Top 50 Modern Comic Artists - 50 More! - Eduardo Risso
Top 25 Modern Comic Writers - Warren Ellis
Recommended Works:
- Transmetropolitan (10 volumes, completed series)
- Planetary (4 volumes, completed series)
- Thunderbolts (12 issues, collected in one Ultimate Collection TPB)
- Secret Avengers (#16-21, to be collected April 2012)
TRANSMETROPOLITAN VOLUME 10: ONE MORE TIME - NEW EDITION
Written by WARREN ELLIS; Art by DARICK ROBERTSON and RODNEY RAMOS; Cover by DARICK ROBERTSON On Sale August 10, 2011 This volume collects the last six issues of the series, but unlike the original edition of volume 10, it also includes “I Hate it Here” and “Filth of the City” from Volume 0. I’ll be picking it up upon release, and selling the old volume 10 I have right now.
Did some more work on it. It looks neat, but I want to clean it up and make the lines straighter. Still debating the mouth… but yeah, that’s Spider.
Also, I used text because I like typography, but I made it just a nuance, and not so openly visible like I usually do.
See, I think this guy gets Spider’s personality a bit better. His voice isn’t spot onto what I’d like, and yeah he’s a bit tubby, whereas Spider walks around shirtless so we can see his body art, but this guy has the energy and panache that I think Spider has.
An example towards what I just said.
See, regardless of how damn awesome this video is, I don’t feel like it captures the same attitude that the comics have. It’s just made way too serious here. And I suppose that would be the way to transform the series into an effective film or film series, but I’d rather the maniacal nature of the series not be toned down. I mean, how can something be serious in tone when our main characters favorite weapon is a “Bowel Disruptor”.
I mean, whenever I read Transmet I always hear Spider talking more like how Hunter Thompson does, and I picture his mannerisms as such as well, except that he’s in a dirty future where he has access to much more insane substances and technology.
I’m not sure why I chose now to start posting random Transmetropolitan stuff… sorry.
There’s a woman in town who has a powered wheelchair. She has a banner mounted on it reading VERBAL POET FOR HIRE. The idea is that you give her a couple of quid and she reads you a poem. I saw someone pay her for a poem once. She sat up straight in her chair, cleared her throat, and then yelled:
“Fuck you
Fuck you
Fuck you
You fucking wanker.”
And then powered off to the supermarket to buy a couple of cans of beer.
- Warren Ellis, on Poetry (via)
Ryley’s Pull List - 9/9/10
Amazing Spider-Man #641
- This issue marks the end of the “One Moment in Time” story, which touches up on material from back in the “One More Day” story, that changes the status quo of ASM for the next few years (and still going). This arc isn’t that great, admittedly, but since I love Spider-Man, and I’m a collector, I have to get this (plus, I hate gaps in my collection, so I don’t want to have to go back to find issues). However, this week we have two issues of ASM coming out, and the next one I’m pretty excited for.
Amazing Spider-Man #642
- Now this issue opens up the final arc of the years long “Brand New Day” era of Amazing Spider-Man. The final arc is called “Origin of the Species”, and if written by Mark Waid who has written his fair share of good Spidey stories in the past few years. It looks like what’s happening here is that all the villains who have plagued Spidey since even before the Gauntlet are coming back to get him. It also deals with older plot lines dealing with the Osborn family, and a new child over there. Plus, I think there’s going to be some Venom/Anti-Venom action, and that’s never a bad thing.
American Vampire #6
- The first issue of the second arc of this critically acclaimed new Vertigo series is here this week, so we will finally get to see some development of a long-term story. The first arc was great, and showed real promise towards future stories in this series, but since it was mostly just exhibition and introduction, we haven’t really gotten to see what long term plans for the series are yet. Great writing, great art, and Vampires not being used in a demeaning manner? I’m excited.
Batman and Robin #14
- I have been waiting for this issue for several months. The last issue came out, I believe, in the beginning of July, and was the first of Frazer Irvings’ three part story. His art is fantastic for the series, and issue 13 was possibly the best issue so far. I cannot express how excited I am for this issue to finally be coming out, as this series has definitely been one of my favorites since it’s inception last summer.
Green Lantern #57
- Here’s another issue that got delayed, though this one only for a single month. I’m pretty dang excited for this ones release as well, as the previous issue had an incredibly interesting, and promising hook at the end. Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern series has not taken a single false step yet, and I don’t think it will be any time soon, and I’m anticipating seeing where Johns is taking this arc.
Invincible Iron Man #30
- This issue is part six of the current eight part “Stark Resilient” story of Invincible Iron Man. Matt Fraction’s series has been great so far, and the artwork works so well for the series. Honestly, this arc has so far not been the best, but I think that’s because what all the fans are waiting for is to see Tony’s new armor in action, and we just haven’t been given that yet. However, there are some really interesting things happening in the book right now, and I can feel it in my bones, the action is going to come, and it’s going to be awesome.
Justice League: Generation Lost #9
- Back when DC announced that it was having two bi-weekly books during their Brightest Day company wide cross-over I wasn’t intrigued at all by Justice League: Generation Lost. All I wanted was to see Johns and Tomasi’s main Brightest Day series, so I followed that and ignored the other. I soon came to see that was a mistake. Not because Brightest Day is bad, but because Generation Lost is fantastic! The story of a newly formed Justice League International trying to stop a Maxwell Lord that nobody remembers is truly fascinating, and I have to say in here that issue #6 of this series is on my list of greatest single issues of the year.
Thor #614
- Kieron Gillen’s Thor stories have been nowhere close in quality to what JMS did for the book, but that doesn’t mean his story isn’t a good one. This issue marks the end of his run on the book, and the end of a story-arc that was actually never planned to happen. Initially Matt Fraction was supposed to take over the series directly after the Seige story arc ended, but he needed some more time with Pasqual Ferry to get some issues ready, so Marvel commissioned Gillen to write one last arc on the book, and it’s surprisingly good. The story doesn’t seem at all like it was last minute, as it actually ties up some loose ends from Gillen’s run, and uses developments from the Siege event pretty effectively. Gillen has been a worthy successor to JMS, and a good median between him and Fraction. That said, I cannot wait to see what Fraction brings to the table in the next issue later this month.
Transmetropolitan vol. 8
-One of my Comics You Should Be Reading articles is about this series, so right there you know what I think of it already. Sadly, I will admit that I haven’t read the whole series yet, but it’s so great that I couldn’t wait for the last three volumes to come out before writing the article. This is the only book that I constantly trade-wait for, as the original print is either 1. not available to me, or 2. (and what my OCD self would tell you is truly the reason) the covers to the reprints look prettier on my shelf than the originals (the spines are nice and colorful!). If you are a fan of Warren Ellis and the old, great, Vertigo books, then you should look into this one, though you should, of course, start with volume one.
So that’s it for the first installment of this series of articles. I must note that usually I don’t get anything else but the single issues during the week, but every once in a while there’s a collection or a figure that I can’t pass up. A couple of weeks ago that came in the form of the Black Lantern Batman figure, and come November that will be Batman and Robin vol. 2, which collects the seventh through twelfth issues of the series, which I already own, but I love the book, and Morrison, so much that I have to own it in all it’s oversized hardcover glory (and if the second volume is half as beautiful as the first, then it’ll be more than worth it). I will be back either Thursday night, or Friday morning with short reviews of the issues I’ll be buying. Excelsior!
COMICS YOU SHOULD BE READING:
16. Transmetropolitan
WHO?
Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
WHAT?
Our “hero” is Spider Jerusalem, a renegade journalist who is strongly based on our very own Hunter S. Thompson. Set in the not-so-distant future, where the streets are filled with even more filth that they have now, where child prostitution runs rampant, and people are doing just about any procedure to their body to make themselves who they are. Armed with his special recording glasses Spider, in his own way, tries to set the world right, by exposing corrupt politicians for who they are.
WHEN?
The 60 issue series was published by Helix and then Vertigo from 1997-2002. The trade paperbacks are currently being reprinted.
WHERE?
The whole series has been collected into ten TPB’s and one extra volume, but those are out of print and the series is being reprinted currently. Volume eight is due out September of 2010, and nine isn’t to be released until April of 2011. I know that is kind of an extreme wait, but if you don’t feel like waiting so long for the final two volumes you can easily get the old TPB’s on amazon or somewhere else online. Some comic shops may even have them.
WHY?
Why not, really? I mean, it’s Warren Ellis with Darick Robertson, and it’s based on Gonzo journalism. The series deserves nothing but the praise it gets, and it deserves ten times the recognition. In comic-reader circles the name will pop up as one of the Vertigo imprint of DC’s greatest series, along side those who have already appeared on my list such as Preacher and The Sandman. I can’t really think of much more to say about the book, if you aren’t already turned on to it by what I’ve said, then it probably isn’t the book for you, but if you want to read one of Ellis’ greatest works, then please, pick it up. By volume three, I guarantee you will be hooked.
HOW?
As I had said, the series is collected into ten TPB’s and one extra volume. Each volume is available for $14.95
1. Back on the Street
2. Lust for Life
3. Year of the Bastard
4. The New Scum
5. Lonely City
6. Gouge Away
7. Spider’s Thrash
8. Dirge
9. The Cure
10. One More Time
0. Tales of Human Waste
Volumes 9, 10, and 0 are only available in older editions as of now.
