DC Comics Planning First Major Event of the New 52

Rumored yesterday and then seemingly confirmed today by a leaked image, DC Comics will apparently announce in its DC Comics – The New 52 #1 Free Comic Book Day offering that a major Justice League story called Trinity War will be taking place in 2013. From the image presented, it appears to be DC’s equivalent of Marvel’s popular Civil War event, with members of the Justice League pummeling each other in a massive four-page spread.Don’t click on the image at left unless you want to see specifics; it’s included here in no small part because it’s hard to tell what’s going on unless you want to, but since the book doesn’t come out for another two weeks that image can be considered a spoiler.While yesterday’s speculation revolved mostly around the idea that “Trinity War” was a reference to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman–three characters they often refer to as their “trinity,” Bleeding Cool today has a blind quote from someone claiming to know differently.According to their anonymous source, the story “has probably something to do with the Trinity of Evil which gets introduced in DC’s [Free Comic Book Day] comic. Pandora is one of the Trinity.”Pandora, of course, is the mysterious, hooded woman who appeared in all of the New 52 #1 issues, lurking in the background, before finally getting a little bit of explanation in a backup feature in Justice League #6. She will reportedly be a major focus of the Free Comic Book Day issue.As for her companions, the source continues, “It appears to be the three original sinners, of which Pandora has already been disclosed. Let me just say that the identities of the other two will surprise and amaze you.”The obvious answer, of course, is that the Trinity War will come down to a battle between this unnamed Trinity of Evil and DC’s primary Trinity, who may have to work together to resolve the crisis because apparently the rest of the Justice League are kicking the snot out of each other.Members of the Justice League who haven’t yet been seen in the pages of a DC comic appear in the image above, including Element Woman, The Atom and characters who appear to be New 52 reinventions of Black Adam and Vibe. The Green Lantern pictured is also somewhat puzzling, although given the current status quo shakeup in Green Lantern Corps, it could turn out to be that John Stewart is using a new costume once his trial is over (assuming he survives it–characters like Arkkis Chummuck and Sinestro have had poor luck with those trials in the past).DC has yet to comment on the rumors or the leaked image, and don’t expect them to; after the Before Watchmen project was revealed, and artwork leaked, they steadfastly ignored the reports until they were ready to make their own announcement.