Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street

Warren Ellis' graphic novel, Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street, follows Spider Jerusalem, a down-to-earth, inappropriate, anti-hero, as he returns to the world of journalism after a five year hiatus. The futuristic setting features contemporary issues that are just augmented to fit a sci-fi setting. The most relevant issue presented in the graphic novel is the growing presence and representation of transgenders.

In Transmetropolitan, the half human half alien population of the city represents the transgender movement in our present day society. These people are unhappy with their human identities and are transitioning into a new alien species in order to feel more comfortable in their own bodies. The use of an alien in this novel is important. For one, an alien gives off a very cyber-punk, sci-fi vibe because of its unfamiliarity and supernatural impact. Secondly, the use of an alien is a statement about how some view trans people. Many people in contemporary society cannot wrap their heads around why someone would feel uncomfortable with their assigned gender or natural body. As a result, they look at trans people through a lens of bias and confusion, seeing their community as very alien to the "norm". The minority group of transitioning aliens is not widely accepted by the Transmetropolitan society and they suffer from police brutality. Sadly, this scenario is not far from our reality as many transgender citizens are verbally/mentally abused, beaten, ignored, and killed simply for their identities.

One of the other contemporary issues that comes up in this graphic novel is the presence of corrupt politicians. Honestly, corruption in politics has existed since medieval times and will probably never cease to exist due to human nature. What Spider says to the President during their bathroom confrontation really resonates with me: "You pissed in the economy. You shat on the law and wiped your ass on the truth" (page 94). So many politicians nowadays do not care about the good of the people and make rash decisions for one specific purpose: money. They'll piss in the economy for the majority of the population if it means inflating their bank account. They'll do everything they can to act unconstitutionally without getting impeached and will deny anything they don't support even if it is fully supported by facts.

The president in Transmetropolitan reminds me of our current situation with Donald Trump and the republican party. Most of the system wants to benefit the rich and upper-class while the middle-class and poor populations are left to rot. Compassion is not a word present in the vocabulary of our current administration and neither is it present in the politics of the narrative. Spider, like many journalists, see the administration's corruption and want to report the issues in our government. In our reality, journalists are getting shut down left and right in an attempt to censor negative publicity concerning the president and the President's administration. As Spider is a journalist, he understands the dynamic between journalism and politics. The President really hates Spider but he refuses to be silenced and opposes the President at any moment. I admire Spider for his rebellious nature because he is able to bring about change by being so bold.

Transmetropolitan was a really enjoyable read and I can't wait to continue the series. I love that I can relate to the story due to the real world problems that Ellis interjects into the narrative. On a side note, the art style is also really beautiful and works well with the narrative's genre.