Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis

            If you took Hunter S. Thompson, and flung him into the future, you would have the basic idea behind the series Transmetropolitan.  The protagonist with highly questionable morale, Spider Jerusalem, is a futuristic gonzo journalist living in a world where commercials invade dreams and cannibalism has been turned into a fast-food franchise.  Transmetropolitan was initially a difficult read, if only because of the sheer rawness of the writing.  Warren Ellis pulled no punches when it came to fleshing out Spider’s often-vitriolic personality, nor while exploring the slightly psychotic society he attempts to navigate through.  However, the character of Spider himself is a surprisingly multi-faceted one.  While he is typically abrasive (and often abusive) to those around him, Spider does have his moments of compassion and a display of his true character underneath the angry façade.  As I read through the series, Spider began to grow on me more, and it became easier to see where his personality quips came from (and why).  Looking back, getting the chance to peel back and have a look at the different layers that make up Spider was an interesting experience in character development (a tough experience, but that made his character all the more memorable).

            What I enjoyed the most about Transmetropolitan was its treatment and exploration of a post-human society from multiple perspectives.  In a world where people can download their brains into clouds of nanomachines or change their very species, there are characters the reader can still identify with and learn through, despite said characters living in a world revolving around information overload: Spider’s assistant, Channon, worked as a dancer in a district full of humans converting their DNA into that of an alien race’s, and yet was still shocked at the idea of her boyfriend essentially dumping his brain into a fleet of nanomachines and burning his body; Spider covers a story about the plight of people who had themselves cryogenically frozen for several decades and were unceremoniously dumped into the city streets after being resuscitated (not to mention the culture shock endured from time hopping).  At one point, Spider even visits several cultural reservations outside of the city, from people who had their minds wiped and were left to live in as if from ancient Meso-American tribes, to those wishing to live in an experimental, pseudo-futuristic society so abstract I find difficulty properly describing it using only words.  

            Characters like Spider and his assistants are always finding surprises and new experiences in a world where the rest of the characters seem almost burnt out or oblivious to what surrounds them, and makes for an interesting examination and critique of how far society’s views of what is the “norm” or acceptable will stretch.  Transmetropolitan is definitely not for those with a light constitution or easily offended, but for people like me who enjoy simultaneously mocking and examining the human condition, it’s definitely a treat (albeit one frequently covered in innards, bodily fluids, and all sorts of other offensive materials).

Spider in his rare moments.

Spider as most of the world remembers him.