More of an introduction to Spider's world than a full-fledged story

books:


	• Transmetropolitan Vol. 1: Back on the Street Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson Vertigo, 1998 - 72 pages average customer review:based on 49 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

More of an introduction to Spider's world than a full-fledged story

The first volume in Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's TRANSMETROPOLITAN is more of a set up for what is to come than a self-contained graphic novel. There is a very brief story, but mainly it focuses on introducing us to the character Spider Jerusalem. We've met Spider before. He is pretty clearly patterned on Hunter S. Thompson, albeit one on steroids. There is even some physical resemblance between them as well as similar journalistic styles and affection for guns and cigarettes. Thompson had a larger than life public image that he carefully cultivated and it isn't surprising to see someone appropriating that image for a graphic series.

There really isn't much negative to say about this first entry in the series except to say that there isn't a lot to it. The whole thing runs to barely 70 pages. Not enough to tell a rich and complex story, but at least enough to set the scene and leave the reader ready for more.

I haven't read most of the books in this series but look forward to doing so. My hope is for a series that deals to some degree with the importance of journalism in a viable society. This is extremely topical, having seen America's journalistic community fail us for several years during the Bush years (Bush was as bad his first year in office than he was when his popularity finally began to plummet, but because the press -- especially the television and radio talking heads -- failed to criticize an obviously incompetent and dishonest president, we were as a nation duped enough to elect the moron twice [though, granted, "elected" might be up for debate]). When those in positions of power, usually some combination of a military-corporate economic elite (Eisenhower's military-industrial complex), control the flow of information, the people suffer. We'll see if this is the direction the books go. The first book, even with Spider's absurd posturing, takes a nice step in this direction.

Definitely interested in working my way through all of these books.

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Not for everyone

I just recently started reading graphic novels and I've been actively searching for some of the more critically acclaimed publications. I started with Preacher and Y: The Last Man. I found both extremely enjoyable -- fantastic art, intriguing stories, and always a healthy dose of humor.

I had high hopes for the same in Transmetropolitan, but ultimately didn't get it. I can see the intelligence in the writing and potential in the central character (Spider), but the perpetual nihilism and references to strange and abstract futuristic concepts left me bored. It reminded me of the popular cyberpunk style of writing, which I never enjoyed either. So in a nutshell this one just wasn't a fit for my personal taste -- I gave up after the second volume. Three stars for the creative effort and strong artwork.

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It's Good to Be Bad

Great art, a well-envisioned dystopian future, and a loathsome antihero. Who could ask for anything more?

I like Hunter S. Thompson, I like dystopian sci-fi, so why not?

Picked this up on a recommendation from someone who's read a lot of graphic novels. Didn't know about the "Gonzo Journalist" part till I started reading it, so that was a nice surprise.

Good stuff so far, tore through the first book. Got the next 2 on order.

Hooked!

This is a must read for any Warren Ellis fans out there. I have been reading Warren Ellis's stuff for over 6 years and i can't tell you that Transmet is his best work, but its certainly up in his top three books. Be for warned Ellis doesn't hold back at all when he speaks out society and government. He has a dark twisted view of our possible future that is more than entertaining. He is a word smith and he certainly shows it in this series.

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