Trouble Express 1

by Will Allison

Trace Markley is an inter-galactic courier and one of the best! When huge courier conglomerate Trouble Express begins courting him to join their ranks, he's suspicious, but money can sometimes change everything.

Comic

First published November 1, 1998

About the author

I was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and now live with my wife and daughter in South Orange, New Jersey. In between, I've lived in Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and elsewhere; taught creative writing at The Ohio State University, Butler University, and Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis; and worked as executive editor of Story, editor at large of Zoetrope: All-Story, editor of Novel & Short Story Writer's Market, and as a freelance editor and writer. I've also been on staff at the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley. I received a BA in English and political science from Case Western Reserve University as well as an MA in English and an MFA in creative writing from Ohio State. I'm the grateful recipient of grants, fellowships, and scholarships from the Indiana Arts Commission, Arts Council of Indianapolis, Ohio Arts Council, and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference (including a 1996 work-study scholarship and the 2008 Allan Collins Fellowship in Fiction). My first novel, What You Have Left, was published in 2007 by Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Paperback and audio book editions were published in 2008. A paperback reissue is due out in April 2011, and my second novel, Long Drive Home, will be published by Free Press in May 2011.

Reviews

[Anomaly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing Particularly New, Questionable Art Quality

The story doesn't bring anything new to the table. You've got an anti-hero who draws the line that he refuses to kill and is only a criminal to support his little sister. You've got the scantily-clad crime boss lady who lures people with her body. You've got the chubby crime lord whose body shape is made into a joke because haha not-skinny soooo funny. And you've got the snarky, annoying teenage girl who's supposed to be the best at her criminal area of expertise. Nothing here subverts, toys with, or alters the expected cliches in a criminal origin story for an anti-hero.

Likewise, the art quality isn't anything noteworthy. It has the wonky proportions and stiff poses you'd expect from someone who read a few "how to draw anime" books and rushed right into making their own manga. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that as a concept, but it's not exactly pleasant to look at as a reader. Several times, I was confused as to what exactly a panel was attempting to convey.

From what I can see, this has been pulled from Amazon (it was a freebie when I got it) and the series was never continued anyway. But if it did have other installments, I wouldn't be pursuing them. There's nothing here I deem worth the investment of time.