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Cover of the first issue |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Humor/comedy |
| Publication date | May - October, 1993 |
| Number of issues | 4 |
| Main character(s) | Trencher, Supreme, Elvis |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Keith Giffen |
| Artist(s) | Keith Giffen |
| Letterer(s) | Lovern Kindzierski |
| Colorist(s) | Lovern Kindzierski |
| Collected editions | |
| Trencher | ISBN |
Trencher is an American comic book series, that was created, written and drawn by Keith Giffen and released by Image Comics in 1993. It totaled only four issues before its end.
The story follows a zombie-like anti-hero named Gideon, as he endeavors to complete his mission of exterminating souls that had been "wrongfully reincarnated". Due to the large superhuman population this often brought him in conflict with super powered beings both important (Supreme and Shadowhawk) to the minor ('The Nasal Python, who has the ability to use his nose hairs as fully functioning appendages, and The Hurler, who can utilize pinpoint projectile vomit as a weapon.)
It's Gideon's job to hunt down these beings, with the assistance of a voice in his head named Phoebe, who is his dispatcher, giving him information on his targets, his surroundings, and who also serves as character foil for the otherwise isolated character. He moves from one name on the list to the next, usually receiving heavy damage to his body, frequently resulting in what should be fatal injuries (such as having his head blown from his body).
An unknown organization has designed many of these "trencher" units, who seemingly are resurrected and re-outfitted corpses (similar to deadmen in Gungrave) who are sent on separate missions.
Gideon is frequently involved in situations that largely make little sense within their own context, but continue author Keith Giffen's well known satire. From hunting down four separate Elvis possessed bodies who are each a variation on the beings who replaced Superman after his death in the DC universe, to engaging in major a smack down with Image hero Supreme, Gideon endures constant abuse throughout the series until it abruptly ends at issue four, although his story picks up immediately in "Images of ShadowHawk 1-3" and a One shot battle against a monkey named Blitz that features no dialogue from the characters, and again references Death of Superman storyline, with several of the panels in the fight being direct send ups of the Doomsday fight, along with a note from "the editors" pointing out how apologetic they are for letting an otherwise intelligent character get pulled into such a mindless slugfest. The book ends with the two characters reduced to disembodied heads and spitting at each other, as they can't (or won't) stop trying to one-up the other.
Boom! Studios released a trade paperback reprinting the four issues.