...whilst doing the dishes earlier I was randomly wondering why everyone goes on (and on) about Watchmen and everyone goes on about The Dark Knight Returns and everyone goes on about Preacher and everyone seems to have forgotten to go on about Transmetropolitan. Which I thought was the best of the aforementioned. Is that just me?
I don't go on about Transmetropolitan because I don't think it is worth going on about. Sorry about that. I go on about American Flagg! because I think it was the best of the aforementioned. No one else does. You feel my pain, now, yes. Feel it!
I think my response reads a bit cold and mean in retrospect. I meant not to do so. I was merely attempting an honest answer but brevity lent it an aspect I did not reckon upon. As apology I offer this foul and rancid confession: Personally, I don't know why people go on about Preacher so much. No, really. Let the brickbats fly!
I've never read American Flagg, and Chaykin! (is that how we spell it?) has not impressed with his recent Marvel work, but I am reliably advised that Flagg is awesome so may check it out.
And Transmet was ace, you silly person!
I liked V for Vendetta, but none of the Swamp Thing stuff. Alan Moore is an erratic man with a silly beard. He's not a true legend. He's not Todd Nauck.
Moore IS a legend, for his beard more than anything!
I read a bit of Preacher when 2000AD were reprinting it in the Megazine, other than that I've never really read any, so it's another thing that I haven't got the hype about but maybe will if I ever get round to reading it.
I suppose the good thing about books like Preacher and Transmet is that they are done and dusted and fully available in collections, so starting to read them now means you know you'll get a rounded story. There's load sof other stuff, like Y The Last Man, that actual interests me more and so will get my money first.
I bought Watchman purely on the hype and everyone and their dog saying "you must read this", and I'm glad I did, but I've never read Dark Knight Returns (even though I love Batman) as I don't think much of Frank Miller.
What makes something a classic anyway? Sales? Community interest? Mainstream Interest?
i read Transmetropolitan for the first time ever yesterday. only the first trade. quite liked it, but too early to say whether or not i will love it. i've got the second volume here too so i'll let you know how i get on with that one.
i picked up a few issues of Flagg a few years back, in London just before i started getting my comics from OK. but i'd unwittingly bought the first few issues after CHAYKIN! left as writer (which explains why they were the earliest available ones in that shop.) i'd like to read the early issues properly so that new collection is on my ever-expanding wishlist.
The DC reprint of V For Vendetta for me got lost in the hoopla that was The Watchmen, and like Midnighter suggests was a far better piece of work. And Mike is right in the assertion that Batman: Year One was better than the Dark Knight Returns (although Miller's stint on the Born Again Daredevil storyline was better than either of these). Just goes to show ~ s**t floats while the good stuff sinks.
It also helps if your favourite book is in print. Daredevil: Born Again is in print. Now it isn't in print. Now it is. Oh, Marvel! with your "interesting" TPB policy. Daredevil: Born Again is magnificent. Really, it'll make your heart sing. Majestic stuff.
Watchmen & DKR have been in print since they came out (ask Alan Moore, I hear he's keeping an eye on that), they are self contained and even if you don't like the creators/stories everyone (nearly, enough to generalise anyway) is agreed that they are valuable and unusually well executed exercises in the medium. Also: Super Heroes. Bit easier to sell mad grumpy old Batman built like a muscly couch pulling off people's noses than an anarchistic mass murderer in a Guy Fawkes mask displaying how our complacency creates the Hell we all inhabit (or whatever, it's been a while, but ,yes, I too love that book more than Watchmen).
There are (many, many) books I like better than Watchmen & DKR but the two seem to occupy some kind of consensus of agreement that once stepped beyond becomes so fragmented it just gets confusing and argumentative (in a healthy way, natch). So Watchmen and DKR they are a good place to start banging on about but its what people bang on about after them that I find most interesting.
And it is indeed CHAYKIN! NT we stand corrected, so much love for the CHAYKIN! from the young! My eyes are clouded with tears rather than cataracts for once! CHAYKIN! has also suffered from the out of print phenomenon. AF! was out of print for about 20 years. That's just wrong and stupid. And all the fine comics Mike lists above are out of print/never collected (except the excellent t1ts 'n' gore insanity of Black Kiss, how strange). You can however pick all his great stuff up off E-Bay for pennies.
And here CHAYKIN! is for all his fans being etertaining at SummatCon with Adam Hughes:
I absolutely loved Transmetropolitan and wonder now if the character of Spider Jerusalem was in part modelled on the caustic wit of Charlie Brooker. It is a belting satire of politics, the media and what are society will probably end up like as all this technology runs away with us. The most powerful tale i recall was quite early on and centres around the fate of those folk who get themselves or their heads frozen and are reanimated at a time where medicine can cure their ills. That was a long sentence. sadly, society could care less and they end up living in a homeless shelter type thing. There's loads of little vignettes like this throughout the series all seen through Spider's eyes. His run ins with the 'Smiler' ( a thinly veiled critique of media manipulator Tony Blair) are excellent and culminate in a satisfying finale. I seem to recall it was overlooked at the time, being one of those books critics loved and you'd put down on your 'to read' list but never quitre get there. Darrick Robertson's art was excellent and it was good to see a typically 'Superhero' artist used on a less mainstream book (TransMet was originally part of the failed Helix imprint which was brought under Vertigo in less than two years, transmet being the only survivor). Its well worth checking out, but the collections are frustratingly short running to 10 volumes with just a few issue each.
Having almost finished Crooked Little Vein (Ellis's first novel) I am hungering for some Transmet so may have to get myself the first few volumes soon.
I have. I was supposed to be meeting people to get irresponsibly drunk but turned up early so went to hang around in Borders (like everyone does) and ended up buying it. I got through it very quickly but was thoroughly entertained - a sick, twisted and funny little novel and well worth a read.
Aye, it's a quick, easy read and hard to put down. Scary how most of it is based on stuff Ellis has actually found on the internet over the years.
Does the UK version have extras like the US version? The US one has a short interview, behind the scenes stuff and even cookery lessons from Mr Ellis himself, all great stuff!
DC are going to be 'reformatting' the Transmet books over the next year or so. We've currently got them all in stock (11 volumes) and probably wont be getting them in again until the new versions are released.
