“transmetropolitan”
Transmetropolitan
Lust For Life
Vertigo
Transmetropolitan ‘s Spider Jerusalem could easily be dismissed as a futuristic Hunter S. Thompson. Fortunately, that’s not the case here. A columnist for The Word , the largest newsfeed in The City, Jerusalem is equal part news coverage and news event. Lust For Life gathers together issues 4-12 of Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s daring dystopian graphic series, giving us stories such as “God Riding Shotgun,” in which Jerusalem attends (disrupts!) a religious convention dressed as a lunatic Jesus figure. At the event, we see some fine examples of Ellis and Robertson’s fine wit, treading the fine line between funny and dispiriting with ease – i.e. “Free Solid Gold Shotgun Pendants currently being given away at the Church of Cobain’s booth…” Other tales on here include “Boyfriend is a Virus,” a visionary tale of the interaction between soul and nanotechnology, and “Freeze Me With Your Kiss,” a grim story about (among other things) the future of K9 patrols.
The characters and situations in Transmetropolitan could have ended up as overdone stereotypes and cliches. Given a one-sentence description such as the one that starts this review, you’d think there was nowhere to go but down. However, the presentation is so disturbingly funny with its over-the-top violence, disregard for human dignity, greed, idiocy, and just about any human frailty you could name that it works, and leaves you clutching your gut over things like “Long Pig – Cloned Human Meat at Prices You Like.” For a quick taste, try http://www.transmetropolitan.com
