Reviews by Kyle Ellis

Like Preacher, Transmetropolitan had a short life – but for 60 brilliant, dazzlingly inventive issues, writer Warren Ellis and artist Darick Robertson brought their A-game. And the creation of Spider Jerusalem, gonzo journalist, imbiber of enough drugs to floor a struggling musician, and seeker of truth, was at the centre of it all. A foul-mouthed tribute to, most obviously, [Link removed - login to see], Jerusalem is known as the God-King of journalists, who devotes his life to delivering the truth to his readers (one article simply repeated the word "fuck" 8000 times - we have to try that sometime), no matter how unpalatable it may be for the establishment (which, incidentally, he's trying to bring down). Not averse to taking the odd life in his quest (mostly in self-defence), Spider is a true one-off, a character so fearless and vibrant and nonchalantly cool that [Link removed - login to see] is his biggest fan. And if that's not a recommendation, we don't know what is.

Trademarks: Virtually hairless (after an encounter with a faulty shower), foul-mouthed and dogged about rooting out the truth. He's festooned with tattoos, including – yes! – a spider and wears red-and-green spectacles.

On Screen: Much to his publicly expressed chagrin, Patrick Stewart is too old to play Spider in anything other than an animated flick. Our vote? [Link removed - login to see]'s got the right edge of mania and earnestness. We can just see his mad eyes twinkling behind a pair of glasses, one lens green and rectangular, the other red and round...

Did You Know?: Spider's middle names are Django Heraclitus. Nice.

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First Appearance: Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Best Writer & Artist: Art Spiegelman

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #1
Best Writer: Peter David
Best Artist: John Romita, Jr.

First Appearance: Watchmen #1
Best Writer: Alan Moore
Best Artist: Dave Gibbons

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39
Best Writer: David Michelinie
Best Artist: Bob Layton

Writers Moore and Gibson thought that 2000 AD could do with a female-led strip to counterpoint the comic's generally testosterone-heavy violence fests, and co-created 50th century everygirl Halo Jones, who just tries to get by in a dangerous future where going to the shops is a major trial. The original intent was to chronicle the heroine's whole life but only three serials were completed before the strip was curtailed by the usual who's-got-the-rights argument. The three stories find Halo as a teenager on that shopping trip, working as a stewardess on a spaceship and (grimly) fighting a Starship Troopers-type war in an all-female army. Halo is exponentially cooler than knock-offs like Tank Girl, mostly because she remains a fed-up real person amid the wild space opera of her universe.

Trademarks: Pout, white '80s-look hair (yes, we know it was a black and white strip and she got blonded in the horrible US colourised reprints – but her hair was white on the original 2000 AD colour covers), loyalty to doomed friends, robot dog sidekick, catchphrase: "I can't take a shopping expedition."

On Screen: Billie Piper circa 2005 would've been perfect.

Did You Know?: There was an Edinburgh fringe stage production in 1987, with Claire Fairley as Halo.

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AKA: FRANK CASTLE

Yet another Marvel character who started off as a villain – notably a Spider-Man villain (although he was more of a goon when he first cameoed in Amazing Spider-Man) – before graduating to his own title and anti-hero status. The Punisher is now one of the most iconic characters in the entire Marvel stable. A 'Nam vet driven by his family's murder to punish all criminals by death, it's perhaps not unsurprising that the dark, disillusioned '70s was the decade that saw a brutal, uncompromising psychopath (for that's what Castle is, no debate) become a fan favourite. Although, truth be told, operating within the confines of the toothless main Marvel titles never sat well with The Punisher – in recent years, with the move to the MAX label, and Garth Ennis' soon-to-finish installation as Punisher guru, the dark heart and psychology of Frank Castle has been fully explored, giving a new insight into this grimmest and most compelling of characters.

Trademarks: A giant white skull on his black-shirted chest. An eternal desire for revenge. And guns. Lots of guns.

On Screen: Three Punisher movies, three different Punishers. For all the apparent simplicity of the character, Frank Castle has proved a hard nut to crack. [Link removed - login to see], [Link removed - login to see] and [Link removed - login to see] all took a shot at the role on the big screen, but it took [Link removed - login to see] to nail that gruff demeanour, violent tendencies and wounded humanity, first in Netflix's Daredevil and subsequently in [Link removed - login to see].

Did You Know?: Unlike other Marvel characters, who seem to age at a rate of one year for every five years of comics (at least), The Punisher ages – at least in the MAX line – in real time. Which currently makes him a 58-year-old kicking ass, as he was born on February 16, 1950.

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First Appearance: Captain America Comics #1
Best Writer: Ed Brubaker
Best Artist: Jack Kirby

AKA: GRENDEL

The original and best in Matt Wagner's long-running series of masked anti-heroes, Hunter Rose was a young genius gifted with extraordinary physical and mental prowess and just a little too much time to spare. Finding that excellence breeds boredom if not channelled correctly, Rose set about becoming a crime kingpin, hired killer and all-round roguish gadabout before dying at the age of 21 by the hands of his lycanthropic nemesis, Argent. More Grendels have followed in Hunter Rose's footsteps but few have done the job with such an innate sense of style.

Trademarks: Effete novelist by day, criminal mastermind and world-class assassin by night.

On Screen: Wagner's nefarious creation hasn't worried the big screen as of yet. If an actor were to make Hunter Rose come alive, we'd put our money on Jamie Bell providing the right amount of romantic menace.

Did You Know?: Grendel has faced off against Batman twice – in the comic-book crossovers Devil's Riddle & Devil's Masque and Devil's Bones & Devil's Dance.

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