GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE DECADE FADES TO BLACK
For five years, Transmetropolitan has been the dark lord of the graphic novel genre. The tale of disillusioned journalist Spider Jerusalem returning to the City has offered page-turning brain-reward to hundreds of thousands of enthralled readers. Alas, writer Warren Ellis and artist Darick Robertson are drawing the series to an end. Issue 60, out this fall, is a gut-satisfying denouement. For those behind in their reading, here�s the skinny on Transmet.
Transmetropolitan: One More Time, by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson (Vertigo, $2.50).
The Yarn
Newsman Spider Jerusalem is lured out of early retirement by the threat of contractual lawsuits. He, in turn, threatens an editor who gives him an op-ed column. His writing brings down a corrupt president and paves the way for an even more horrific dictator. As Jerusalem tears at the regime in print, he explores the City, losing his mind in a plot with as many dark twists as a Tarantino film.
Bound Narrative
Comics repel the casual reader with open-ended story arcs. That�s how publishers lure you into buying a Spider-Man funnybook every month, so you shoulder-surf Peter Parker in one adventure after another. Not so with Transmet, which unfolds in three acts throughout 60 issues � each a complete tale and an inextricable part of the beginning, middle, and end of the meta-story.
Future-Proofed
Goofy prognosticating has a half-life of about 10 seconds (there�s only so much Alvin Toffler a person can stomach). But Transmet�s crash course in the technology of the past decade � every futuristic meme with legs is here, including personality uploading, out-of-control samizdata, and nanofog pervasive marketing � is blended with rigorous extrapolation, wishful thinking, and a bit of cynical foresight.
PLAY
Viditar God
�It�s The Abyss Meets Armageddon!�
Maximum Control Cam
Exit Transmet
Manga for the Masses
The Box Scores
Where�s the Cube?
The Trash Talktionary
A Shooter�s Fantasy
Desktop Primping
Some Healthy-Looking Numbers
Bucking the System
reviews
Untethered Typing
Files at Your Fingertips
Desktop Dynamos
Down for the Count
Shopping Cart
