TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 04 THE NEW SCUM NEW PTG

Review by: TheNextChampion

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Avg Rating: 4.3
 
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Size: pages
Price: 14.99

I must admit that I am ahead of the game when it comes to this series. I’m already up to volume six and there’s a good reason I’ve decided to find the older trades then the reprints. Cause I love this series so much, it’s like a newborn baby to me. Well a newborn baby that is a foul mouth chain smoker; but still my baby. Anything that Warren Ellis does is usually fantastic to read and I am a huge fan of him. However, I find this to be his best work only because the humor and now intrigue of the series is really fun to read.

This volume focuses on the last days before the election, and Spider has a lot of work to do. He interviews the current president, and he tries to interrogate ‘The Smiler’ out of the death of someone he actually liked. There is a wealth of great humor in this as always, my favorite is when Spider is just angry at everyone. Whenever he screams ‘I hate you!’ or a variation of these rants, I cannot stop laughing. It’s Ellis’s rage that really is showing here but just seeing Spider take out his anger out is so funny. The actual story though is really interesting and it definitely feels current today then it was back when it was originally printed. I have to imagine that this was taking place when the Bush/Gore election was heating up so he’s taking some aspects into this story. But strangely I don’t see any references to Gore, or Bush, or even Clinton. Although the ‘Beast’ might be an extreme take on Clinton; but I don’t think Clinton was that horrible of a person. All I know that at the end of the day, this volume ends with a very interesting plot development and the series is only going to get better from here.

Darick Robertson and Rodney Ramos are the unsung heroes of this series. They are what really makes me love this to know end; because they show the future so well. There’s never a moment where nothing is happening in the panels; it’s always busy. Whether it’s a crowded city, a party, or just an empty apartment with Spider; something is always happening. I mean to be fair Ellis is making up these ideas for the artists, but it’s Robertson and Ramos that makes it work. I think that if these two weren’t considered for the main artists then this series wouldn’t be as great. If you know Robertson’s history with his work then you know he’s perfect for this series. Then you add Ramos coloring and it makes the world bright and colorful. Which is a bit of a mislead considering how bleak this series can get.

I’m still gonna go out and get the rest of the series, but I urge everyone to get this too. Again I find it to be my favorite series by Ellis. It’s hysterical, it has a good mix of political messages, and overall it’s just a fun time to read. Even now this would be a good jumping on point if you can’t find the older trades or reprints. It’s that fun of a series to read, any volume can be a jumping on point.

Story: 5 - Excellent
Art: 5 - Excellent

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