comic cartoons: Spider Jerusalem

General Information:

Super Name: Spider Jerusalem

Real Name: Spider Django Heraclitus Jerusalem
Aliases : Spider Django Heraclitus Jerusalem The Fuckhead
Publisher: Vertigo
Creators: Darick Robertson,Warren Ellis
Gender: Male
Character Type : Human
First Appearance: Transmetropolitan #1 - The Summer of the Year
Appears in: 134 issues
Birthday: n/a
Died: None

Creation:

Spider Jerusalem was created by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson and is the star of their creator-owned series, Transmetropolitan, in which he made his first appearance (#1). Originally created for the Helix imprint (as science-fiction is heavily intertwined into the future Spider lives in), after that crumbled a year into the title's run, the series continued on beyond its original imprint over at Vertigo (as it was a series for "mature readers") where it lasted for another four years. Apart from rare specials however, the character's entire saga is contained in the sixty-issue Transmetropolitan series and he met his natural conclusion at the end of the run. Spider Jerusalem represents one of the few characters in comics who aged in real time, five years having passed over the course of his series (although this didn't prove to be a significant enough time frame to show any natural physical aging).

Also of note in the character's creation were his numerous tattoos which Darick originally didn't want to have to draw constantly but it was decided to be best to differentiate Spider from King Mob (another bald white guy with stylish glasses) and so Darick painted the tattoos on an action figure so he could remember their placement and designs.

Major Stories:

Back on the Street
Lust for Life
Year of the Bastard & The New Scum
Lonely City
Gouge Away
Spider's Thrash
Dirge

Personality:

Spider Jerusalem is obsessed with the Truth, which he refers as the "ultimate weapon". He shows a highly anarchic personality. Defying the rules of society and trying to mock them at every chance. He is also an atheist. His distaste for organized religion can be seen on various occasions. This is first seen in Transmetropolitan #6 where his initial speech is:

Thats it! that's the absolute fucking limit! Thieves! the goddamn lot of you! Thieves and Leeches! Fucking Vampires sucking the will from people whose only goddamn crimes were to be frightened and tired! and you don't help them! You don't listen to them! They get no truth from you! All you do is scare them with stories of something that doesn't exist! And you bastards are winning, Hundreds more of you everyday! Getting away with it in a place so noisy, no one could hear the truth if it were ever told, and I can't fight you alone, you fucks, couldn't when I was a kid and my dad turned cultist and I can't now---all I can do is tell the truth
Spider also shows signs of a socialist belief. His socialist beliefs can be seen with his reaction to state of Angels 8 and the Cluny State community estate. He is highly anti-social and on many occasions repulses the characters of opposite sex. To achieve his goals he viciously uses violence of any sort. Spider Jerusalem was a chronic smoker and in many instances he is not seen without a cigarette in his mouth. It is also to be noted that Spider's personality is largely based on real life gonzo journalism founder Hunter S. Thompson.

Weapons and Abilities:

Spider owns a great array of firearms and explosives and uses them frequently in the series. His favorite, however, is a bowel disruptor. He is also a very capable fighter. Not showing hints of any martial arts, he mostly uses simple but brutal blows to the groin, to the stomach and to the head. Throughout the series he brings down many opponents, even ones with a better training. Spider is also known for his many gadgets, such as his glasses which he uses as a camera, for both video, and photos, they automatically take pictures when they think he's being attacked. He's also been seen using a gadget that when activated, it sound proofs a room from any recording devices. Spider also has various immunities to certain diseases and infections that he has purchased. Spider is very capable when it comes to technology, such as televisions and computers as well.