Trinity #1 Review
Script, Art and Cover by Francis Manapul (@FrancisManapul)
Letters by Steve Wands (@swands)
Review by Max Mallet (@GlobeTrotterMax)
“Even with a super-family, we can’t face the dangers of the world alone.”
Wonder Woman, of Themyscira. Batman, of Gotham City. Superman, of Krypton/Metropolis. Perhaps you’ve heard of them.
And now, they’re sharing the spotlight in Francis Manapul’s new aptly named series: Trinity. Diana and Bruce team up for a nighttime adventure of… dinner at the Super-family farm! Philosophies tangle, characters share their thoughts and feelings (and clothes) as this new Superman adjusts to our fair planet.
Since this story takes place on the Man of Steel’s farm, is does feel like Superman will be the focal point – at least for the time being. Manapul makes a great initial choice early in this issue: by having Lois serve as narrator. In so doing, Manapul does manage to make the book feel more balanced. The readership gets insight about our three heroes without the biases that come with first-person perspective. You’d have a very different story if the affable Diana, distrusting Bruce or folksy Clark were narrating the pages.
Manapul has a great grasp of the characters, especially Diana. The Amazonian shows her tender side to Lois, but is still ever the warrior at heart – bringing a felled boar as a dinner gift. Lois channels the voice of the editor, or perhaps DC executives, by telling Clark, “I invited (Diana and Bruce). We’ve been putting this off for far too long.” Readership surely agrees with the sentiment. Speaking of readership, we are all a part of this story through Jon (Superboy). His reaction upon seeing Wonder Woman and Batman for the first time is both humorous and relatable. When Bruce interacts with the other, friendlier characters, his cynical nature is even more apparent than usual. Unfortunately, Bruce’s distrust bleeds into moodiness that makes him feel more like a heel than a hero. His dour character notes are distracting in a light situation with friendly characters.
Manapul should be commended for taking all of the book’s creative duties (with the exception of lettering). It’s pretty awesome that this book is a work entirely his own. With that said, his art is a little more inconsistent than his writing. There are some stunning, gorgeous splash pages. The panels where there is a greater emphasis on clothing and facial detail are the ones that really shine. Manapul also implements some creative techniques, such as laying multiple pictures together and showing the readers panels through the eyes of Jon’s x-ray vision. However, there are a few panels towards the end where detail subsides and there’s little variance with facial expressions. There’s definitely more good than bad with the art, and it might just work better for some readers than others.
Verdict: Check it out. This is definitely better than the average #1 to debut post-DC Rebirth. Manapul is crafting a series that does not stand all on its own, with a reference to a previous Justice League story and the ongoing Wonder Woman series. This issue feels like it’s a part of a larger, cohesive universe and has some touching character moments and satisfying splash pages. Whether you’re a new reader or are very familiar with DC’s big three, there’s plenty for you to like with Trinity.
