New series will explore DC Comics' leading 'Trinity'

Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are three of the most important characters in comics for a variety of reasons. Veteran comics scribe Kurt Busiek ("Marvels," "JLA/Avengers") is going to spend a year exploring a few of them."Trinity," which launched June 4, is a 52-issue, weekly comic-book series that stars the "Big Three" of DC Comics -- the only three superheroes to be continually published in their own titles since the early 1940s. That makes them some of the best-known, best-selling fictional characters worldwide. But, says Busiek, it's not just the sales that give their relationship -- and the comic book -- its name."'Trinity' has a deeper, more metaphysical meaning," he said. "Otherwise, if we just wanted to say, 'Hey, three characters,' we could have called the book 'Trio.' "It's not just about their importance or popularity in the fictional DC Universe, where they are mainstays of the Justice League and known worldwide."Batman's not exactly warm and cuddly," Busiek said with a laugh. "The Trinity are important public figures in the DCU, but it's also not all about fame, or what the populace thinks about them. It's about who they are, and how they work, and what their existence and status and relationship means to the way the world works and the way the universe works."In the DC Universe, they are certainly central characters, the superheroes other superheroes admire and emulate -- plus, they seem interconnected. But how? As sun, moon and Earth? Apollo, Hades and Artemis?"You compared Batman to Hades, and it's not like a lot of ancient Greeks identified with him," Busiek said. "But he was important to the way that cosmology worked, and Batman's clearly very important to how the DCU's cosmology works."So there's something to what you say about mythological underpinnings," he continued. The Trinity link to sun, moon and Earth "in that Superman's powered by the sun, Batman's a creature of the moonlit night and Wonder Woman's literally made of earth, of magic clay. They're also a man of tomorrow, a man of the technological present and a woman of ancient mysticism; a science-fiction hero, a street-level hero and a mythic hero; a savior, an avenger and a warrior; and many more such comparisons."They're a Trinity in many ways -- and the story is in great part about how that works and why, and what it means."Busiek will follow that story each week in 12-page increments, illustrated by Mark Bagley ("Ultimate Spider-Man," "Thunderbolts"). Each issue will feature a "secondary chapter," as Busiek phrases it, written by him and Fabian Nicieza, and illustrated by various artists."It's all one story, and the backup chapters" aren't separate, Busiek said. "Fabian and I are co-writing the backup features, which sprawl all over the DCU."They'll tell "parts of the story that focus on other characters, whether it's the villains, other heroes from Green Lantern to Hawkman to Gangbuster and more, new characters such as Konvikt and Tarot, and occasionally oddball moments, like the backup we just finished that's entirely from the point of view of The Riddler.""Trinity" has some other unusual elements, in that it's not in lockstep continuity with other DC titles published at the same time, such as "Final Crisis." And to the relief of everyone's wallets, it's entirely self-inclusive."There won't be crossovers. We don't need 'em," Busiek said, laughing. "Call it a crossover-in-a-box. ... You only need to follow one series to get it all."Any spoilers?"I don't want to give too much away," Busiek said. "...You'll be seeing new characters, big developments for Green Lantern (John Stewart), for the Crime Syndicate, major changes in the relationships of the Trinity themselves as they come to understand their bond and are affected by it, wars in space, wars in other realms, a crisis for Hawkman, a new purpose for Gangbuster, surprising alliances and betrayals, a new way for the black hats of the DCU to organize and seize power, a new way for the white hats to fight back, a threat to all life everywhere, the birth of a new universe (but not the New Universe!) and lots more."Aw, c'mon, just one spoiler!"I'm very proud of Bruce Wayne's coffee order."That'll do!(E-mail Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com.)