Transmetropolitan VOL 02: Lust for Life: Amazon.ca: Warren Ellis: Books

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4.9 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Sex, Drugs and Journalism, Dec 25 2008

By

Douglas Mann (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Ce commentaire est de: Transmetropolitan VOL 02: Lust for Life (Paperback)

In my view, Warren Ellis is the best writer in comics today, a mantle he inherited from Alan Moore some time after the turn of the millennium. Transmetropolitan is simultaneous funny, obscene (at least according to some), compelling, involving, and sexy. It even contains a sort of "meta-narrative": the search for truth at any cost by its hero Spider Jerusalem and his "filthy assistants" Yelena Rossini and Channon Yarrow.

What's interesting is how since the 1980s, with the partial exception of Frank Miller, the most interesting and least formulaic writers in the comics biz have been British: Moore and Ellis, who are English, Garth Ennis, who is Irish, and Mark Millar, a Scot. This shouldn't be too surprising to my fellow Canadians: often outsiders have a better perspective on a mass medium than its native practitioners (for Canadians I'm thinking of comedy: SCTV, The Kids in the Hall, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, etc.). The British comics writers have really got a handle on deconstructing the tired formula of the superhero comic - villain/problem shows up, superhero battles villain or solves problem, lives to fight another day and to sell more comics - and on writing stories that take on genres outside of the superhero mainstream, e.g. Ellis's Planetary series.

Transmetropolitan is consistently good as a dark and funny story about a gonzo journalist in messed-up near future scifi semi-dystopia that Ellis calls America, but seems closer in flavour to his own England. Darick Robertson's pencils contribute just the right mood to the series, a combination of whimsy and bitterness (he's a master of background jokes, like an unexplained Loch Ness monster sticking its head out of a crowd in one panel, to the many Watchmen references scattered throughout the text, e.g. the mutant happy face button that returns time and time again). Since the series is printed on high quality flat paper (instead of the glossy magazine-like paper seen in many trades), Robertson's somewhat off-kilter surrealistic style comes out perfectly, unlike The Boys, where his art strikes me as messier and less effective.

All eight volumes I've read are worth buying. Yet since it's one long story, you should start at the beginning, Volume 1 "Back on the Streets", which starts with the reclusive Moore-like Spider being forced to come down from his mountain retreat, shave off his voluminous facial hair, and take up residence once again in the City he hates. "Lust for Life" is where I become hooked on the series, which is a danger for all readers who've gotten through two volumes. And no superheroes anywhere in sight!

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4.0 out of 5 stars one half of a two sided coin, Feb 13 2004

By A Customer

Ce commentaire est de: Transmetropolitan VOL 02: Lust for Life (Paperback)

TRANSMETROPOLITAN is, at it's whollest core, future shock. it is how ellis and robertson illustrate future shock that make TRANS great. being an aspiring comics artist / writer, i make an attempt to look past the surface and steryotypes of a comic to what it is, how well the art can bring life to story, and how the writing can tip off to an artists quirks and style. TRANS sadly, shines through only writing. while the art is impressive, it does nothing more than illustrate words. simply, put, TRANS is great without the art. evry character brings their own personality to the playing board, and bounce off of one another, the only untrue reflection of this would have to be ziang, spider's assistant's lover/ boyfriend. while he play's a role in the changing of a character, his personality is mostly one sided ie he wants sex, all of it that he can get(provided it isn't with jerusalem's two headed cat). coming back to the art, the writer rarely gives robertson his own space, where there is no writing, and where the art can shine, and if he does, robertson takes little to no adavantage to it. despite it's faults, transmetropolitan is a masterpiece of the future we love to read, but hate to live in. reccommended for every one with the 5th element in the shelves.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant set from Warren Ellis., Aug 3 2002

By

Stephen Morrison Lewis (New England, USA) - See all my reviews

Ce commentaire est de: Transmetropolitan VOL 02: Lust for Life (Paperback)

"I Hate it Here." Perhaps this best sums up the personality of Spider Jerusalem, renegade reporter and cynic of the first degree. Disgusted by the world around him, he leaves the city and lives as a hermit.

Years after his escape, his publisher drags him back into the city, wanting the books he was promised five years back. Needing money to live in the city, he whores himself out to The Word, a newspaper run by an old friend. These are his "adventures."

Spider is brilliant, witty, and cynical. Through his eyes, Ellis gives an outlook of a bizarre future in which Aliens have landed, corporate America manages to advertise in your dreams, and reporters can write off their drug habits as a journalistic expense.

This is the second collection of Transmetropolitan, following back on the streets. Reprinted are issues 4-12. Spider is both hostage and witness as events unfold. Fortunately, it's ammunition which he fires right back at the world.

Spider can turn anything into an article, from the consequences of cryogenic freezing and restoration to simple Television. He visits reservations from the sensible to the logical extreme, and provides political commentary (And even rearranges their bowels). He encounters death threats and tangles with religion.

Let's not beat around the bushes here. This is a comic book. Fancy words aside, it's packages exactly as Spider-Man or Batman would be. That's where the similarities end. This is not aimed at children, and probably shouldn't be read by children. There is blood, gore, nudity, and thought-provoking material

What we do have is Warren Ellis' own use of the medium--A twisted, often dark, and humorous look at a futuristic world. his portrayal is brilliant, steps ahead of almost every other writer in the field of comics.

Brilliance in such a simplistic medium. Such a refreshing and innovative series.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow. Wow.
I understand it is incredibly cliche to write a review proclaiming a book/movie/comic etc. is the greatest thing to ever be published in the medium. Lisez davantage

Published on Jun 5 2002 by spongebobdurden

5.0 out of 5 stars The future isn't orange, its jet black.
Oh where to start? If you've not read Transmetropolitan before, then you're probably not familiar with outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem and his penchant for hard drug abuse... Lisez davantage