Did anyone think we needed another Spider-Man title? No. Did anyone think the creative team behind Trouble would bring maturity and darkness to the world of Marvel's well-known wallcrawler? Probably not. Did Mark Millar and company exceed my expectations and deliver on just what this title was billed to be? I'll be damned, they did. This sctript reminds me of the sort of strength we saw from writer Paul Jenkins during his stint on Peter Parker Spider-Man title a couple of years back. He hasn't captured the same brilliance in his work on its replacement title (Spectacular Spider-Man), but it seems as though Millar has picked up the baton where Jenkins left it.
Norman Osborn, AKA the Green Goblin, has decided to end the uneasy truce between himself and his hated enemy, Spider-Man, and the result the next day is a black-and-blue high-school teacher by the name of Peter Parker. Meanwhile, May Parker has decided the time has come to let the house in Queens go and to move into the city to be closer to Peter and Mary Jane. Peter and May say good-bye to the old homestead, while elsewhere, a mysterious figure with a bone to pick with Spider-Man prepares to make his move, armed with a powerful piece of information.
I was most relieved to discover that the T&A content is practically non-existent in this comic book, and without that distraction, the Dodsons' art really shines. I'm reminded not only of Adam (Rose & Thorn covers) Hughes's style here, but those of Leinil Francis (Superman: Birthright) and Mike (Fantastic Four) Wieringo. There's an impressive level of detail in the backgrounds, and I love how the artists make the title character's injuries seem real. Avalon's colors maintain a dark, mature atmosphere that are in keeping with the more sophisticated leanings of the Marvel Knights imprint and Millar's script.
Millar's description of the fight between Goblin and Spidey, not to mention the painful aftermath, says something interesting about the genre. He doesn't treat the violence here as routine. It's real, in a sense, and that brings a more realistic and harsh tone to the storytelling here. I also appreciated the notion of Mary Jane tending to Peter's wounds without being the worrywart she's been portrayed as in other Spidey comics as of late. Here, she's come to accept what her husband does, and she does what she can to help. It's not that a worrisome wife is ludicrous; far from it. But here, there's a strength in the character that serves as a nice change of pace.
The highlight of this issue is the conversation May and Peter share about leaving their treasure home behind. There's something about it that rings incredibly true. My parents sold the family home a few years back, and it was the right thing to do for them. But it feels as though a piece of my life, of my family, is missing these days. I visit my parents now, but I'm not visiting "home" anymore. The development also brings credibility to the characters here, as well as a sense of growth.
