Mark Millar and the Dodsons dip their toe into the waters of Epic to stir up a little Trouble.
Randy:
When Marvel announced that it was throwing open their doors to just about everyone with Epic, it caused a bit of a stir. When it was announced that one of the first books would be by Mark Millar and the Dodsons, and that it would be a teenage romance, eyebrows were raised. And when, recently, we all discovered that the teen romance was about four people who would serve as parents to Spider-Man in years to come? Well, that's when it got interesting.
Don:
Marvel's Mike Doran got some black-and-white preview copies into our grubby little hands, and I found some surprises. Of course, that goes without saying, given how little information was available about Trouble until the last few days. Randy notes this is a teen romance book, but the first issue doesn't strike me as romance, but it is a risque romp that stands out as a radical shift in genre for the publisher.
Trouble #1
written by Mark Millar
illustrated by Terry & Rachel Dodson
lettered by Chris Eliopoulos
edited by Axel Alonso
Don:
Teenage brothers Richie and Ben have opted to take jobs at a vacation resort in the Hamptons instead of just hanging around at home. Richie figures it'll be the perfect place to meet girls. Speaking of which, a wild girl named May has convinced her more straight-laced friend Mary that a summer of fun, flirting and hopefully more awaits them in the Hamptons as well. Destiny and hormones bring the four of them together, and it looks like they're going to get in some trouble.
Randy:
Marvel is pretty well known for staying within the super-hero genre, and even their expansion with different creators and styles has pretty much stayed to the formula that super-heroes have to exist somewhere within it. So Trouble is somewhat ground-breaking for Marvel, in that there isn't a super-hero in sight. In fact, if you came to this book not knowing that the May and Ben will be Aunt and Uncle to Peter Parker, or that Richard and Mary will be his parents, you'd never know it, and you'd never need to know it. Which does lead to the question of why you would tie it into the Marvel Universe at all.
Don:
Welcome to Fast Times at Marvel High folks. Actually, the characters aren't overtly referred to as the Parkers; there are no last names, but it seems clear from the first names that we're to infer that these characters are Spider-Man's future family. Fortunately, the book doesn't wink at the reader, pointing at little hints of what's to come in their lives. It focuses on them in the moment. In fact, these characters are so different from the ones we've come to know over the years, one can probably enjoy the story more approaching it as a blank slate.
Randy:
The best answer I can come up with for why to make these Parker relatives is for the shock value, which sort of puts me off the book a bit. Quite honestly, while Trouble is ground-breaking for Marvel, it's the sort of material that smaller publishers have been doing for years, and while Millar's story certainly isn't bad, it comes off as about as reckless and edgy as Dirty Dancing when compared to some of the work that has come out of Alternative Comics (Grand Gestures) or Oni Press (Blue Monday), to name only two. What makes it stand out from those stories is that it's about Aunt May (and, if rumors are to be believed, a heretofore unrevealed pregnancy), and it seems like shoddy treatment of the character for the purposes of being controversial. Certainly I didn't need to know that May was a hellacious wildcat who makes Stan Lee's Mary Jane look absolutely bookish. While people can certainly change as they age, it seems like Millar takes May's devil-may-care persona a bit too far, and in so doing, risks turning Trouble into a cartoon.
Don:
I don't agree. Sure, there's a shock value in seeing the future May Parker in such a light, but I buy into the notion that people can change radically as they mature. Furthermore, I suspect this first issue -- with its titillating attitude -- is only one facet of the story. I certainly hope so. I would expect more serious subject is coming around the bend. I have to admit, turning May into a wildchild certainly carries with it some potential for controversy, and with it, some mainstream marketing opportunities and perhaps some irked parents of teenage readers.
Randy:
Certainly, Trouble reads like your average summer teen movie, with less nudity and foul language. The scenario, teenagers working at a resort for the summer, has been the subject of more than one direct-to-cable movie and schlocky summer flick. Millar hits all the familiar notes here, from the pushy guests and the kids' revenge to the authoritarian resort owner to the raging teenage hormones. It's fun and light, even if it does feel like something I've seen before. Whatever else you can say about Trouble, it is clear that Millar is having fun, and the story is aimed at a much larger audience than the one that is interested in super-heroes.
Don:
Given the slightful sinful focus of this first issue, Terry and Rachel Dodson's provocative and curvaceous artwork seems like the obvious choice to bring it to life. They capture the young May's frisky and energetic nature quite well, and I like that we can see that Ben is a bit sheepish when compared to his younger brother.
Randy:
If you're doing a story about people rather than super-heroes, and you need cheesecake (with taste) and a sense of light fun, you can't go wrong with the Dodsons. While May and Mary look a bit too much alike, that's the only complaint I have about the artwork, which is delightful. Expressive characters and sexy forms, both male and female, fill the pages, and the backdrop of the story is brought to life just as strongly, from the bunkhouses to the palatial resort to the bus station.
Don:
Keep in mind that May and Mary look alike in the black-and-white artwork we've sampled. Marvel sent along three color-page samples as well, and May's red hair sets her apart quite clearly from her blonde pal.
Ultimately, I think the greatest strength of Trouble -- at least from the perspective of this 30-something reader -- is it's easy to identify with these characters. Mind you, I didn't have a sex-filled romp at a summer resort in my youth, but I did have summers full of fun, without a care for any consequences. It's a defining element of youth.
For more information about Trouble, check out the feature on 
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