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TRANSMETROPOLITAN #52
"The Cure One of Three"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Writer: Warren Ellis
Pencils: Darick Robertson
Inks: Rodney Ramos
Colors: Nathan Eyring
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Heidi MacDonald
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
There's something familiar about the pattern that Transmetropolitan has fallen into, which generally has Spider and the assistants insulting each other in humorous ways, a bit of violence and some glacial progress toward the end of the story. Despite this familiarity, however, I continue to be entertained by Transmet, and that's probably due to the strength of
the creators working on this title. The structure is familiar, but so is the
strength of the dialogue or the amazing detail of the artwork, and there are
enough uncertainties in Spider's pursuit of the President that I'm never bored.
We've been introduced to a
variety of characters over the course of Spider's investigation, people from all
walks of life who have been involved in the President's rise to power. Liesl, a
former transient call girl, is the latest character, and I quite enjoyed
"meeting" her. Throughout this series, Ellis has focused on the seedy underbelly
of a seedy future culture, and seeing what passes for kids' cartoons or what
passes for drugs in this world is at the same time disturbing and very funny.
Liesl is remarkable in that she's intelligent and witty, but yet she's stuck in
a job and a cultural niche where you wouldn't expect to find someone like her.
The feeling of conspiracy and
ever-present corrupt authority has been a staple of this book as well, and I
quite enjoyed seeing Liesl on the run from mysterious men in black. There's a
lovely bit of misdirection when Spider and his assistants find her, and her
sense of humor and attitude fit right in with their group. Because this series
is finite, and nearing its end, there's an element of unpredictability to it
where any character could go at any moment, and that helps to heighten the
danger around Leisl.
Though Spider is a
journalist, he's been more willing to crack heads and use violence than most.
However, his violence has generally had an element of dark humor to it, as with
the use of the bowel disruptor for his primary weapon, and so the violent scenes
this issue came as a bit of a surprise as well. The moment of truth is a
disgustingly detailed image from Darick Robertson, demonstrating the same
storytelling instincts he always has, and it's another indication in a long
chain that Spider has had to adopt different and more dangerous methods on this,
his final case.
I can't honestly recommend that anyone come onboard Transmetropolitan at this
point, as it's too near the end and the pacing has slowed down to accommodate
readers who are already familiar with the story as it stands. However, every
issue continues to surprise and entertain me, and this is one of those series
that will make a perennial seller for Vertigo's trade paperback line, and
another indication of what can happen when you let talented creators loose to
create on their own.
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