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TRANSMETROPOLITAN:
LONELY CITY
There
are a thousand stories in the Lonely City. This is just one of
them.
 Writer:
Warren Ellis
Artists: Darrick Robertson, Rodney Ramos
Colorist: Nathan Eyring
Letterer: Clem Robins
3 Issue story arc
Published by DC Vertigo 1999
$2.50 each
Reviewed
by Mario Di Giacomo
For
some people, "The Truth Hurts" is a cliche. For others, it's a
crusade. And Spider Jerusalem, the hero of TRANSMETROPOLITAN,
is clearly in the latter camp.
TRANSMET,
to use the officially approved abbreviation, has garnered rave
reviews for its plots and artwork, and the recently concluded
arc entitled 'Lonely City' is no exception.
It
starts out simply enough, with a high-tech mugging that leads
to a fatal beating, shown in excruciating detail by the art team
of Robertson, Ramos, and Eyring. But as with every story in the
series, there's more here than meets the eye.
First
off, it turns out that this was a hate crime, as a recently debuted
gadget called a G-Reader reveals the victim had one of the less-popular
genetic mutations. (In a city where humans merge DNA with aliens,
popularity seems to be the only hallmark).
| "When all is said
and done, several people are dead, none of who deserve it" |
Spider,
ever the crusading warrior, hits the streets to discover the truth.
As he butts heads with the local police and obfuscating bureaucracy,
he starts to smell a cover-up. The ride begins, and it leads to
places we don't necessarily want to go. The truth hurts.
Without
giving too much away, since I obviously want you to read it, nothing
here is entirely what it seems. When all is said and done, several
people are dead, none of who deserve it. And Spider learns that
Truth can also be a casualty.
TRANSMETROPOLITAN
is a book that succeeds on several levels. It has incredibly detailed
art, snappy dialogue, and a character that, although probably
the biggest SOB in comics today, is also probably the most heroic
character in comics as well.
But
all of this is beside the point. TRANSMETROPOLITAN makes
you think. Read it.
Recommended
Mario
Di Giacomo is a regular contributor to PopImage.
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