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the_scrivener_named_bartleby 's review for:
Absolute Transmetropolitan Vol. 2 (2023 Edition)
by Warren Ellis
The Smiler has settled nicely into the primary antogonist role since his rise to power in Year of the Bastard, and this book is a testament to the art of comics as a whole. He is pure evil and represents every shitheel political candidate who smiles almost unsettlingly ear-to-ear as he fucks over the population, but he’s still personal to Spider, having hurt not only someone he loves but his private hope that the City could get better despite his misanthropic ramblings.
Spider’s entourage are lovable scamps—they make for nice stand-ins for the audience, as all of us aren’t so dedicated to some gonzo journalism and the cathartic punching and blasting Spider does. They try to get through life in the City and enjoy some of the hedonistic advancements the vague futuristic setting has, but they recognize the importance of someone bucking the system and making sure those in power fear the people. All people can’t be Spider—that would be chaos, strangely enough, and he’s not the best or most stable moral authority. But if the consumerist world of excess is the id, and Spider is the superego always pointing out all the flaws, then the assistants—and the reader—are the reconciling ego. Learn from this art! Nothing is made or written this lovingly without purpose; it was made to satirize and show you the flaws of our own world that inspired it, and think of ways to do something about it.
Anyhow, some flaws—while I whinged about earlier issues not having a central antagonist and just being directionless critiques of religion, politics, society, etc., I still found such one-offs interesting and with something to say. I wish that the central Spider vs. Smiler storyline was more flawlessly tied to the one-off critique stories. There are some good connections, about how journalism is corporate and Spider’s pursuit of the truth is hampered by investors considering him risky, but in equal measures we halt the story to critique society, and sometimes we halt the critique to suddenly have a dramatic hitman from the Smiler cause havoc.
Still, if there were such a thing as 4.5 stars on Goodreads, this would have earned that, I think. I’ll be picking up the next Absolute Transmetropolitan for sure. (As soon as the more affordable re-release comes out and not a scalped collector’s item for 600 fucking dollars used…)
Spider’s entourage are lovable scamps—they make for nice stand-ins for the audience, as all of us aren’t so dedicated to some gonzo journalism and the cathartic punching and blasting Spider does. They try to get through life in the City and enjoy some of the hedonistic advancements the vague futuristic setting has, but they recognize the importance of someone bucking the system and making sure those in power fear the people. All people can’t be Spider—that would be chaos, strangely enough, and he’s not the best or most stable moral authority. But if the consumerist world of excess is the id, and Spider is the superego always pointing out all the flaws, then the assistants—and the reader—are the reconciling ego. Learn from this art! Nothing is made or written this lovingly without purpose; it was made to satirize and show you the flaws of our own world that inspired it, and think of ways to do something about it.
Anyhow, some flaws—while I whinged about earlier issues not having a central antagonist and just being directionless critiques of religion, politics, society, etc., I still found such one-offs interesting and with something to say. I wish that the central Spider vs. Smiler storyline was more flawlessly tied to the one-off critique stories. There are some good connections, about how journalism is corporate and Spider’s pursuit of the truth is hampered by investors considering him risky, but in equal measures we halt the story to critique society, and sometimes we halt the critique to suddenly have a dramatic hitman from the Smiler cause havoc.
Still, if there were such a thing as 4.5 stars on Goodreads, this would have earned that, I think. I’ll be picking up the next Absolute Transmetropolitan for sure. (As soon as the more affordable re-release comes out and not a scalped collector’s item for 600 fucking dollars used…)