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Trashed: True Tales From the Back of a
Garbage Truck
The perspective of the world can be quiet different
from the back of a garbage truck.
John “Derf” Backderf grew up in a small Ohio town.
He was a comic book fan and was constantly drawing and creating his own comics
as a child. His adolescence was fairly normal except one of his classmates in
high school was Jeffery Dahmer and he worked as a trash collector for a year
before attending college. Writing under the name of “Derf”, he has turned these
experiences into the comics “My Friend Dahmer” and “Trashed”. He also writes and
illustrates “The City”, a syndicated comic strip that appears in several
alternative newspapers.
“Trashed” has a unique storytelling style. The reader feels like he or she is
riding on the back of the trash truck with Derf. He makes several funny
observations about the people and the trash they create. Several incidents had
me laughing out loud while I was reading “Trashed”. He also describes the
camaraderie and friendship he shared with his fellow sanitation workers. Derf
recalls these experiences fondly and humorously. Although “Trashed” is
hysterical, is it also shocking and disgusting as Derf describes the trash he
picks up. I am happy to read these stories and see the illustrations but be
spared the horrible smell that must have accompanied them.
The stories Derf shares can only be found by putting in a “hard” day at work and
coming home sweaty and smelly. These experiences are not found sitting behind a
desk in a suit. Readers who have experience difficult work will appreciate
especially the candor and humor of “Trashed”. The stories and experiences of
“Trashed” are hard won victories but appreciated by Derf and his readers.
The artwork is extreme, hyper and strange. He utilizes a lot of deep blacks and
intense expressions on his subjects. Think the illustration style of Robert
Crumb or Don Martin of “Mad Magazine” but more frenzied. I found the artwork to
be invigorating and exciting.
“Trashed” is an excellent example of biographical comic novella. I promise that
you have not read anything like “Trashed” before. After reading this book, you
may look at your local “trash” men a little differently and have a changed
appreciation for the work that they do.
Suzie Lackey |
