Transmetropolitan: Back on the Street is the first
trade paperback of
Warren Ellis' series, featuring issues #1-3 of the comic. Apparently, at this point it was published by
DC Comics's now defunct
Helix department, instead of the
Vertigo imprint it's now published under.
Darick Robertson provided the art for all of the issues and
Geof Darrow did the original covers.
Garth Ennis gives the introduction, praising Ellis for leaving the tired
genre of
superheros and doing his own thing by creating such an excellent series. He also mentions his wish for the reprinting of Ellis' early work
Lazarus Churchyard, which is now a reality.
These first three issues only cover the introduction of Spider Jerusalem and the first story arc, but what an introduction! Spider is driven out of the Mountain and back into the City by a book contract, and he's not exactly happy about ending five years of hermitage. He soon obtains a job at The Word from his old friend/party torture object Mitchell Royce. We see the creation of his multicolored live shades and the introduction of the two-headed gecko-eating cat. For his first column, Spider goes to interview Fred Christ, leader of the Transients, a group of people slowly changing into aliens. Unfortunately, the City Police Department is intent on shutting down their movement through an police-instigated riot, and Spider gets personally involved.
While it's a great introduction to the series, the shortness of the volume is annoying. Followed by Transmetropolitan: Lust For Life, issues #4-12.