-shadow to the worry wrinkles on his forehead. The draftsmanship and respect for the precision of anatomy was eye-catching. Nearest comparators that leap to mind? Neal Adams or Cascioli, maybe with a bit of an Ivan Reis’ flavor of Boston Brand thrown in. The layouts are intriguing and gather no moss as we go from page to page. The smaller, close-up frames cram the eye towards the long, scenic views that are a riot of detail. The credits page was stunning not only for the scope and composition of the figures, with feet angling down to enhance the dynamism of the page (no pun intended), but also for the startlingly effective shift in color tone and lighting. And once the weirdness starts hitting the fan (and the midwest), Herbert and Ross channel the King and get some real Jack Kirby flavors working their ways into the artwork. Quite an artistic accomplishment.

Kirby Genesis #0 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (writer), Alex Ross (art direction, layouts, covers), Jack Herbert and Alex Ross (art), Vinicius Andrade (colors), Joseph Rybandt (editor), Jack Kirby (concepts and characters)

The Story: In 1972, Pioneer 10 was launched to fly past Jupiter. It was fitted with a plaque, in case anyone in deep space ever found it, so as to be a first contact for humanity. The plaque shows the way to Earth. Issue #0 is about what happens to Pioneer 10, and the attention it draws.

What’s Good: Out of the gates, I have to say the art was superb. Ross’ layouts are strong and Herbert’s inks (as well as Ross’ own), convey a lot of texture and depth. And the raw awesomeness of Andrade’s colors really stood out on the double splash page of Jupiter and all of the brightly-colored Kirby creations that leapt off the page. Where the art team was going for a strong Kirby flavor (some of the poses, the reimaginings of the characters, etc), they did a great job and the Kirby tone just soaks through the paper. At the same time, they totally sidestepped all of Kirby’s problems with odd proportions and what I’ve always considered poor draftsmanship. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking the King, but I think we’ll all agree that some of his art, even after 20 years in the business, could be pretty crude (his early Marvel stuff certainly showed he was conscious of being paid by the page). Whatever your feelings on Kirby’s draftsmanship, your don’t have to have any worries here. The art team brings beautiful detail to Pioneer 10, childhood exuberance, and reimagined Kirby aliens of all kinds (too many to list), bizarre Amazonian warriors, and space commandos with what looks like a battle bicycle.

Rocketeer Adventures #1 – Review

By: John Cassaday, Laura Martin, Chris Mowry, Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart, Mike Allred, Laura Allred, Jim Silke, Kurt Busiek, Michael Kaluta

The Story: An anthology of stories about Dave Stewart’s Rocketeer by an All-Star cast of creators.

What’s Good: Just look at that list of creators!  I’m not even a huge Rocketeer fan, but when you can get interior pages by Cassaday, Allred and Kaluta along with pin-ups by Mignola and Silke in one package, it is just a no brainer because the art is of such high quality that the writing becomes almost irrelevant.

All three short stories are really quite good.  As I said, the stories don’t matter that much:  “Yeah! Rocketeer saved Betty from criminals!”  But, the art is really the star.  Allred just kinda does his normal outstanding thing where his soft and nuanced lines work so nicely together with Laura Allred’s colors.  They’re a neat team because you can just see the benefits of working together with a colorist on an artistic project rather than working through an editor with a colorist multiple time zones away (as with most modern comics).

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #37 – Review

By: Story A: Karl Kesel (writer), Paulo Siqueira (art), Fabio D’Auria (colors), Joe Caramanga (letters); Story B: Kurt Busiek (writer), Pat Olliffe (art), Steve Buccellato (colors) & Comicraft (letters)

The Story: In one story, we see “the first meeting” between Spider-Man and Captain America.  In the second, we get a light-hearted fictional tale of how the first Spider-Man comic book was launched by Stan Lee.

What’s Good: The art in the first story is just great.  The story is fun too and I’ll get to that, but the star of this entire issue is Paulo Siqueira’s art.  His art is just so detailed and vibrant that it is worth a second look.  That’s how you do it kids!  Also kudos to Fabio D’Auria for busting out an old-school color palate, which is appropriate, considering this is supposed to be an older story.  Buy this issue for the art of this first story alone and you won’t be sorry.

I really enjoyed the story for this Spidey meets Cap issue.  You have to put aside serious continuity concerns and just enjoy it, but the whole thing centers around how Cap is the loved hero while Spidey is the guy who can’t catch a break from the media.  And, just as I was enjoying this little bit of the story, it goes all science fiction on us and time warps in three dorky science-guys with a hot chick who are there to deal with Sandman before he can cause some horrid danger in the future.  The way this whole scenario plays out is just the kind of fun you read Spider-Man comics for.

WCBR Quick Reviews

Amazing Spider-Man #579 – Review (Marvel Comics)

Not much of a memorable story here, but it is a good one, nonetheless. Mark Waid does a great job in capturing some excellent character moments, pounding home the idea of Spidey’s selflessness and undying spirit. Marcos Martin’s artwork is no where near as complicated or brilliant as his previous outings, but he’s still ahead of his peers in terms of storytelling presence and sense of drama. There’s a lot of fun here not to be missed. (Grade: B)

Haunted Tank #1 (of 5) – Review (Vertigo/DC)

Here’s a book that completely took me off guard. I was expecting a serious story with a possessed tank that came to life. Instead, I got a hilarious romp through the Iraq War with hilarious racial overtones, lots of attitude, and beautiful artwork. The interplay between African American tank commander, Jamal Stuart, and his ghostly ancestor (completely dressed in Confederate garb) is priceless.  This is one of the best books I’ve read over the past week. Highly recommended. (Grade: A-)

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #1 (of 6) – Review (Marvel Comics)

As beautiful as his art is, Jay Anacleto is no Alex Ross. And this book shouldn’t have been made without Ross at the healm. Still, I tried hard to let myself be absorbed by Kurt Busiek’s story, I only found myself struggling. It’s not only bad that we don’t really see any superheroes in this first issue, but the disconnect I feel is enormous. I’m not sure what it is, but something in this book doesn’t feel right. Maybe Marvels didn’t need a sequel after all. I’m hoping the next issue will be able to grab hold of me. I hate the fact that I’m not enjoying this. (Grade: C-)

Solomon Kane #3 – Review (Dark Horse)

I’m still immensely enjoying this book, though the sudden turn of events seems to have happened very quickly. I was hoping for more of a slow boil with the plot, but now everything’s out in the open and all we’re left with is the inevitable confrontation. Nonetheless, there’s no denying Mario Guevara’s stunning artwork and Scott Allie’s talent with words. This is easily the best of Dark Horse’s Ron E. Howard line of books. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

Trinity #9 – Review

By Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza (writers), Mark Bagley, Tom Derenick, Wayne Faucher (artists), Art Thibert & Andy Owens (inks), Pete Pantazis, Allen Passalaqua (colors), Pat Brosseau, Ken Lopez (letters), Andy Kubert (cover)

I said before that Trinity is the biggest disappointment so far this year. In that regard, this issue doesn’t fail me and, well, I think you can see where this is going.

The writing has limped along largely without the presence of a major villain. Sure, Le Fey and company have a hand in what’s going on, but they’ve yet to truly make an impact. In Kurt Busiek’s portion, Batman finally feels like himself. Alfred’s cover for why he left the party after the wolf attack was a bit on the lame side, but oddly, a nice touch. Sadly, the bad jokes about Batman lightening up continue. It’s as if Busiek is trying to write an adult story, with young adult dialogue.

Luckily on Fabian Nicieza’s side, the story feels connected again… sort of. I’m not sure why Swashbuckler would want to steal Nightwing’s mask, but I’m sure it’s uninteresting. Speaking of stealing, taking The Joker’s laugh is a good idea, but with no explanation as to why or how Joker’s even connected to the story, things quickly fall flat.

As usual Mark Bagley’s panels do a good job of conveying the action. Sadly, his art still feels weak to me. There’s so little detail in each face it’s like The Question wearing different masks. Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens don’t fair much better. While slightly more detailed than Bagley’s work, the final product comes off as more inconsistent. For example, after Swashbuckler cuts Nightwing’s grapple there’s a panel which shows a detailed Nightwing standing next to a “blank” Swashbuckler – talk about looking off. But The Joker gets the worst look with his feminine features and blue tears. I just don’t get it.

I may be a minority in thinking so, but this series isn’t good. Nine weeks, and almost no story movement. Nine issues is almost 300 pages. I’ve read books with complete stories much shorter than that. I consider myself a fairly patient man. I don’t need constant explosions, loud music, or hot babes to be entertained (though it helps). With Trinity, I just don’t have it in me anymore. I hope you don’t either, don’t buy this book. It’s time me and this title parted ways. (Grade: F)

– Ben Berger

Trinity #7 – Review

By Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza (writers), Mark Bagley, Tom Derenick, Wayne Faucher (artists), Art Thibert (inker), Pete Pantazis, Allen Passalaqua (colors), Pat Brosseau, Ken Lopez (letters), Andy Kubert (cover)

For each glimmer of hope, there is a reminder of why Trinity is mediocre. Even with everything that’s happening I don’t feel any significant story movement. To progress any story you need a mix of action and information. They need to be working together harmoniously. Without that balance, Trinity will continue to be an unsatisfactory experience.

The writing for this series to come around remains an event amongst itself. Technically speaking, it’s better to show story than it is to tell it. Busiek’s choice to only show or tell depending on the issue really hurts the overall flow of the book. Even when we get a good chunk of information, it rarely sees an immediate payoff because the next week is all action. Busiek doesn’t need to pick one, but instead needs to find a way to balance the elements, otherwise the story will continue to be unbalanced and disappointing. I must admit, I feel bad for Fabian Nicieza. Ever since Rita popped up in Busiek’s story, Nicieza has felt like an afterthought. I’m sure his portion of the story is important, but right now it feels like supplemental material. At this point I’d rather have Busiek just write everything since each week Nicieza seems to have less pages and a less compelling story; Busiek’s story would most likely benefit from the extra room.

Artistically, things haven’t changed much. The characters are still drawn well up close, but the further you get from the action the worse and less detailed it looks. Superman looks like a kid in half of the panels because of this. Mark Bagley’s art is at its best when he’s drawing action, so issues like this one seem to suffer as a whole. Tom Derenick and Wayne Faucher get the short end of the stick. They have less pages, so they have to cram more information into less space. The compositions are nice, but each panel just feels claustrophobic.

Inconsistency continues with Trinity. Busiek can’t seem to decide if it’s an action story or something more cerebral. Sure the last five to ten issues may be incredible, but is anyone still going to be reading? We all know that a payoff is only as good as its setup. Someone should mention this to the creative team. (Grade: D)

– Ben Berger

Trinity #6 – Review

By Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza (writers), Mark Bagley, Mike Norton, Mark Farmer, Scott McDaniel, Andy Owens (artists), Art Thibert (inker), Pete Pantazis, Allen Passalaqua (colors), Pat Brosseau (letters), Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino (cover)

Trinity #6 goes back to the formula of issue #1 by having more story than action. The more I read it, the more I’m betting that the last few issues are going to be outstanding, but my main concern remains: will anyone still be reading it?

I enjoy Kurt Busiek’s writing more when he adds information as opposed to just giving us action. The problem with this set of information is that it’s stuff we’ve all heard before. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are three faces of the same idea. They may have different approaches, but the end goal is the same. While that’s a very cool concept, it’s been said before. Fabian Nicieza’s portion covers Gangbuster’s attempt to rescue Rita from the animal men sent by Le Fey and Enigma. This leads him to Hawkman, who’s chasing after the stolen Medallion of Khaf-re which I assume the villains need for their plan. That’s all we get from Nicieza since the fight takes up all of his pages. Since Rita has started to pop up in Busiek’s section I’m wondering what specifically Nicieza is going to cover from here on out. I’m sure Hawkman and the medallion will factor in, I’m wondering how.

Even though parts of the story are hit and miss, the artwork has shown a steady incline. For Mark Bagley, I don’t think he’s doing anything different stylistically, but he’s drawing cooler images. Seeing The Trinity as various tarot cards makes me wish there was a DC tarot card deck. Also, when Rita is talking about each member of The Trinity, the blank faces used while they’re in their secret identities is a great touch since she doesn’t know them. Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens’ portion appears to be the more visually bland of the two. Hawkman and Gangbuster make short work of the thugs, so while everything is drawn nicely there’s no real danger or interest.

The up and down roller-coaster continue with this issue. It’s not that any of it is bad, but it’s either all action or all information. No matter which of those is the case, half of the story (Busiek or Nicieza’s) seems to suffer. If they could get this series running all cylinders we might have something really great on our hands, till then it’s just slightly above average. (Grade B-)

– Ben Berger