A Terrific Ending to a Terrific Series

books:


	• Transmetropolitan Vol. 10: One More Time Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson Vertigo, 2004 - 144 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

A Terrific Ending to a Terrific Series

Some writers create terrific pieces of literature but cannot write an ending to save their lives (I'm looking at you Stephen King). This is most definitely not the case here. Warren Ellis finished a great series with a spectacular ending, one that isn't a lame cop-out to pave way for a sequel. Spider doesn't need a sequel when his story was told right the first time. This trade had me eagerly reading page after page to a surprising (and on a much deeper level, beautiful and heart-warming) ending.

The Transmetropolitan series all-in-all is astounding piece of work, one that everyone should pick up.

for more information click here

Graphic SF Reader

Spider and his crew of filthy assistants are still dodging attempts on their lives, but Spider finally has an ace to play. He has evidence of a Kent State style massacre, and finally the media will display some backbone, especially after The Smiler has declared martial law.

Spider gets to face down The Smiler just this one more time.

for more information click here

Never took hold

I don't know why, but Transmetropolitan never really GRABBED me and held on. I read the entire series based on an overwhelming amount of recommendations from friends, and now that I've finished it, I can't say I'm extremely impressed. Warren Ellis creates a character that is often amusing, but never very realistic or human. I stuck with it through all ten volumes hoping there would be some sort of change towards the epic, but it never materialized for me.

I am a big fan of many other long-form comic series, which is why this came so highly recommended to me. My favorite comic series is definitely Garth Ennis' nine-volume Preacher epic. Transmet and Preacher share a lot in surface commonality. They are both profane, they are both violent, they both explore the extreme boundaries of culture. The difference is that Preacher has heart, and I am left unconvinced that Transmetropolitan has anything besides an amusing main character and several phrases the author evidently thinks are extremely catchy ("filthy assistants" being the main example). The storylines never evolve beyond the episodic, and the authors attempts to force the transformation do not work well.

Definitely give Transmetropolitan a chance, as there is a lot here to love, but if you aren't immediately hooked by the thin first volume, don't expect yourself to like it more as the series progresses. It doesn't change, and that, I think is why for me it is imperfect.

for more information click here