Review of "Trinity, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman," by Matt Wagner

Review of

Trinity, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, by Matt Wagner ISBN 1401201873

Five out of five stars

 This is an alliance of two male and one female heroes where the female is almost, but not quite treated as an equal by both of the males. Batman is portrayed in one of his darker incarnations, his statements sometimes frustrate Wonder Woman, yet Superman defends him. He reminds her that Batman is a strong force for good, even though he expresses a bit of psychosis.

 The primary battle is with Ra’s al Ghul, a billionaire eco-terrorist convinced that the Earth must be remade in a different image that only he knows. To do that he frees a Bizarro Superman clone from imprisonment in ice and convinces the powerful simpleton to do his bidding. Which is to capture a submarine carrying a set of nuclear missiles. Adding to Ghul’s power is a renegade teen Amazon with significant powers and a really bad attitude towards the world. Finally, Ghul is surrounded by fanatical human followers that will willingly give their lives following Ghul’s commands.

 Ghul’s plan is to use the nuclear weapons to destroy major cities and cleanse them. It is up to the three heroes to thwart those plans and so they must battle Ghul’s tactical brilliance, his human army as well as the powerful Bizarro. Only Superman has the power to successfully physically engage the Bizarro, Batman can do so only with special technological devices and Wonder Woman is outmatched.

 While much of the dialog is canned super hero and villain chatter, there are some truly excellent moments. Such as Superman and Batman’s reaction to their first sight of Wonder Woman’s invisible robot plane. If it was somewhat altered, the banter between Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Superman (Clark Kent) could be the talk between two guys in a bromance engaged in a macho competition.

 This is a very good story, where saving the Earth is the goal, but the act of learning to work and play well together between the three heroes sometimes takes precedence. Which is as it should be, like the gods of Greek mythology, heroes are much more interesting if they act more than a little bit human.