Warren Ellis (1) (1968–)

This started off good, but didn't really deliver. Plenty of bon mots in the writing, some nice dialogue, and nice use of flashback. But in the end the plot just lets everything down - it's just very dull and traditional (Iron Man fights new villain,gets beaten; IM upgrades armour; IM wins. Essentially it's Rocky III, and many others no doubt). Actually, it was all pretty good until the fighting starts - at the end of the day, I think Ellis is much better at writing Stark than he is Iron Man.

The painted art, though occasionally static (in a drawn-from-photo way), is pretty amazing though. Worth taking a look just for that.… (més)

Imagine Alan Moore voluntarily hiding as a hermit in his own private commune, not washing his ass and letting his hair grow into a stream of weeds baby birds nest in twice a year. That's who we have here - Spider Frigging Jerusalem!

Spider's a mess, a journalist hiding out in the country living off the land, so to speak. He's under contract to produce two books and he's a bit tardy since they put up the advance, so now he has to clean up, shit, shower, shave and go back into the city to fulfill his contractual obligations. Back on the Street follows Jerusalem picking up where he last left off years ago, calling up old contacts like Mitchell, who edits the city's largest newspaper, and helps him get acclimated back. The first story he's putting together is about the Transients using genetic modification based on alien DNA to become a separate but equal new species while living in Angels 8 slum village. Jerusalem finds out the truth and snitches on the police paying members to incite riots and provoke police so the city can be nasty to the Transients. His publisher prints it, and when it leaks public outcry force the police to stand down, but not before they kick Jerusalem's ass proper like as a welcome back party.

In this edition we get to meet Channon Yarrow and his new assistant Yelena Rossini, who is part of the filthy assistant dynamic duo. (remember, she's his filthy assistant), a police dog that wants to chomp Spider at the bit, Spider's evolving dope addiction, and the introduction of "I Hate It Here" the Dear Abbey Spider Jerusalem column in which he helps idiots pining over insignificant things or going for the throat of corporations after he has coffee. After he has coffee he finds out he might have a little scraggle kid, somebody ganks his wife's head off ice, and a couple of people that aren't too keen on his column try to plant lead in between his teeth, and all by lunch! But don't worry, Spider's irritation is brewing and growing over Gary Callahan's corrupt presidency, which spirals out in later issues when Callahan uses all of his power to stick it to Jerusalem, as he revs up the ever growing beef between them. This story is a cup of bitterness with a bitch slap of save me Jesus on the tongue as Spider goes as a one man journalist band to shut Callahan down. Keep in mind Callahan's dirty, corrupt, and so far hasn't been stopped.

This is the great era of Transmetropolitan, before Vertigo bought the parent company and ruined a great series.… (més)

Imagine Alan Moore voluntarily hiding as a hermit in his own private commune, not washing his ass and letting his hair grow into a stream of weeds baby birds nest in twice a year. That's who we have here - Spider Frigging Jerusalem!

In the last saga of the story, Transmetropolitian underwent management changes (Helix got bought out by Vertigo) and in true Vertigo form, the quality of the writing went from crisp and exciting to more predictable than an Apartment 3G All My Children crossover later that same day. This volume goes from tight and lively to boring (under Vertigo's leadership) and even the end can't save it.

Spider's still trying to expose Callahan. He bullies his paper to fire him, they do a backdoor deal with Spider to publish all his stuff in "The Hole". Meanwhile, playing tyrant, Callahan leaves the city vulnerable to a acid rain hurricane to kill off people and buildings just to slow down Spider and destroy anything he's compiled on him, including a martial law order after it passes. While Spider outfoxes him, his health problems take precedent, and pretty much it's curtains for him within a year, so he gallantly takes what's left of his time to destroy what has now become his archnemesis.

I saw the SAME storyline on All My Children with Adam Chandler and Palmer Courtland.

His filthy assistants kind of wade in the background with a happy ending for them. Once Spider is done with his work on Callahan and his publisher has mercy on him and his illness, he goes back to being a hermit at home, with a "Twist" ending that of course you see coming that is neither smart nor witty for him to have a peaceful retirement.

Thanks for making a mess of this Vertigo.

If you read the other two volumes, read this just to say you finished it. Be prepared it's cliched in true Vertigo fashion, and true to their form they ruin ANYTHING that has a great start with lukewarm milktoast and soap opera dialogue.
… (més)