Writer: Mark Millar / Penciller: Terry Dodson / Inker: Rachel Dodson / Colour Artist: Matt Hollingsworth / Letterer: Chris Elipoulos. 5 issue Mini-Series. Epic Comics (Marvel)
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25th July 2020
The Pitch: Best friends Mary and May travel to the Hamptons for their summer jobs and meet hunky brothers, Ben and Richard Parker. After a skinny dip, May and Ben take things to the next level while Mary and Richie solely hang out.
Trouble was always going to be a difficult sell. Conceived partly to re-kick-start the trend for romance comics that had been all the rage in the '60s and '70s, but placed contextually within the history of the modern Marvel universe, set in the 1970s. I spoke to a buddy who remembers this book being released back in 2003. At the time, message boards were the way comics fans communicated with each other and by all accounts, those boards were alive with chatter about Trouble. Apparently, people weren't too hot on the idea of the woman who would become Aunt May having premarital (or any kind of) sex. Which when you think about it, is kinda weird.
Looking back at Trouble now, I have a hard time seeing why it was such a problem for readers. Multiversal ideas of characters’ lives – even the 'B' characters – are pretty much standard now. As is expanding on every tiny little bit of back story. I mean, how did Wolverine get those claws?? Doesn't matter if you want the answer or not. You're getting it, chum. Preferably in an 8-issue maxi-series with book-ending one-shots. What’s the matter with you? Don't you wanna spend fifty bucks on this? The answer is probably 'no'. But this was 2003. Pre-Batman Begins, pre-reboot happy central. Back then, we were kind of happy with our heroes and their origins as established. Sure, we'd get a Year One now and then and that was cool. Maybe a Commissioner Gordon mini. But did we really need to know the ins and outs of Aunt May's love life? Well, someone at Marvel thought so. To be fair, it was a ballsy move on Axel Alonso's part. As pitched and executed, the five-issue series wouldn't just rewrite Aunt May's history but Uncle Ben's. Not to mention Richard and Mary Parker's too. And of course, if you rewrite their history you're rewriting Spider-Man's history. And that's where I think the problem was for readers. Re-crafting the parental angst of beloved heroes seems to be a no-no. Like finding out Bruce Wayne's parents faked their own death (nope). These things don't sit well with the hardcore comics cognoscenti. They're purists. But maybe that's the problem.
NO MATTER HOW MANY REVISIONIST TAKES YOU GET ON CHARACTERS, THE ONES YOU LOVE WILL STILL BE THERE
Fandom has problems accepting change. We like the world stagnant within the pages of our funny books. I personally don't have a problem with either state. No matter how many revisionist takes you get on characters, the ones you love will still be there. The stories still exist. At least as long as those stories stay in print. Which brings me nicely to this and why I'm writing about it. I'm not a big Millar apologist. As with any creator, there are some works of his I absolutely love and some I just don't. In fact, I can't think of a single creator whose work I just flat-out adore every time out of the gate. Not one. But I will say that Millar's work around the ‘00s was one of the best-sustained runs in the industry. In no particular order, we got Aztek: The Ultimate Man, Superman: Red Son, The Ultimates and The Ultimates 2, Civil War and Wolverine: Enemy of the State, followed by Wolverine: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. And Old Man Logan. Along with Bendis, his voice was the note that tuned the MCU. Latter-day works that really hit for me have been Jupiter's Legacy and The Magic Order. Millar is comfortable re-imaging characters, especially top-tier ones, so Trouble was certainly in his wheelhouse. But there are only four words that really count with any mass-media art: 'is it any good?'
For me at least, it is. For a non-superhero story, it manages to hit the same notes as most superhero books. It touches on themes like self-sacrifice, greater good versus individual happiness and of course, great responsibility. There would be a problem with the teen sex angle, which is not looked on in the same way it was, even back in 2003 and understandably so. But really, it's no worse than Dirty Dancing and at least all the lovers in Trouble are the same age! Trouble actually sits in a fine tradition for Marvel, that of the relatable human characters who might live just down the street from you. And as I mentioned before, it was trying to restart people's interest in romance comics, which isn't by itself a bad thing. I can't help but think it would probably ride the wave of nostalgia now.
GIVE THESE GUYS CREDIT. THEY TRIED SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT A TIME WHEN THERE WAS A SAMENESS TO A LOT OF COMICS
Terry and Rachel Dodson do wonders with the art, too. They create a cheesecake look (and I mean that in the best sense of the word) that fits an idealised version of teen life. They represent a wholesome America, even if the characters behave irresponsibly and compromise their own morals. They remind you that this stuff, deep down, is actually supposed to be fun. Terry keeps the energy up, using super-hero angles to tell very human drama. Rachel keeps it all beautifully tight and clean. Matt Hollingsworth's colours help it all feel bright and spacious. The comic looks and feels typical of the era without falling into the trap of being just like every book of the time. Chris Eliopoulos's letters are really well done, giving the voices the right pitch and urgency. The sassy, poppy photographic covers (an interesting choice for the exaggerated early ‘00s stylings of most comics) are perfectly judged. Look closely at the changing expressions of the girls and see how they perfectly chart the changing relationship between May, Mary, Ben and Richie.
DODSON KEEPS THE ENERGY UP, USING SUPER-HERO ANGLES TO TELL A VERY HUMAN DRAMA
Is it a perfect book? Nope. But I have to give these guys credit for trying something different at a time when some may have felt there was a desperate sameness to a lot of the books out there. It's important for comics to be able to look back at genres and styles of the past and embrace them as they move forward. Sometimes that means picking storylines and styles we may not be entirely comfortable with and having a superstar creative team try out things that may seem outside their comfort zone, or outside ours as I feel this book was. But without that, what type of books can we really hope for? Sometimes, comics need to get into Trouble. Now, why the hell isn't this in print?
Buy Marvel comics here and support The Comic Crush. Ok, so unlike The Ray from a couple of weeks back, Trouble is available digitally from ComiXology but is at the time of writing, unavailable in TPB form. Check your local back issue stockist for copies. Happy Hunting!