Transmetropolitan is a comic book series written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Darick Robertson. It is the story of a renegade journalist called Spider Jerusalem. Jerusalem is heavily tattooed, foul-mouthed and irreverent. He takes the city by storm, popping a pharmacy’s worth of drugs, drinking enough to fell a bar full of lifetime alcoholics, tearing down preconceived notions and exposing the truth (along with some other stuff that would be better left fully clothed) as he goes. He exists on a strict regimen of excess and is kept alive by his Filthy Assistants – Yelena, the neice of his editor and Channon, an ex-stripper, ex-nun bodyguard. He also has a two headed cat who smokes. Any of this ringing any bells?
If you’ve got the image of another famous journalist swimming through your mind, bingo. This is a follow up to my review of Outlaw Journalist in a funny sort of way. When I finished reading it I felt sad, as if I had lost the hijinks of an extremely entertaining friend. Then I happened upon the Transmetropolitan series and it filled the void. With a vengeance. This is the most outrageous, disgusting, gritty, perceptive, beautiful, fascinating and repellant series of graphic novels/comic books I have ever read. And every one of those descriptive words was a compliment – just to make sure we’re clear. I love how nasty and perverted the characters are, and I love the dingy world in which they terrorize an unsuspecting population.