Spider Jerusalem
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spider Jerusalem | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
Spider Jerusalem is a fictional character and the protagonist of the comic book Transmetropolitan, created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Darick Robertson, published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Spider is a renegade gonzo journalist forced to return to The City (an unnamed futuristic urban sprawl, described as the largest city in the world, heavily implied to be New York City, and the center of global political and social culture) after having exhausted a substantial advance from a publisher without completing the books required by contract. After five years of effective retirement as a long-haired hermit in a compound in the mountains, he returns to The City to complete the books, takes up work for an urban newspaper to support his writing, and finds himself battling political corruption at the highest level.
One of Spider's most apparent character traits is his heavy drug use, which he makes no attempt to conceal. In addition to being a chain smoker and heavy drinker, Spider uses an extensive and bewildering variety of drugs ranging from mild stimulants, intellect enhancers, and mood-altering drugs to cocaine, heroin and rare, exotic futuristic drugs. As is common in his society, Spider is resistant or immune to many forms of drug addiction, as well as lung cancer.
[edit] Philosophy
Spider is a firm believer in the truth and delivering the truth to his readers in the most direct and blunt manner possible. (He often capitalizes it as "The Truth" in his writing.) This is made most notable in one story, when Spider's editor recounts the tale of how Spider submitted an article on the election of the Richard Nixon-analogue "The Beast," which consisted of the word "fuck" repeated eight thousand times (see Transmetropolitan #1).
The primary focus of conflict within Spider's psyche over the course of the series is a combination of altruism and misanthropy. Spider hates and struggles against authority figures who oppress others, but he is also bitter toward the uninvolved public who give the authority its power. Likewise, he struggles to convince the public to listen to The Truth, but is disgusted by those who blindly accept what he reports. In addition, Spider's talents earn him unwanted fame and adoration, which clouds his ability to "get at The Truth." His editor, Mitchell Royce, opines that Spider needs to be hated in order to function.
Despite his absolute disdain for those around him, Spider is quite loyal to those few who he considers friends and is equally quick to hurt those who would betray him. Indeed, much of Spider's motivation in the second half of the series was dedicated to bringing the President to justice for ordering the murder of Vita Severn, whom Spider had befriended.
Although he opposed The Beast, Spider is not loyal to any political party or organization. He is also an avowed, often virulent atheist who opposes organized religions which exploit their members.
[edit] Weapons
He proudly claims to be "always armed", and is shown with several hidden firearms, at least one of which is powerful enough to blow up a vehicle, another of which was titled "The Upper Hand." He is also seen to possess a missile launcher and grenades at one point.
Spider's weapon of choice for most of the series is a handheld "bowel disruptor," designed to cause instant and painful loss of bowel control, with various settings that allow him to vary the level of pain and discomfort the device will inflict, ranging from simple diarrhea to complete rectal prolapse. At a much harsher level, the victim has a bowel movement so dramatic and agonizing that it induces unconsciousness. While not used in this fashion 'on-camera,' it is revealed that the gun can be set to 'Fatal Intestinal Maelstrom.' Spider prefers this weapon because, despite being illegal, it is non-lethal and its effects are untraceable.
On a few occasions, he has been known to carry lethal firearms, though according to Spider, he only carries a firearm in emergency cases. He has, in at least one case, used a handgun to lethal effect to kill two would-be assassins. (A third was beaten to death against a maker, a kitchen appliance similar to a replicator from the Star Trek franchise.) However, in this case, the weapon was not Spider's, but was rather taken by force from one of his would-be killers. (See Issue 10.) In issue 7, he is revealed to be a competent gunfighter, having learnt his skills "places you wouldn't want to go." It is also revealed in issue 38 that he has killed sixteen people, all but one in self-defence; he never specifies how or why (although it could be inferred that Vita Severn is meant, as Spider feels responsible for her death.).
Regardless of whether or not he is armed, Spider is shown to be a very capable, though not invincible, fighter. He frequently lashes out violently at those who threaten or aggravate him, and often defeats opponents who are well-trained or much larger and stronger. He is also not averse to brutalizing someone in order to get crucial information.
[edit] Appearance
Initially, Spider is shown with a huge amount of muddy brown, shaggy hair and a long unkempt beard, claiming he has hair in places that his friend doesn't even know he has. On his return to the City, nearly all his hair is removed by a malfunctioning cleaning unit in his bathroom. For the rest of the series, he is portrayed as virtually hairless, the exception being his eyebrows and a small amount of pubic hair. Spider is a small, slight figure with a long nose and slightly crooked teeth. His body is covered with black tattoos, combining geometric tribal designs and other more Western images (his right buttock is marked "kiss here"), including a small spider on his upper forehead. He is also said to have a tattoo on his penis, though this is never shown.
Although he prefers not to wear clothes much of the time, when in public his primary mode of dress is typically a black two-piece linen suit (jacket and pants, no shirt under the jacket) with a pair of heavy black leather boots, although during the winter he is sometimes seen wearing a black jumper under his jacket; also, on the rare occasions when modesty is required of him he will wear knee-length boxer-shorts. He also wears a pair of 'live-shades', sunglasses with built-in still-photography capabilities; the right lens is green and rectangular, whilst the left one is red and circular (an oddity caused by a malfunctioning, drug-addled sentient matter-creation unit). The first pair he owns have gold rims around the lenses, while the ones he obtains during the second part of the Dirge arc have no rims.
[edit] Influences
Spider Jerusalem, (partly named after science fiction author Spider Robinson[citation needed]) is reminiscent of previous "muck-raking" or "Gonzo" journalists such as H.L. Mencken and Hunter S. Thompson, or a futuristic version of Uncle Duke from Trudeau's Doonesbury.
Hunter S. Thompson is perhaps the most obvious inspiration for the character of Spider Jerusalem, and the fictional reporter's fondness for weaponry and spectacular consumption of drugs both indicate a resemblance toward the American gonzo journalist. (In Transmetropolitan #13, page 5, a book by Hunter S. Thompson is clearly visible amongst the objects strewn across the table in Spider's apartment.)
Visually, Spider Jerusalem is based on Darick Robertson's friend Andre Ricciardi [1].
