Title: Transmetropolitan
Writer/Artist: Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
Publisher: DC comics
Genre: Comedy, politics, crime.
Summary: Star Trek painted a very utopian picture of the future. Everything's clean and shiny, crime is at an all time low, and almost all threats come from the exterior. Other works of sci fi, such as Firefly, showed the opposite. Society barely works as a whole, and day to day life resembles more the hardships of the fronteir in the 1800s than any sort of utopia. Transmetropolitan takes an aproach quite different than the others. Things are more or less the same. Of course, technology has changed considerably, and aspects of society have changed acordingly. But, the basic aspects of modern society remain. There are still civil rights issues, drugs, sleazy poloticians, a lack of respect for history, nature, and culture, total apathy for the ploblems of the world, and porn. Lots and lots of porn.
In this world, not quite utopian, not quite dystopian, but someone in between, there is a man. A man of honor and decency. A couragous, kind, charitable man, who's sole purpose in life if to better the lives of those around him. This man is truely one of the few, pure hearted individuals to ever live.
However, Transmetropolitan is not about this man. In fact, I'm not entirely sure he exists. I'm just guessing. No, Transmetropolitan is about Spider Jerusalem, a rude, trouble making, drug addled journalist for The Word, a major city newspaper. Spider Jerusalem is not your ordinary comic book hero. Spider Jerusalem shoots up on mental stimulants in public restrooms. Spider Jersualem east caribou eyes. Spider Jerusalem once had a deadline for an 800 word colum, and simply wrote "****" 800 times. The last time Spider Jerusalem had regular access to a phone, he accidentally caused the deaths of eight people. So, what's the apeal of Transmetropolitan? Well, everything I just said, really. And, the main philosophy of the book. The truth. No matter what you believe, no matter what your philosophy is, the one thing you cannot deny is the truth. And thus, it's the one thing that matters. Spider Jerusalem is not a fair and objective journolist. He's biased as all hell. But, the one thing he cares about is the truth. Not his version of the truth, or mine, or yours. Just the truth. The facts. What actually happened. And, honestly, we need journalists like that. Even if they do eat caribou eyes.
And so, I recomend to you Transmetropolitan. The story of a crazy man in a slightly crazier world, digging for the truth. If you enjoy the works of Hunter S. Thompson or simply enjoy watching crazy people eat strange things, do drugs, and shoot people, then you will enjoy Transmetropolitan.
Also, Patrick Stewart is a fan. That's right. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise himself. That instantly makes the book about 20% cooler.
Format: 11 volumes, all in trade.
Amazon.com listing: Here ya' go.