Review: Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street

Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street by Warren Ellis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

You ever watch the movie 'The Last of the Mohicans'? If I ever get asked that question, I always answer 'I tried'. The reason being is that I can never sit through it. I don't view it as a bad film. Far from it. The weird thing about it is that the movie itself seems right up my alley. Even if I dedicate the time and energy to watch it, I always end up giving up. I also don't hate it by any means. If I hated it, that at least would have been an emotion to latch onto. And I've hate-watched some really bad stuff all the way to the end.

The reason I bring this up is that I have the same reaction to pretty much everything Warren Ellis has ever written. When you examine and criticism a work of art, you need to be able to tell the difference between what is good and something you simply like. Because liking something is completely subjective. You can like fast food all you want, but it will never be quality food. I acknowledge that Warren Ellis is a good writer. I know this in my bones. But there is just something about his work that prevents it from clicking with me. And 'Transmetropolitan' is not an exception.

I think my problem, at least with this book in particular, is the narrative is all bluster. I understand anger. I'm always angry and all that. But there's a difference between anger and just wanting to piss all over everything. Our protagonist here seems to be far more of the latter. Some of the reasons to be mad are more than justified. Like in regards to police brutality and government corruption. Though, more often than not, the reasons seem petty and stem from a pathological need to be antisocial.

There also aren't any defined characters beyond our main dude. In the second story arc in this volume, there is a female character introduced, but even she is suspect as to if she really matters or not. There's just a vague rage against the machine vibe that most people grow out of by their mid-twenties. It's like if Batman declared war on crime, but he didn't fight anyone beyond random muggers. Sure, Batman is fighting crime, but what makes him so interesting is his antagonists. Otherwise, he's just beating up poor people.

The art fits the narrative. It looks like a higher-end story from Heavy Metal magazine but works in its own way. I don't have anything to say beyond that.

Despite my inability to engage with Warren Ellis, and my dislike of the main character, I actually fully recommend you read this book. It isn't bad by any stretch. And I'm sure many out there really like it. Just because I'm not one of them doesn't mean you won't be. If I thought it wasn't worth a try, I would say so. But, it is. You might not like it, but you might love the ever-living hell out of it.

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