"Trinity" #49 on sale now

"Your time is over." - BatmanWelcome to TRINGENUITY, CBR's ongoing commentary of DC Comics' weekly superhero series, "Trinity." The title is divided into two features; the first focuses on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, while the second feature portrays background or tangential events that relate to the ongoing lead storyline. "Trinity" is a weekly series that is promised to be epic in scale and help define the trio of heroes' mythical place in the DC Universe.PREVIOUSLYThe Trinity joined their minds to execute Batman's plan of attack. As Superman, Batman and the assembled heroes attacked the Troika, the plan went into action. While the villains were kept busy, Batman used a different trinity -- Sun-Chained-In-Ink, Tarot, and the Void Housnd -- to bind the mad god known as Krona. Linking the three together and siphoning Krona's own power through Superman, the Oan god was bound, and the heroes had seemingly won the battle.TRINITY #49The lead feature begins as Lois Lane plays reporter, giving us the street-eye view of the battle that rages between the forces of good and evil. As the assembled heroes and villains of the CSA attack the incoming armada, Krona finds himself bound by Batman's tarot-inspired prison. Batman's plan becomes clearer when he and Wonder Woman reveal they intend to use Krona's power to set everything right. In the midst of the scuffle, Enigma reaches out to the spirit of his daughter, whose SPHERE is damaged, and witnesses the Worldsoul trying to mend the broken world. Kanjar Ro attempts yet another double-cross using the Crime Syndicate, but is rebuffed by the villains because they want to save their world. As the Trinity begins to enact their plan, but Morgaine makes a last ditch effort and frees the mad Oan. The final scene is that of Krona, ripping the Earth apart with his bare hands.The rest of the issue focuses on the destruction wrought around the world by Krona, as seen through the eyes of the characters we've met over the course of the series. From Gotham City to Washington D.C. from Los Angeles to New York, the world erupts and people die. Hal Jordan attempts to stop the destruction, summoning the reserves of his Power Ring to try and bind the planet back together, but to no avail. The planet is torn asunder, and the world begins to die one person at a time. COMMENTARYBrian Eason: We get the details of Batman's plan.Justin Eger: Yes, it seems that he reverse-engineered the magic spell that started this whole mess. BE: This comes back to our discussion about Lex Luthor unraveling the spells. One man's magic appears to be another man's science.JE: I found it both interesting and odd that you can apply such a scientific principal -- reverse-engineering -- to magic.BE: Xor and Despero go at it.

Xor confronts Despero, while Krona and the Trinity look on



JE: That's a fight I'm liking, right there. It's a cool match-up of powerful alien beings. BE: The Dreambound get some payback.JE: Tangling with Morgaine doesn't seem like a good prospect, but their guys try to make it work. Odd that they were so quick to take on someone with so much more power. BE: We learn why the Dreambound were so easily freed of Morgaine's influence and why they are less villainous. JE: Yeah, Enigma stepped in and loosened Morgaine's grip on the team. All possible, since he had a hand in creating them. BE: Something I hadn't considered.JE: Neither had I. Going back and looking at previous issues, it seems like this turn of events means that Enigma had been planning for something like this. BE: He is a good guy - that gives us the impetus.JE: It also provides us with another comparison to his counterpart: Batman. BE: Stephanie is free of the SPHERE, setting up your prediction.

Enigma, Stephie, and the Worldsoul



JE: Yes, it looks like she will merge with our Worldsoul to keep the planet alive, at least until the last few pages of this issue. BE: The Worldsoul, damaged as she is, is planning to try and heal the world. JE: Kind of like "faith healing," I would think. Using the soul to heal the body, perhaps?BE: Everything here has used symbols. That's as good a symbol as any. Kanjar Ro tries for yet another double-cross.JE: You know what? This was the big surprise of the issue for me. Not that Ro would take that route, but that the Crime Syndicate actually rejected his plan. BE: Me too. Busiek has got the voice of the Syndicate down pat. JE: I felt sure that Ultraman would have taken Ro up on his offer, but he actually displayed some intelligence. BE: The Trinity define themselves again, this time by their relationship to the world.JE: So, Wonder Woman is the history of the world, Superman is the heart, and Batman is the tragedy that all must face?BE: Perfect synopsis. JE: Even looking at the mythology of the characters, it's a solid comparison. Uniting them all as facets of the world at large makes perfect sense once you look at it that way.BE: Morgaine has one last gambit.JE: A full-on assault against the spell Batman worked up isn't much of a gambit, but more like a bull in a china shop.BE: Subtlety has not been her strong suit.JE: Perhaps she's lacking some of that vaunted patience Krona was going on about a few issues ago.BE: And Krona is ripping the world apart with his bare hands.

Krona brings doom



JE: That's a really scary sight. BE: Hal Jordan proves, once again, why Green Lanterns rule.JE: The dude held the planet together. That was awesome, at least until the ring ran out of juice. BE: The limited energy of the ring against an Oan God. Maybe we needed two Green Lanterns for that job. JE: Too bad John Stewart was still tied up with the Void Hound.



BE: In the wake of Krona's attack, we get to see what becomes of the world.JE: I thought that it was a nice touch to revisit all the characters who introduced us to the world without a Trinity. BE: This was a clever angle. Desiree Washington from our World Without a Wonder Woman story.JE: Who has to watch the world get torn apart, and is left with a feeling of abandonment.BE: "Bigger" Melvin, from our Batman story, is still alive. This proves the world is still not set right.JE: Indeed. If everything were on its proper path, Bigger would have to be returned to the grave, and that young woman from Tel Aviv would still be alive. There were also a few old friends thrown into the mix, like Alfred and Madame Zodiac. BE: But what of Tomorrow Woman?

From Aruba to New York, it's the end of the world



JE: In Los Angeles, she watches the city rip itself free of gravity. That's a disturbing image. Look at that: the Sea Devils. There's an awesome (and completed unexpected) cameo.BE: Always a favorite of mine.JE: We need more stories about men in boats and the exploration of underwater haunts. BE: And we see where the Riddler's been hiding.JE: Poor guy was just trying to get a tan in Aruba, and the world fell apart around him. BE: We end up with the return of the Hawkman/Gangbuster team-up.JE: Which was awesome, even though it only lasted for just a second. And Carter ends things as I always expected Carter to - calling for Shayera. A pretty ominous conclusion, no?

Can there even be a next issue after this?



BE: The world falling apart into space and the people of Earth along with it. JE: Thankfully, we know there are still more issues to come, or this would be pretty disheartening.