Here’s a cover image chosen at random from my collection.

Transmetropolitan: Gouge Away tpb v6 by Warren Ellis (w), Darrick Robertson (p), Rodney Ramos (i), Nathan Eyring (c), Clem Robins (l), Darrick Robertson and Nathan Eyring (cover)

Transmetropolitan (aka Transmet) was such a wild ride. This series is probably Warren Ellis’s finest comic book creation. I bought this series (in trades) on the recommendation of Matt at the Comic Book Shop, and I was never disappointed. It’s in your face and disgusting, and pulls no punches, and irreverent, and satirical, and political, and just plain cool. This collection (of issues 31-36) finds our (anti)hero, Spider Jerusalem at a crossroads. Of course, he finds his way back to being a “fucking journalist” and having influence again, only for his publisher to abandon him. Does Spider despair? Nope! With the help of “filthy assistants”, Spider heads off to parts unknown to wreak more havoc.

There are a couple standout issues in this trade, with the first one being Spider’s drug-caused hallucination that sports pages from a bunch of different artists (Kieron Dwyer, Lea Hernandez, Bryan Hitch, Frank Quitely, & Eduardo Risso) interpreting Spider in some cools ways. The other is a story about Spider’s filthy assistants, Channon and Yelena, who get a day to themselves while Spider is on this bender.

If you haven’t read Transmet, you really, really should. Just don’t be easily offended and you should be just fine.