Collecting issues #1-3 of Transmetropolitan
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artists: Darick Robertson (p), Keith Aiken, Jerome K. Moore, Ray Kryssing, Dick Giordano (i), Nathan Eyring (colours), Geoff Darrow (covers)
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Considering my recent immersion in Warren Ellis' back catalogue of comics, it's surprising that I've only just given Transmetropolitan a try. The epic book has a reputation as some of the writer's best work, but it's a completely blank slate to me, and I can't deny that the weight of expectation may have slightly detracted from my enjoyment of this first volume.
Transmetropolitan sees the hermetic journalist Spider Jerusalem descend from his mountain retreat to revisit the city below, in order to meet his contractual obligations on a book deal from his publisher. The story brings an edgy, anti-authoritarian 1970s punk vibe to Spider's escapades of "gonzo" journalism which themselves evoke the misadventures of '60s writers such as Hunter S. Thompson, whilst dealing with themes of capitalism, corporate control, social responsibility and society's decline, which bring to mind the worst excesses of the 1980s. The comic seems to have been created to give Ellis a platform to examine many such aspects of contemporary culture from a position of removed cynicism (or should that be realism?) - yet despite the universality of the themes of the book, there's something very British in the detail: the well-observed sci-fi trappings of the unnamed "City" metropolis and its dirty, seedy trappings resemble old issues of 2000AD, whilst frequent touches of absurd humour (household appliances which are on drugs, a smoking three-eyed cat, and a counter-cultural movement in which followers splice their genes with the DNA of aliens) are more reminiscent of BBC sitcoms The Young Ones and Red Dwarf or the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novels than they are of any other American comics.
Darick Robertson brings a distinctive vision to the world of Transmetropolitan, rendering Ellis' futuristic city in panels which are frequently busy and detailed, but never unclear in the telling of the story. His early take on Spider can't help but look like a caricature of Alan Moore, making me wonder how much of the look of the character was specified by Ellis' script, especially given Jerusalem's self-enforced exile from the mainstream culture after a period of great success and critical acclaim. However, with Spider's transformation into his bald-headed, tattooed, asymmetrical-glasses-wearing form, Robertson creates a truly enduring characterisation through his art, giving the book a strong visual hook and adding considerable charisma to Ellis' abrasive protagonist. Geoff Darrow offers up three cover images which mesh neatly with the look of Robertson's pencils, providing much in the way of Darrow's trademark meticulous detail, yet somehow feeling colder and more clinical when compared to the suitably rough and dirty feel of the interior art.
It's hard to get away from the idea that Warren Ellis probably sees something of himself in Spider Jerusalem, a character who can see through all the bullshit that society has to offer, whose journalistic texts are received like Gospel truths, and who is revered and celebrated by all for his canny observations - even those who seem repulsed by him. It often seems as though Ellis is writing Spider to be as relentlessly cool and clever as possible regardless of story logic, giving him an instantly solid grasp of the city and its politics despite a purported five-year absence from the streets, and making his reintegration into society appear too easy, even for someone with as much intelligence and social insight as he apparently possesses. As such, Spider's overly assured and self-confident infallibility occasionally risks undermining an otherwise compelling and interesting character, removing any real sense of jeopardy from his story and occasionally venturing into soapbox territory, especially when Ellis presents the bare text of Spider's columns. The line between the book's writer and its narrative voice gets more blurred than ever here, and the sense that Ellis is writing through Jerusalem rather than truly inhabiting his character is inescapable, serving to distance readers slightly from a character who is, after all, only just being introduced in this first volume.
Still, those flaws don't prevent Transmetropolitan from providing thought-provoking material which is socially relevant despite the fantastical and futuristic setting of the book, and I look forward to seeing the direction in which Ellis takes the book in future volumes. The writer obviously gels well with his artist, and this first story hints at many different elements of the book's universe which would be ripe for exploration in future issues. I get the feeling that the status quo which is established here will serve as a solid base for future stories, and once Spider has a more defined personality and focused motivation, it looks like there will be plenty to enjoy in subsequent collections of the title.
What did you think of this book?
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