In The Trenches

by Justin LaRocca Hansen

Fans of Amulet , Zita the Spacegirl , and Hilo will love this second volume in the Secondhand Heroes graphic novel series.
 
Two ordinary objects turned a pair of brothers into superheroes. Now they must fight the evil Trench right in their own neighborhood.
 
When Tuck and Hudson return from their first adventure as the superheroes Stretch and Brella, they’re still reeling from the shock of their newfound powers. But there’s no time to slow down. Trench, a supervillain whose powers came from the very same garage sale where Tuck and Hudson found their magic scarves and umbrella, lives around the corner—and he’s out to get the brother superhero duo. With help from their squirrel companion, Steen, and another newly minted superhero, a neighborhood girl named Elvira, the brothers keep fighting the good fight, with plenty of action and adventure along the way.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade, Comics

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 7, 2017

About the author

Justin LaRocca Hansen was raised in a small town in Massachusetts, spending his summers in Cape Cod. He has loved comics, drawing, and watercolor since he was very young, and his childhood adventures continue to inspire his storytelling today. After receiving his artistic and undergraduate training at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, Justin began teaching in New York and Massachusetts. He is the author/illustrator of the Secondhand Heroes trilogy, the picture book Monster Hunter and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Keith]

Well done and quite enjoyable, but be aware that this does NOT stand alone. Any reader with an interest in this series (or genre) pretty much needs to read the three volumes in order.

With that said, this kind of has a feel of “Young Justice” crossed with the “Friday the 13th” TV series. (Not the unrelated movies.). This works surprisingly well, as long as it’s read in the right sequence.

[Kellee Moye]

One of my students named Lucas is a huge graphic novel fan, and earlier this school year, he introduced a new series to me: Secondhand Heroes. He had read the first books in the series and wanted BADLY for me to read them and could not wait for the third book in the series. Well he does not need to wait any longer! This is a crazy series! I’ll be honest, in the first book, a twist in the plot happens, and the reader is not sure why, but I promise: TRUST THE AUTHOR! It epically comes together throughout the series. This series is definitely a perfect reading ladder up from younger middle grade series like Zita and Amulet. The bit of romance and realistic violence pushes its age range further into teens which, as a middle school reading teacher, I am always looking for! I also am in love with the artwork. It is different than other series because of its softer undertones and touches which makes it so unique.

Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...

[Stephanie Tournas]

Brothers Tucker and Hudson live on an island in the first completely green town in the country. But that doesn't mean that things are all hunky dory in Scraggy Neck. Evil doings continue in this second book in the series, where objects obtained from the yard sale of a deceased neighbor have mysterious powers, granting their owner abilities for good or evil depending on the person. Tuck and Hud use their embrella and scarf in an effort to foil the increasingly megalomaniacal Trench, who was previously the town's history teacher. Their sidekick, Steen, a squirrel now in possession of speech, rallies animals for communication and backup, and provides a comic element. The town is in ruins, and their neighbor Elvira joins their team to try fight Trench and his monsters. This is a really imaginative and creepy story with just enough humor and setting to not make you run for the hills. Steen's surfer boy lingo, the brothers' natural camaraderie and in-jokes, and the ideas of teachers and janitors turning evil in a green town make this a uniquely appealing fantasy. The art is wonderful, and Hansen is equally adept at portraying a cozy small town with diverse residents, and the monstrous evil that now challenges them as super heroes.

[Akoss]

*@Kidlitexchange #partner - I received a copy of this book from the Kidlitexchange network in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

The second book in the Secondhand Heroes series takes a noticeable dark turn as the complexity of the life of superheroes slowly dawned on the brothers. Meanwhile, more odd items from the yard sale are revealed while their nemesis is on the hunt to collect them all.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first. The brothers emotional struggle between wanting to continue living as regular kids and being ready to defeat evil whenever, will tug at your heart. The villain, named Trench is also beginning to show more than just a raw hunger for power. I appreciate the fact that he isn’t a cookie cutter villain. I look forward to the showdown in book three.

[Frederick Tan]

I never thought this graphic novel that I happen to pick up can be so engrossing and entertaining. A pair of brothers who got ordinary objects at a yard sales actually found extraordinary objects that gives them superheroes power. Along with the power, there lurk the supervillain Trench who is out to bring them down. So the fight goes down to the wire and they thought they have gotten the better of Trench or so they thought. That climaxing battle will take place in the final book of the trilogy, Final Battle.

[Anne]

Book 2 in the series

Stretch and Brella continue to fight Trench with the help of some others who found magical items at the yard sale.

An engaging and colorful graphic novel that I think will hold high appeal for middle school students. I'm not sure why I haven't seen much talk about this series...

[Becky]

This is such a fun adventuresome series. The two brothers are growing up and getting into more scrapes, falling in love and trying to save the world from evil- ends on a real cliffhanger making me want to run and get the next book hoping the boys can finally
save their town from the evil Trench!

[Stephanie (Gorelenore) Cover2CoverBlog]

Coming soon...

[Matt Piechocinski]

If this would have left out the whole "great power/great responsibility" aspect, it would have been a five. The inclusion of that just felt a little cliched. Still pretty great though.

[Adrian]

Great Book

[Jennifer]

I experienced mild and momentary disorientation because I did not realize this was the second book in the series. That said, I thought it was easy to capture the story line. The basis of the book is unusual - people getting super powers from items they bought at a garage sale. (Actually, it amuses me to tell people that.) The villain is their social studies teacher, who at first seems to want to do good, but is corrupted by the power he wields.
I liked the fact that the graphics were in color. I found the transitions awkward at times, but I admit I don't read many graphic novels to know if this is the norm.

[Suzanne Dix]

Brella and Stretch, crime-fighting superhero teenagers, are back in book two of this graphic novel action adventure. Hudson (aka Brella) and his younger brother Tuck (aka Stretch) were ordinary boys until they discovered that two objects from a yard sale (an umbrella and a scarf) had the power to turn them into superheroes. As the story continues in this new adventure, their town of Scraggy Neck is being terrorized by Trench whose evil powers come from a gas mask found at the same yard sale. Trench is hunting down others who purchased items from the yard sale, trying to accumulate greater and more terrifying powers. Brella and Stretch are joined by their neighbor Elvira and Hudson’s former girlfriend Isabella to battle against Trench before he is able to take over the world. Full of brotherly love, funny sidekicks like a jive-talking squirrel and a story that is all action, this graphic novel will win over all sorts of middle school readers. While this novel provides enough backstory for kids to jump right into Brella and Stretch’s new escapade, purchasing book one is recommended as this series will no doubt be very popular.

Grades 5 and up.

[Anne Gegg]

I love that the story continues and involves new characters. The art is once again beautiful and engaging. The characters face normal life challenges that make them relatable to any young reader.