It might be (uhm) 3 years too late to read the series in-progress from Warren Ellis, but Transmetropolitan is still a hell of a read.
Like all the best Cyberpunk fiction it still rings true after it’s publishing run has ended.
Add in the bonus that it’s a closed-ended series with a beginning, middle, and finish and you’ve got a nice little set to spend some time on. 11 graphic novels in all collect the 60 issues of Transmet along with some short stories by other authors in the final novel.
So what, you might ask, is it about?
Transmetropolitan takes place in a near(ish)-future world metro center (re: biggest city in the world) where life is cheap and everything else isn’t. Enter Spider Jerusalem. He’s an ex-journalist who’s called down from his mountain retreat to finish off the remaining two books in a five book contract.
An unlikely beginning for a story about an old-school journalist on a hunt for the truth (and sometimes creating it in the process). But that’s what it is. Think Hunter S. Thompson on his tripped out journalisation with lazer like precision and you’ve got the right idea.
This story and art would be right at home with the best stuff from Heavy Metal over the years and deserves a place of honor on my bookshelf and at least a cursory look from you. Check it out. But avoid the Wikipedia link and go hit up Amazon if you’re averse to spoilers.
And thanks to whomever suggested it. It is that good!
