Trinity Vol 1 9

"Crumbs in the Forest"

Cover
Textless

"Crumbs in the Forest"

"Making the Pieces Fit"

Storytellers / Scripter

Kurt Busiek / Fabian Nicieza

Artists

Scott McDaniel / Andy Owens

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Trinity # 8	Trinity # 10

I thought you were going to be lighten up, Bruce.

— Wonder Woman

Trinity #9 is an issue of the series Trinity (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 2008.

Synopsis for "Crumbs in the Forest"

Etta Candy and Diana Prince, changed in to her Wonder Woman costume, work to rescue people in the Maryland mall they're shopping in, which has exploded and collapsed around them. As they do, a costumed man calling himself Swashbuckler arrives, claims responsibility for the calamity, "steals a kiss" from Etta and leaves through a nearby window while Etta's Department of Metahuman Affairs (DMA) pager begins to go off.

Outside of Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne continues to fight a group of Howlers attempting to brand him, escaping from them long enough to retrieve a spare Utility Belt and Batsuit pieces hidden on the grounds.

Etta and Diana, in her civilian garb, report to DMA headquarters where Sergeant Steel shows them video from around the world of people vanishing without a trace. He then confirms to a questioning Agent Tresser that the disappearances are, in fact, metahuman related.

Fully suited up, Batman throws silver nitrate at the howlers, hoping it works on them as it does on traditional werewolves. Superman arrives on the scene, getting a gold greeting, so Batman asks him to take the unconscious Howlers to the Batcave while he makes an appearance before his party goers.

When he finishes and arrives in the Batcave himself, Nightwing informs him that he's identified the Howlers from a previous run in Batman and Robin have had with them and Batman calls it odd that he didn't recognize them. Robin further explains that they've found the "branding discs" they carry mentioned in Merlin's Eternity Book.

During the discussion, Superman realizes the "off-kilter" sensation he had in Morocco is stronger and thinks that his inability to identify an old foe is a sign that Batman is being affected too. He also feels the rage that usually drives Batman in the back of his mind. As he's thinking about it, Wonder Woman comes over a holographic Justice League message channel and tells them they need to gather the Justice League of America for a sudden crisis. Batman dismisses her, but she continues that it's "Multiple-Earth" trouble concerning the disappearances around the world. She then transmits a DMA photo of the people responsible, the Crime Syndicate of Amerika.

At DMA headquarters, Etta Candy and Tom Tresser are leaving the facility--Tresser upset that the Justice League is taking over the case--when Etta sets off an alarm and finds that her DMA ID card is missing. Elsewhere, Swashbuckler hands it to Morgaine le Fey.

Appearing in "Crumbs in the Forest"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Swashbuckler (First appearance)
The Howlers
Morgaine le Fey

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Batsuit
- Utility Belt
Eternity Book (In a photograph only)
Ring of Volthoom

Synopsis for "Making the Pieces Fit"

From her Platinum Flats headquarters, Oracle coordinates a number of heroes as they surveil various Gotham villains. As he moves from one building to another, Nightwing's cable is cut. After he recovers, Swashbuckler appears and the two begin an acrobatic fight during which Swashbuckler slices one of Nightwing's escrima sticks and removes his mask with the tip of his sword. Calling his "task complete" Swashbuckler begins fleeing, only to have to have a voice activated self-destruct destroy his "prize". He calls their meeting a draw on his exit, throwing the tracer Nightwing placed on him back at him.

Oracle calls her father, who informs her that he's found nothing on the Penguin being involved in the string of museum robberies. As their talking, a spectral arm enters the room and makes off with the Commissioner's pipe.

Deciding to go straight to the source, Oracle sends Robin to ask Penguin directly, and he denies involvement "regardless of [his] numerous inquiries." As he's asking, Oracle hears of a riot in progress at Arkham Asylum.

Inside the Asylum, Swashbuckler holds off a number of guards as another man, the Trans-Volitional Man, walks through a wall into the cell of the Joker. When the Joker laughs, "T.V.M." reaches out and literally plucks his laugh from the air. When Robin arrives, Detective Harvey Bullock shows him to the Joker's cell, where he says he's probably be better off had he been killed, with the Joker choking in vain attempts to produce a laugh.

Appearing in "Making the Pieces Fit"