Reviewed by Chad Burdette
Transmetropolitan: Back on the Street, Vol. 1
Collects: Issues 1-3
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
"Transmetropolitan" chronicles the exploits of 21st-century journalist Spider Jerusalem, who returns to The City after years of self-imposed exile to fulfill a contract of writing two books. During his self imposed exile, Spider has become a paranoid person who believes everyone is out to get him. Upon returning to The City he goes back to The Word, the newspaper he used to work for, looking for a job while he works on the books that he needs to fulfill the contract. After cleaning up and armed with laptop and Live Shades, Spider hits the street to cover his first story, involving the Transient movement, humans who have become aliens through surgery. He heads down to the Angels 8 District to interview Fred Jones, a former associate who is now the leader of the movement. Tensions are high between the Transient movement and the Civic Center (local government) and it is a powder keg that could blow at any moment. Less than 24 hours back in The City, Spider finds himself the only reporter covering the riot which breaks out between the Transients and the Civic Center. Perched atop a strip club, he chronicles the riot interspersed with commentary on The City and its leaders, which is broadcast live as he writes it. His story not only causes the cops to pullback but also makes him a lot of money since his editor sold his story to the newsfeed but also puts him in the bad graces with the cops.
I really did not know what to expect going into this series. This was the first thing I ever read by Warren Ellis and was not sure if I was going to enjoy the title. It took me awhile to get into the story and exactly who the character of Spider Jerusalem was and if I should like or hate him. Once the introduction and the story starts to build I started to warm up to the story. The art is good and doesn’t distract from the story. This is defiantly a mature title and not for kids or for those who are easily offended.
Transmetropolitan: "Lust for Life,” Vol. 2
Collects: Issues 4-12
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
Following his return to The City, Outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem has become a household name following his coverage of the Transient riot. This second volume in the Transmetropolitan series features twisted tales of Spider's horrific yet hilarious takes on subjects as the evils of dealing with Editors, his growing popularity, filthy assistants, tv, religion, politics, and his ex-wife's cryogenically frozen head (which has was stolen). Particularly noteworthy in this collection is the introduction of the Filthy Assistant Channon Yarrow, the incumbent President, whom is referred to as The Beast, and a touching story about people who literally outlive their place in the world, and what happens afterward.
Following the introductory storyline, Ellis takes these issues to introduce the reader to Spider’s world. These issues provide the reader to the post-postmodern Sodom and Gomorrah like The City which serves as the background and really sets the tone for what will follow as the series continues. The most important character that is introduced in this run is the President of the U.S. or as Spider refers to him as “The Beast.” The story that I found to be the most interesting was the one about the Cyrogenic Revivals which was written so well that I actually felt sympathy for these people who had been frozen then revived in a world that had totally changed and no one cares for them or their well-being. The arc in this series I enjoyed the least was the 3-part “Freeze Me With Your Kiss” where someone has kidnapped the frozen head of Spider’s ex-wife. The story just seemed to drag on without really adding anything to the overall story. The distinctive art style of Darick Robertson in the book continues to evolve as well, and throughout a wide range of moods and topics, both the writing and the art keep a remarkably steady grip on the situation. If it hadn’t been for these issues I probably would have stopped reading the title, but Spider’s shoot-bowel disruptor-first-and-ask
Transmetropolitan: " Year of the Bastard,” Vol. 3
Collects: Issues 13-18
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
Volume Three kicks off year two of the Transmetropolitan series and this is where the story that is the focus of the series really starts. Spider Jerusalem finds his life once again driven further into madness by the demands of his Editor, why?... because it's an election year. This is where the reader learns that 8 years ago, Spider saw the Beast come into power, wrote the book on The Beast and his depravity and doing so drove him out of civilization all together to his mountain where he was in the first issue. Since returning Spider has been doing his best to avoid covering politics, except for a short but memorable run-in with The Beast back in issue #4 with a very uncomfortable bathroom scene. The Opposition party is in town for their convention, and Spider is being dragged kicking and screaming to cover it for The Word since his readers demand it and his editor is more than willing to oblige them. The front-runner in the race is Heller, with his "America for Americans" catchphrase, a neo-fascistic nutjob. The man running against him is The Smiler, a man who only seems to do one thing smile dementedly and let his handlers do most of the work. One of these handlers is Vita, an interesting character who plays a pivotal role in the current story and later in the book. The reader is also introduced to the new “filthy Assistant” Yelena.
This is easily the best of the series, and provides nice additions to the cast of maniacs that populate this world. The story line flows well and should be several re-readings to see all the details that the first reading misses. The artwork by Darick Robertson in this book continues to be the best. By the time I got finished reading he issues in this arc I was hooked on the series.
Transmetropolitan: "The New Scum,” Vol. 4
Collects: Issues 19-24
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
The fourth Transmetropolitan collected edition finds Spider Jerusalem both craving and dreading the adulation of his readers or the “New Scum” which are the outcast, the downtrodden, ignored and thoroughly weird humans, and posthumans, that reside in The City. From his luxury apartment, Spider covers both the presidential race between candidates the Smiler and the Beast and wades through the sewer of poverty and high-tech despair to understand and report on America. Spider finds himself chronicling the lives of these New Scum, becoming their archivist, their voice, and against his will and better judgment, their hero and champion. This arc also finds one of the candidates being elected by riding a wave of sympathy after the brutal assassination of someone Spider considers a personal friend and was adored by the whole city. Seeing one of his admittedly many, hated enemies riding the corpse of a friend towards electoral victory drives him even further over the edge and The City towards self-annihilation.
In The New Scum, Ellis contrasts the powerful, represented by the presidential candidates, with the powerless, who are begging and hustling on the streets. While doing this the author takes care to show some human warmth while it seems the comic and the characters in it continue to slide further and further into depravity. The plot, while mainly focusing on Jerusalem's assignment to interview the two candidates, both of which are psychotic and unfit for any office also has some light moments as his bodyguard and personal assistant discover the terrors of pleasure in a post-postmodern world with unlimited credit. The storyline continues to pick up steam and makes the reader wanting to come back for more.
Transmetropolitan: "The Lonely City,” Vol. 5
Collects: Issues 25-30
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
The Lonely City, kicks of year three of the Transmetropolitan as Spider’s one man (and two filthy assistants) fight against government manipulation and counter-manipulation along with moments of reflection and observation. Spider sets off monstering (a fine old journalism art) against Senator Sweeny who has been accused of covertly funding porno films and trying to uncover why the police are not pursuing the beating to death of a minority. As they pursue the story they are caught in a killzone setup by the police and the government. After getting some help from the least likely person they escape and learn that they were setup and supposed to be killed in the riot. This is where Spider realizes that someone powerful is out to not only get him but kill him.
Ellis continues to thrill and excite readers between his milieu of police-run riots and state-maintained misery and the colorful environment of The City. Lonely City drags the man who's more "anti" than "hero" out into the world he professes to hate and forces him to do something about it, while never descending into the morality he fights daily.
Transmetropolitan: "Gouge Away,” Vol. 6
Collects: Issues 31-36
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
Special Guests: Dwyer, Kieron; Hernandez, Lea; Hitch, Bryan; Quitely, Frank; Risso, Eduardo
In this story arc, Spider grapples with the fact that his overexposure has made him a cartoon of sorts, his filthy assistants take a day off, and Spider decides it's time to step up with war with The President. This collected run is a pivotal point in the overall Transmet story and is a little bit lighter than the extremely dark volumes that came before it. After shaking off his depression, Spider resumes the fight against the exploitative powers that be with new vigor. Armed with his trusty bowel disruptor, he hits the street shaking down people involved in helping the President during the election. For the first time since the transient riot he pays another visit to Fred Jones among others to start connecting the dots and building his case. Spider takes the information that he uncovered and writes the expose and convinces his editor at The Word to publish it without getting it approved from the board. This causes the crap to literally hit the fan. The President has his people hunt down those who talked to Spider and had them killed and Spider is fired from The Word but not before he takes certain steps to ensure his financial security.
The absurd (rather than purely dark) humor of the early volumes returns. My favorite issue of the arc (perhaps the whole run) is the hilarious first issue of this volume, in which Spider's life is parodied in a variety of genres by the guest artists and writers. Ellis' comic writing is at its peak here and Robertson’s art doesn’t miss a beat.
Transmetropolitan: " Spider's Thrash,” Vol. 7
Collects: Issues 37-42
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
The hammer has come down on him but now outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem has managed to stay one step ahead of his detractors - I.e. the President of the United States and his authoritarian lackeys in publishing and law enforcement. After losing his byline, bank account, and apartment, Jerusalem and his Filthy Assistants have legged it underground and now he writes for The Hole. This is not a hindrance to Spider since he is no longer restrained and gives him a no holds barred path as he plans to bring down the President. The President meanwhile is becoming more and more menacing in the actions he takes from the closed doors of the White House. As Spider quotes from the newsfeeds saying, 'The President is officially 'studying the constitution to protect the people from outmoded language and ideas therein.'' Interwoven with the continuing story is an attempt to address modern-day social problems such as child prostitution and deinstitutionalization and homelessness more directly.
“Spider's Thrash” takes a distinctly darker turn as Spider and his 'filthy assistants' go underground and Spider's health begins to suffer. Ellis' social commentary on his dystopian City reflects many current real world issues. Previous collections have satirized the decadence and sloth of modern American life by exaggerating it in daringly hilarious ways, but “Spider's Thrash” descends to address modern-day social problems more directly. Although the issue on child prostitution presents a still more corrupt and degraded world than the one we live in now, the issue on the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill and their subsequent homelessness is not exaggerated at all. This collection gets a bit preachy and the plot continuity suffers as a result. But for those who have come to know and love Spider and his mad quest for the truth aren't likely to stop reading.
Transmetropolitan: "Dirge,” Vol. 8
Collects: Issues 43-48
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
The bulk of this collection is the 3 part story featuring a huge storm, which puts Spider into a deep coma. While out covering the story of a sniper running loose around The City during a “blue flu” which none of the other media types are covering, the Dirge (ie really bad storm)hits. Spider and the Filthy Assistants take cover in a local bar hoping to ride out the storm and publish the exclusive story on the “Blue Flu” for The Hole. Unfortunately Spider is knocked into a deep coma when the storm blasts the window they are riding the storm out. When Spider awakes he finds himself in a strange place and this is where we meet one of the Filthy Assistant’s father who has taken in the trio and that Spider only has a limited amount of time to take down the President. Following the Dirge the President sees the destruction as the perfect opportunity to pursue more of his twisted agenda all the while covering his tracks and making it harder for Spider to take him down.
This volume, while more focused on a certain event, really sets the stage and starts the build up for the final climax of the series. There are many revelations in this volume that made me want to find out what is going to happen but also curious as what is going to happen to the characters that I had grown to know and become attached to from the beginning.
Transmetropolitan: "The Cure,” Vol. 9
Collects: Issues 49-54
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
The ninth volume of the Transmetropolitan series kicks off the fifth and final year of the series as Spider Jerusalem's one-man crusade to bring down the duplicitous President of the United States. Jerusalem and his assistants are racing against time and government assassins to find the last living transient sex worker who serviced America's president and expose the government's web of crime and corruption. Their first stop is to see Fred Jones, the transient leader, from the first arc of the story. It turns out Jones has been in league with the President from the beginning as he was supplying the President with transient hookers during the election. While they are interrogating Jones, Royce, Spider’s former editor pulls some strings and provides the trio with some very valuable information that he needs to add to the information he is pursuing. After locating and interviewing the last hooker involved with the President, Spider has what he needs to put the final nails in the case against the President, who himself is escalating his endgame plans for Spider and The City.
Another great volume of Transmet from Ellis and Robertson both story and artwise. Ellis does a wonderful job of pacing the story while reminding the reader that Spider’s time is quickly running out. It was great to see that things from the beginning of the series were brought back into and connected to the final arc of the series and not in a cheesy or crappy way. My favorite part was Spider and his Chair leg of Truth that he used to literally beat the truth out of Fred Jones. This arc is the perfect set up for the final issues of the series which should leave the reader wanting more.
Transmetropolitan: "One More Time,” Vol. 10
Collects: Issues 55-60
Author: Ellis, Warren / Ramos, Rodney
Editor: Moore, Stuart
Illustrator: Robertson, Darick
With One More Time the end is here. Spider has published his story and the President is doing his best to control and spin the situation. The President declares martial law and tries to shut down and censor the media outlets but not before Spider plays his final card of his journalistic work. A demonstration at one of the universities turns deadly when soldiers open fire on unarmed protesters, is broadcast to the public, which causes problems for the President that he can not even handle. As the situation escalates the President returns to the city and ends up in a final confrontation with the man who has been a thorn in is his side for the past five years. Spider still suffering the onslaught of a brain-devouring disease makes one final stand as the fallible champion of truth against the President and his empire of lies and duplicity. The final issue serves as the epilogue to the story and the reader learns the final fate of Spider Jerusalem.
The finale of the series doesn’t disappoint. The story reaches it’s final and penultimate climax as Ellis and Robertson close the book and write the final word in the story of Spider and his filthy assistants. The ending to the story satisfied me as a reader who had spent a month and a half reading the entire run in single issues. Since I came into the series not really knowing or hearing anything about the series I was unsure if I would enjoy it, but after the first few story arcs I was hooked and along through the wild ride. Transmetropolitan is full of dark comedy, sex, drugs, and vulgarity which are tempered by a genuinely disturbing dystopian vision of a modern democratic society gone totalitarian. Ellis’ writing is unique and skillful and he does well with the satirical handling of serious issues.