Transmetropolitan as the new Great Gatsby

Transmetropolitan is a comic book series written by Warren Ellis which ran from 1997  to 2002. It follows the character Spider Jerusalem who works as a journalist in a futuristic version of New York. In Ellis' vision of the future, morals have been wiped out and people exist in a nihilistic state of religious fervor and materialist greed. Everything, even people, is covered with advertisements, providing a critique of American consumer culture. In Transmetropolitan, the 'American Dream' has become about materialism and greed. The character of Spider himself is not immune to this, as shown when he says "I am so incredibly bored that I will buy a pair of your ridiculous shoes", summing up the apathy and greed that is so strong it even corrupts the main character.

Ellis' harshest critiques are saved for American politics. Through his futuristic setting, he explores the contemporary world of what he sees as corrupt politicians who care more about themselves and their own celebrity than the people they are supposed to govern. In the earlier comic books, Spider is reporting on the presidential election. One of the candidates is referred to as The Smiler, because he is such a fake personality. His character reflects Ellis' concern that presidential elections have become less about policies and more about looking good on the television screen and their policies on paper. This can be seen even in contemporary political campaign ads, which say nothing concrete about the candidate's policies, but only appeal to the cult of personality they have built up around themselves. One example of this is Mitt Romney's ad, which I have discussed in a previous post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTiOLGtiEPQ

Ellis represents voting as the choosing between two evils, with nowhere else to turn. The problems inherent in a two-party system can be seen in the recent US government shut down. It also discusses contemporary concerns of the American people - such as trying to balance personal liberty and safety. In Transmetropolitan, after The Smiler is elected, America faces censorship and media blackouts. Towards the end of the series, the government shuts down the paper that Spider works for and he has to post his columns online. Interestingly, the anonymous online site he writes for parallels WikiLeaks before it even existed.

Sources:
http://comicsalliance.com/i-hate-it-here-transmetropolitan-and-the-election-season/