It's been a while (six months, actually) since I last reviewed Transmetropolitan, because I honestly felt like the story, while entertaining, wasn't going particularly fast, and there wasn't much need to comment on it. I still remain unsure that there's any need to review the book, given that everyone who is reading it is either planning on finishing out the last three issues or the remaining trades, but I was moved to give this issue a review as it is the culmination of a lot of what has been going on over the past year, and it has some of the strongest pacing, most incredible art and most uplifting moments that the series has seen in quite some time.
For the longest time, it has seemed like Spider was A: Completely insane and B: Pretty much alone in his war against the President. He had a handful of allies, including his Filthy Assistants, Yelena's father and Robert McX, but most of the world was going along with the Smiler's disinformation campaign. This issue, the tide turns, and it's a beautiful thing to behold. It's amazing to see the world media wake up and realize that they used to be journalists, damn it, and it's time they showed some balls. Given my distaste for the American media's "coverage" of the Bush Administration, I have to admit that there's an element of wish fulfillment in the issue for me as well.
Of course, this being a science-fiction book (and a Warren Ellis book) the uprising isn't limited to TV broadcasts and powerful words. Nope, we've got some violence as well, including a stirring but tragic scene that hearkens back to the "Angels 8" story that opened Transmet as the transients confront the cops and the beginnings of a citywide riot that feels more like a cleansing fire than the pointless anger that characterizes real-life riots most of the time. Probably the most effective moments for me, however, were the ones that were more about the power of words, whether it's Robert McX angrily lambasting the President or higher-ups in media organizations flipping the metaphorical bird to the troops in their offices.
Visually, all of this is conveyed with the usual power and skill of Robertson, Ramos and Eyring. The opening image, a freeze-frame shot of Callahan's fading power, kicks things off right away and lets the reader know the tone of the issue. The fury of Robert McX comes through in every shot we have of him. The government troops look inhuman, alien, evil, contrasted with the "man on the street" look of the rioters. And subtle things, like the upturned grin of the newswoman saying "and now, footage of them killing unarmed students" or Royce's contented smirk show how much the media are enjoying being off their leash again.
Transmetropolitan began its run as a book about the power of journalism, as well as the drive that lives in the heart of most writers. As the book went on, it became more about political allegory and sometimes over-the-top humor than this driving force, but as the book begins to draw to a close, it is clear that Ellis and company have never lost sight of the lesson that Spider Jerusalem offered up at the end of the very first story arc: "Journalism is just a gun. Aim it right and you can blow a kneecap off the world."
