Regular readers of the blog may be noticing a pattern with my reviews recently; I’ve been picking up cheap old comics, sometimes (though not always) with silly gimmicks (such as bullet holes or holograms), but often just because they catch my eye. In several cases, I’ve chosen titles where I can get the first issue for next to nothing, cost-wise, often for series I’ve never heard of before.

That’s the case with Troublemakers #1, which caught my eye as a comic with a fun looking cover, and which I had no idea existed prior to picking it up for peanuts. Troublemakers itself ran for 19 issues before concluding its one and only run, and it began with this issue, in 1997.

So, what’s it about? I had absolutely no pre-conceptions and no clue as to what the story was myself, so it was entirely new to me. The story concerns a group of super powered teenagers who are kept hidden from the outside world. So far, that doesn’t sound particularly unique or interesting, but the fact that they were genetically engineered by a huge pharmaceutical corporation, with employees as their sperm and egg donors, gives it an unusual edge.

For the most part, it’s a fun story of the kids pushing against their boundaries, and seeing what they can get away with before they’re caught and returned to their clandestine home, but there’s a genuinely touching subplot that comes into focus by the end of the issue, and I have to say it brought me close to tears.

It’s very sweet, very well handled and about as far removed from what you expect of a typical 90s comic, particularly one from Acclaim/Valiant, as you can get.

It was certainly unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome. Unlike most of these old comics I’ve been checking out, which soon prove exactly why they’re cheap and forgotten, Troublemakers #1 is a genuinely intriguing story with a tragic plot that develops well, once the necessary exposition is dealt with. It’s a comic I can unequivocally recommend, so if you do find yourself in a comic store with a healthy selection of back issues, see if you can find it; it’s well worth reading, and I’ll definitely be looking to pick up more of the series when I get the chance.