Transmetropolitan Lust for Life

Despite being loaded to the eyeballs with gimmicks, ideas, devices, and body mods, Ellis somehow avoids the unhealthy philosophy and milieu of cyberpunk, in which technology (Black Mirror) or economics (anything by Gibson) or humanity itself (anything by Dick or Peter Watts) are depicted as inherently vicious, inherently doomed, inherently anything. No matter how changed, how corrupted the world is, it is still alive, full of possibility. This is a keystone of science fiction, and so cyberpunk - science fiction without possibility - has always been missing a chunk of its own foundations. This city never allowed itself to decay or degrade. It's wildly, intensely growing. It's a loud bright stinking mess. It takes strength from its thousands of cultures, and the thousands more that grow anew each day. It isn't perfect. It lies and cheats. It's no utopia and it ain't the mountain by a long shot -- but it's alive. I can't argue that. Great writing, great full colour art, not an excessive amount of Hunter Thompson aggrandisement and misanthropy.

Profane, dirty, raunchy, a ton of fun, but also super subversive. I was dubious at first but after Spider Jerusalem got his assistant to trade banter with, I was sold. I especially liked the TV watching issue (Air Jesus shoes!) and when Spider decides to take on the millions of (new) religions that infest his world. Classic Jesus flippin' out in the temple mode.