What do you think?
Rate this book
Trencher
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... No. Wait. That's Star Wars.
You know, I really hate doing this. This solicitation stuff? Hate it. I mean, it's a collection of previously published stuff. Trencher. The repo guy from beyond. Ring any bells? No? Then maybe you should consider buying this, because God forbid, you ever land on Jeopardy and Trencher comes up as a Final Jeopardy answer and you passed on the Trencher collection because they were reprinting that X-Men thing where they kill Wolverine... again... and you wind up looking like a dork on live TV and... Is solicitation copy supposed to run this long?
The Boom Studios Editors interrupt Mr. Giffen's rambling to explain that this trade collects Keith Giffen's memorable run on Trencher issues #1-4 originally published by Image Comics. It's 100% pure bastich, baby!
You know, I really hate doing this. This solicitation stuff? Hate it. I mean, it's a collection of previously published stuff. Trencher. The repo guy from beyond. Ring any bells? No? Then maybe you should consider buying this, because God forbid, you ever land on Jeopardy and Trencher comes up as a Final Jeopardy answer and you passed on the Trencher collection because they were reprinting that X-Men thing where they kill Wolverine... again... and you wind up looking like a dork on live TV and... Is solicitation copy supposed to run this long?
The Boom Studios Editors interrupt Mr. Giffen's rambling to explain that this trade collects Keith Giffen's memorable run on Trencher issues #1-4 originally published by Image Comics. It's 100% pure bastich, baby!
- GenresComics
104 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
23 people want to read
About the author
Keith Giffen
1,941 books217 followersKeith Ian Giffen was an American comic book illustrator and writer. He is possibly best-known for his long runs illustrating, and later writing the Legion of Super-Heroes title in the 1980s and 1990s. He also created the alien mercenary character Lobo (with Roger Slifer), and the irreverent "want-to-be" hero, Ambush Bug. Giffen is known for having an unorthodox writing style, often using characters in ways not seen before. His dialogue is usually characterized by a biting wit that is seen as much less zany than dialogue provided by longtime collaborators DeMatteis and Robert Loren Fleming. That approach has brought him both criticism and admiration, as perhaps best illustrated by the mixed (although commercially successful) response to his work in DC Comics' Justice League International (1987-1992). He also plotted and was breakdown artist for an Aquaman limited series and one-shot special in 1989 with writer Robert Loren Fleming and artist Curt Swan for DC Comics.
Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.
He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.
He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.
Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.
He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.
He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 21, 2018
Weren't any original art or clean plates available when printing this book? The printing quality is HORRIBLE.
The creative quality is, however, wonderful. Trencher was published by Image Comics in 1993 for a too-short 4 issues, and you have to read the book with its original publication in mind, because this is a great Image Comics satire, with each story FILLED with chaotic, barely coherent action sequences and over-the-top violence. Plus, Giffen, usually an excellent penciller, goes the Image route with his linework in Trencher - except that while other early Image artists were drawing a million lines and pouches to cover their artistic shortcomings, Giffen uses a million lines and pouches to CREATE artistic shortcomings. Seriously. Flip through this book. It is damn hard to read. The BEST pages are barely coherent.
But Giffen still makes it work, mostly because it hardly matters what is occurring on any given page. We've got a trenchcoat-wearing anti-hero chomping a cigar, bitching, and kicking ass. I mean, what more do you need to know?
Throw in plenty of completely over-the-top visual gags right out of the Looney Tunes factory, some of Giffen's wonderful sarcasm, and a hunt for four Elvises from beyond the grave (one a cyborg, one wearing a metal suit, one a child, and one a visor-wearing masochist - wonder which storyline he was making fun of there?) and don't think about it too hard. It may not be Giffen's best work, but it's a nice diversion.
The creative quality is, however, wonderful. Trencher was published by Image Comics in 1993 for a too-short 4 issues, and you have to read the book with its original publication in mind, because this is a great Image Comics satire, with each story FILLED with chaotic, barely coherent action sequences and over-the-top violence. Plus, Giffen, usually an excellent penciller, goes the Image route with his linework in Trencher - except that while other early Image artists were drawing a million lines and pouches to cover their artistic shortcomings, Giffen uses a million lines and pouches to CREATE artistic shortcomings. Seriously. Flip through this book. It is damn hard to read. The BEST pages are barely coherent.
But Giffen still makes it work, mostly because it hardly matters what is occurring on any given page. We've got a trenchcoat-wearing anti-hero chomping a cigar, bitching, and kicking ass. I mean, what more do you need to know?
Throw in plenty of completely over-the-top visual gags right out of the Looney Tunes factory, some of Giffen's wonderful sarcasm, and a hunt for four Elvises from beyond the grave (one a cyborg, one wearing a metal suit, one a child, and one a visor-wearing masochist - wonder which storyline he was making fun of there?) and don't think about it too hard. It may not be Giffen's best work, but it's a nice diversion.
May 7, 2020
This was just too tough to follow to really get into. Something about the messy art style.
August 22, 2020
Read in the original 4 issue format.
October 16, 2023
For my memorial reading in honor of the late great comic book creator Keith Giffen (d. October 9, 2023), I finally read his complete Trencher comics, all four issues of it, which were published by Image Comics in those heady days of the 90's.
Trencher featured a nigh unkillable assassin, like his signature creation Lobo, rendered in a thin line art style that evoked the ligne claire, clear line style of Franco-Belgian comics, thru an impressionistic lens. Trencher was a parody of the excess3s of 90's comics, from the ultra-violence, big guns, and the belts and pouches integrated into the costume design.
Giffen has took on many art styles through the years, from Kirbyesque, to a more realistic approach, and this style in the 90's, mostly appearing in his Image Comics work. I actually like this style, as it was striking and unique. It was instantly recognizable as Giffen's work.
These four comics were a lot of fun. Though, initially disorienting, because the art style was really unique, and was suited to the stories that featured ultra-violent action with more than a dash of comedy. This was a typical comic book of the age but was an earnest attempt of reinventing a storytelling style. Giffen used to rely on another writer to script his plots, but after this, he was scripting his own work, and relied on a scripter when the work called for it.
Originally read as individual issues numbers 1-4 of the original Trencher series.
Trencher featured a nigh unkillable assassin, like his signature creation Lobo, rendered in a thin line art style that evoked the ligne claire, clear line style of Franco-Belgian comics, thru an impressionistic lens. Trencher was a parody of the excess3s of 90's comics, from the ultra-violence, big guns, and the belts and pouches integrated into the costume design.
Giffen has took on many art styles through the years, from Kirbyesque, to a more realistic approach, and this style in the 90's, mostly appearing in his Image Comics work. I actually like this style, as it was striking and unique. It was instantly recognizable as Giffen's work.
These four comics were a lot of fun. Though, initially disorienting, because the art style was really unique, and was suited to the stories that featured ultra-violent action with more than a dash of comedy. This was a typical comic book of the age but was an earnest attempt of reinventing a storytelling style. Giffen used to rely on another writer to script his plots, but after this, he was scripting his own work, and relied on a scripter when the work called for it.
Originally read as individual issues numbers 1-4 of the original Trencher series.
January 31, 2024
Giffen is a mad man. It's so hard to tell what's going on in these pages.
A riff on his Lobo invention. We follow a huge bounty hunter as he gets into shenanigans. Supreme makes an appearance in Issue 3. Elvis is in issue 4.
Wild and over the top. It's 1993 and at the time Alan Moore was doing his 1963 comic series where he riffs on 60s comics tropes. Here it feels like Giffen is doing the same thing to 1993 comics but in real time!
A riff on his Lobo invention. We follow a huge bounty hunter as he gets into shenanigans. Supreme makes an appearance in Issue 3. Elvis is in issue 4.
Wild and over the top. It's 1993 and at the time Alan Moore was doing his 1963 comic series where he riffs on 60s comics tropes. Here it feels like Giffen is doing the same thing to 1993 comics but in real time!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews