Holy Trinity, Batman!

By Randy Gentile

I was lucky enough to get the gig lettering the first issue (#676) in the much-anticipated Batman R.I.P. storyline by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel.

Jared K. Fletcher picked up the lettering chores on issue 677 and word came down from DC that I'll be lettering issue 678. I've got it right here and it looks fantastic.

Wanna know what happens?

Batman throws a bat-a-rang... forgets he threw it... and a few seconds later it comes back and hits him in the head.

Game over.

Alright, I'm just kiddin'.

I've lettered a bunch of issues of Batman and Detective Comics and I'm still not over the geek-out I get from working on Bob Kane and Bill Finger's seminal creation. The really weird thing is that I grew up, a balls to the wall Marvel Zombie. Yeah, I picked up a few issues of Batman here and there but I always felt like I was cheating on a girlfriend or something. I'd always go right back to the ol' Web Head or the Ever Lovin' Blue Eyed Thing.

Last Wednesday DC debuted their 3rd weekly series, Trinity, by Kurt Busiek and former Marvel mainstay turned DC headliner Mark Bagley. I really dug the first issue. Bagley is a master storyteller and it's great to see his take on characters without webbing on their costumes.

Trinity got me thinking, though....

Could Marvel put together a book like Trinity? Who would be their Big 3? With DC it's a no-brainer. Supes, Bats and Wonder Woman.

But who makes up the Marvel trio? Spider-Man is an obvious one. Captain America? Wolverine? Then what if I threw some characters like Thor at you? The Hulk? Iron Man? I guess not... I'd have to go with Spidey, Cap and Wolvie. But do these 3 have the presence that DC's Trinity does?

And if I get really fanboy on you DC's Trinity would kick the crap out of Marvel's... Maybe Cap could take out Batman but that‘s a big maybe. Spidey would get it handed to him by all three... and while Wolvie would put up a great fight at the end of the day Superman could just throw him onto the Moon or something. Let's see you heal yerself then, bub!

This is in no way a shot at Marvel. From top to bottom I'll take Marvel's "B-List" guys like Daredevil, Punisher and Iron Man any day. Who are DC's B-List guys? Green Lantern and the Flash... then who? Martian Manhunter? Robin? Sorry, these guys don't hold a candle to characters like Daredevil. Especially if you're talking DD during the Frank Miller and Bendis days... those storylines are as good as any character ever.

I dunno, just some fanboy food for thought.

I usually talk a bit about mainstream comics that hit the shelves every week but I'd like to take this space and plug an amazing web comix anthology called "Next Door Neighbor" It's edited by fellow Brooklyn cartoonist Dean Haspiel (check out more about Dean and Deep6 in an earlier video Font You! Called "Inside Deep6")...next Door Neighbor tells different neighbor stories. Simple concept that breeds great results with art from the likes of Jonathan Ames, Nick Bertozzi, John Cebollero and Ed Piskor (among others) every other Monday brings you top-notch free comics on the web. You can't beat it.