When I read the first volume of Transmetropolitan I thought of two things:

1) This is my new favorite comic

2) Warren Ellis has created the silliest and craziest comic ever

After reading this volume, #1 is still the case. But the second thing however….this is not always a crazy comic. In fact, this comic can get pretty serious or heavy sometimes.

What I love about this series is how Ellis uses the time and setting to his advantage. He uses the technology to advance the story. The whole part where Spider is going threw all of the ‘reservation camps’ that is a nice use of what technology could be. People going into these places, getting their memory wiped, and enjoy the lifestyle of their choosing (like Mayan civilization) is brilliant. Another serious moment is the whole issue where we see this woman is finally thawed out and has to endure this new and scary world. Spider’s whole narration during that just screams realism when it comes to journalism. Jerusalem might be an insane individual, but when Ellis writes him in full journalist mode; he’s as serious as anyone in the real world of newspaper.

With all the seriousness though; there’s enough crazy shit going down in this comic. People during into micromachines, people losing their organs to turn into Heavy Metal inspired creatures, and of course….a talking bulldog. All of this craziness wouldnt look so good if it werent for Darick Robertson. Again he brings the kinetic pace of the city with his pencils. Nothing is every quiet or not moving in the background. Plus Warren Ellis’s crazy ideas would never go into fruition if it werent for his designs. Stuff like the Bulldog constantly drooling or constant cigarette smoke is a detail only Robertson could do.

This series can be ridiculously crazy, even to the point of having dogs get mistreated very badly. But there is a serious side to this whole universe. Spider Jerusalem can be a very complex individual, and the city he lives in is complicated. But with Ellis’s superb writing and Robertson’s deatiled pencils; this series can be remembered for both as a serious look into journalism….and a crazy universe with talking dogs and chain smoking cats.