The major comic companies put out enough comics that sometimes it can leave your head spinning and eyes bleeding as you search the new titles each week for something worth reading. To aid in your Geeky endeavors, Speak Geeky To Me on occasion reviews new titles from the major companies to spotlight the best and worst of what’s available at your local comic shop. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a new Comic Review.

 

The Info Bit

Title: Trio

Genre/s: Superhero

Writer: John Byrne (Uncanny X-Men, Next Men, Superman)

Penciler: John Byrne

Colorist: Ronda Pattison (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega)

Letterist: Robbie Robbins (Smoke & Mirrors, GI Joe)

Publisher: IDW

Number of Issues: #1  (on-going)

Page Count: 24

Price: 3.99

 

The Review Bit

You say the name John Byrne around comic book geeks and ears perk up. The man is a legend, and has had his hands in some of the biggest titles on both sides of the aisle, as well as having some creator owned titles. To be honest the majority of John Byrne I ever read was his Marvel work. I never read Next Men, or Danger Unlimited. So when IDW announced that Byrne was returning to his superhero writing roots I was very eager to check it out.

The story is about a trio of superheroes (Rock, Paper, and Scissors) whose codenames are One, Two, and Three. Their names describe it all. Rock is impenetrable and made of solid rock (much like Ben ‘the Thing’ Grim *side note* – Byrne also worked on Fantastic Four), Paper can become paper thin, and Scissors is a dude with blade like appendages.

We are introduced to each character as they attempt to foil the plans of a well armed and an absurdly overly manned team robbing a bank (you will be right to think that seems incredibly overboard). The usual superhero to villain quips are exchanged as the robbery is foiled, but in the aftermath it is discovered that Paper is injured and needs immediate attention. While our heroes are rushed back to HQ we are shown a whaling boat way out in the middle of the sea that suddenly becomes overtaken with monstrous and murderous mermaids (say that 10 times real fast). The issue ends with the introduction to the teams 1st villain, and what it unleashes on the city.

Byrne seemed to feel right at home writing superheroes again. And I think that was the problem. Now it could have been completely his intention, but the writing style to me seemed very dated. It felt to have an almost 80′s flow to it. Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate old books, its just, we’ve come a long way in story telling in this medium. If the intention is to try and bring up nostalgia in a reader, it needs to be incredibly well done, and to me this just didn’t seem that way. I can pretty much say almost exactly the same thing for his art. Which is why part of me thinks it is intentional. Then again Byrne’s art has always had a specific look and that has not changed all that much over the years.

 

The Rating Bit

Overall I think I would have to give this book a well rounded 5. While I do not feel that there was anything out right bad with this book, there was just absolutely nothing to make me want to check out the next issue. There was plenty of hype to this book with no delivery, and lets be honest…a 24-page book for $3.99…that doesn’t help its case any.