This vividly illustrated tale focuses on Spider Jerusalem, a journalist in a futuristic city. This is very much a science fiction story, spiced with references such as one to a Martian secession movement. In this volume Spider investigates a controversy involving an emergent subculture of genetically altered humans.

The tattooed, chain-smoking, gun-toting Spider is a compelling protagonist. The book is violent but intelligently written and often quite funny. The story raises questions about police conduct, multiculturalism, the First Amendment, and the role of the journalist in society. It's a remarkable book that has whetted my appetite for more of Spider's saga.


There's too much good stuff out there for you to waste your time with this   December 12, 2006
 18 out of 36 found this review helpful

"Transmetropolitan" is really worthy of two stars, but I only gave it one because I see it as my civic duty to bring the overall rating down some. Honestly, this is something you want to read if you find it at a friend's house and he's watching TV and you have nothing better to do. It's not purchase-worthy.

Warren Ellis has some cool ideas, but he doesn't seem to have any idea of what to do with them, beyond scattering them across a vapid skeleton of a story. And I mean, that's the trick, isn't it? Lots of us can come up with a few cool science-fictiony ideas, especially with the help of mind-altering substances, but the writer's job is to weave them into something greater than the sum of its parts.

And "Transmetropolitan," sadly, is less than its parts. Ellis's aforementioned cool ideas (an artificial intelligence that's addicted to drugs? interesting!) end up inert. His protagonist, Spider Jerusalem, is a caricature, and not in a good way--trust me, you've seen his type before. As other reviewers have mentioned, the book's antiauthoritarian themes just seem trite, instead of resonant. The transitions and conversations come off as forced, perhaps as if the book were heavily edited before it went to press, but more as if Ellis didn't take the time to make them believable--he just wanted to give Spider a chance to wave his gun around and act bad. And that's the real flaw: He doesn't take the time, and the story is so simplistic that you just can't buy it. (He also wants you to believe that Spider is an incredibly famous, award-winning writer, but when Spider finally produces some prose, it's...well-punctuated. And angry. But not Orwell or Churchill or even Keith Olbermann.)


The finest and sharpest   December 12, 2004
 16 out of 17 found this review helpful

This was a series I got dragged into kicking and screaming. Before it was a Vertigo title, it was published under the short-lived Helix imprint; ironically, it was the only Helix book I didn't read. Long story short, the Helix books were that bad. Everyone kept telling me, "You need to read this." I kept replying, "It's another Helix book," and I went on my merry way for a couple years.

I kept on buying my usual titles until the series was wrapping up, and my comic store guys (Rich and Ethan at Comic Fortress, Somerville NJ) told me to just try the first volume.

Thank you, guys.

First of all, this is Warren Ellis' most personal, volatile, heart-felt, and above-the-board best writing he has ever produced. The protagonist, Spider Jerusalem, is a Hunter S Thompson of the future; the series reads like Fear and Loathing in Blade Runner (if Ridley Scott had choked to death watching NBC sitcoms, Ted Nugent hunting videos, and porno). He's a hacked-off gonzo journalist who swings between eyewitness to humanity's best and Bill Hicks "we're a virus with shoes" vitriol, and Ellis crafts every word flawlessly.

Darrick Robertson is the perfect artist to complement the words. There is so much detail in every panel, including very human facial expressions (a very lost art in this business of gritted teeth on every cover) and backgrounds that are like a Where's Waldo of minutiae. As blaringly noisy as this vision of the future is, it's also unsettling enough to be glad we don't live there.

Or do we? Ellis weaves a lot of food for thought throughout the series, commenting on our world through his, and maybe there's some Warren Ellis in Spider Jerusalem. His point of view on the government is like no other, for example, and his catagorization of humanity as sheep waiting to be shorn, butchered, and eaten may not be that off the mark.

What Warren and Darrick have given us is nothing short of a masterpiece. This isn't a comic book, anymore than Hunter S just wrote columns. This is Comics Literature, capitalization intended. It's also Great Entertainment.

So set your bowel disruptor on "prolapse", grab a bag of Monkey Burgers, take your Jumpstart pills, and, like Rich told me, just try the first volume.

It's more addictive than crack, and better for you.


Nihilistic fiction lives   September 2, 2005
 15 out of 18 found this review helpful

Due to the current political climate, recent publishers have been squeamish about publishing anything even vaguely nihilistic, especially on a political level. Luckily, this one slips through the cracks.

These stories are satisfyingly blunt, twisted and hilarious. They make potent insight into current society by taking things to the extreme in a futuristic setting, as good dystopian fiction is apt to do. It's refreshing to read something so confrontrational as there seems to be a shortage of that lately. One rather nifty thing about Warren Ellis's work is that he actually manages to have a bit of optimism mixed in with that cynicism - a sort of light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, unlike most authors, he manages to tackle this without being cheesy or leaving gaping plot holes.

This is an excellent read for anyone who wants some biting social commentary, enjoys interesting science fiction or simply just wants to laugh.


Transmet screams a message we all need to hear...   February 19, 2000
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

It is truly a shame that Transmetropolitan is a comic book as it will be dismissed by most as just that. Ellis has beautifully illustrated the average American's attitude towards government and politics. Our protagonist, Spider Jerusalem, exposes government corruption in "The City" through his column "I Hate It Here." The people love him for it, but they never take a proactive role in changing the system; rather, they continue their lives as normal. This is so reflective of American culture that it is down right scary. Ellis deals with many other social issues as well and every time he is right on the money. EVERY American should read this book and take it's message to heart.

Additionally, no review of Transmetropolitan would be complete without praise for Robertson's art work. He does some of the best work out there today and is a perfect compliment to Ellis' writing!