''The Troublemakers'' is a graphic novel by American cartoonist

Gilbert Hernandez Gilberto Hernández (born February 1, 1957), usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also by the nickname Beto (), is an American cartoonist. He is best known for his ''Palomar''/''Heartbreak Soup'' stories in ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love ...

, published in 2009. It is one of a number of stand-alone graphic novels featuring Hernandez's character Fritz acting in stories inspired by

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

and exploitation movies. Fritz plays a magician's assistant named Nala.

Background

The lead character in ''The Troublemakers'' is Rosalba "Fritz" Martinez, the half-sister of Hernandez's character Luba. Fritz similarly starred in ''

Speak of the Devil "Speak of the devil" is the short form of the English-language idiom "Speak of the devil and he doth appear" (or its alternative form "speak of the devil and he shall appear"). The form "talk of the devil" is also in use in the United Kingdom ...

'' (2008), which is presented as the true story behind a movie. Hernandez drew inspiration from pulp fiction and

heist film The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime films and the caper story, focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery. One of the early defining heist films was '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film G ...

s such as ''

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American Technicolor epic comedy film in Ultra Panavision 70 produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, from a screenplay by William and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all ...

'' (1960) and '' A Simple Plan'' (1998).

Synopsis

The musician and con-man Wes tries to steal $ from his friend Dewy Booth to start a

rock-and-roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African American music such as jazz, rhythm and ...

club. He gets his former babysitter, the stage magician Nala, to help him. Vincene, a woman from Wes's past who is also a criminal, gets involved; soon Wes comes to question the motives of those around him.

References

Works cited

* * 2013 graphic novels American graphic novels Gilbert Hernandez {{2010s-graphic-novel-stub