Trinity #40

Having just read a half-dozen issues of this title in order to be able to read and review this issue, I have to say, Trinity is not Kurt Busiek's best work.

If it's any consolation, it's not his worst work, either. (I think he got that out of the way early in his career.) But I have such high expectations of him, perhaps that's why this series has disappointed.

With 12 issues to go, and after too many issues since Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman disappeared from Earth, they're finally back - sort of - and facing off against the evil forces that exiled them in the first place.

What Busiek has done here is create a sequel - of sorts - to his epic Justice League / Avengers crossover. But to fill 52 issues, he's had to introduce all kinds of side stories, and as a result, we haven't really seen the main characters in months.

There have been some interesting concepts at work here, and it's a clever examination of the inner workings of the "big three" heroes - but unfortunately, that doesn't make it a compelling comic to read.

There's no problem on the art side - Mark Bagley turns in his usual excellent job. You definitely get the feeling he's a fan cut from the Geoge Perez mold, considering the staggering number of characters (many of them redesigned) he has on display here.

The backup is a bit confusing, but seems to be setting up the final story arc in this series. I wish I was enjoying it more - I want to like it. But I'm really tired of Alternate Earth stories, and the art is the only thing keeping me going here.

Grade: C+