Archive for November, 2006
Transmetropolitan Volume 1: Back on the Street
“It’s like coming out of sensory deprivation, or waking up from a really nice dream and finding yourself naked on a busy freeway…
“…with mice up your ass”
- Spider Jerusalem
The threat of lawsuits from “The Whorehopper” has brought renegade journalist Spider Jerusalem down from his mountain retreat to The City to write the two books that he owes on his contract. Set in a distant future, this city is compelling not just because of the differences to the world of today, but because of how much of our current condition is still very recognizable. Cloned human flesh is sold at fast food stands. The Mafia sells home appliances, and you really don’t want to have to deal with their after-sale service. But amid all the high-technology and social change, people are still looking for the same things - a place to live in comfort and to connect with others.
Spider is the far-future heir to Hunter S. Thompson’s gonzo journalism. Fueled by a cocktail of illicit drugs and a hatred of authority, Spider writes about corruption in the government and becomes a voice for those who have none. In this first volume of ten (plus a post series collection of vignettes by various artists) Jerusalem begins his return to journalism in The City with the story of the Transients. The Transients are a bunch of social rejects who have taken to modifying their own genome with alien DNA. Led by a former band manager named Fred Christ, the Transients are about to try to secede from the City government. Spider knows that no good can come of this, that government, like a frightened beast, can accept no challenge.
Over the course of the Transmetropolitan series Warren Ellis has written a story of an intriguing character. Spider is uncompromising and brash. The title of his column is “I Hate it Here”, but he can do no work anywhere else. He’s uncommonly rude to his assistants and editor, but shows touching moments of tenderness throughout the series. Darick Robertson’s artwork brings out Spider’s manias and depressions excellently. The detail of the City is intricate. Various background items you will see in the first volume appear in the later ones, creating a rich environment.
The whole Transmetropolitan series covers one overall story of Jerusalem’s fight against a corrupt government. This first in the series is simply a setup for the rest of the story to come. Get it, read it, and meet one of the most interesting characters to come from the world of comics.
