The prolific and popular Warren Ellis, creator of Transmetropolitan, Planetary, Red, and numerous other titles, began his first ongoing series, Lazarus Churchyard, in 1991 for the short-lived Blast! magazine. In 1992, Atomeka (via Tundra) released a three-issue series quickly followed by a collection of the entire run illustrated by D'Israeli that featured the vaguely cyberpunk eponymous character. After a "plasborging" experiment replaced roughly 80 percent of his body with an intelligent, evolving plastic, Churchyard can react in 0.132 of a second to any situation and adapt accordingly. Additionally, the plastic processes toxins of all kinds, essentially granting him immortality. The tales open some 400 years after the experiment with the weary Churchyard longing to die. While at times clumsily written, Lazarus Churchyard successfully and entertainingly showcases many of Ellis's literary tropes such as transhumanist themes and biting socio-political commentary. Though much of the material covered later became commonplace, in 1992 there was nothing else quite like it. ( )

Lazarus Churchyard was Warren Ellis' first major creation. In another writer's hands, the concept of a practically-immortal man who can reshape his body at will might have ended up in superhero territory. You know it's Ellis when the hero looks like a zombie Joey Ramone and lives in the desperate underbelly of a violent future Europe.

It's good: amazingly good, when you consider how early in his career this was published. You can see the commonalities with Transmetropolitan which he started several years later: transhumanism, a strong, flawed lead, social commentary, robust female characters, wicked wit, tragedy, a fascination with the weird variations of homo sapiens, and a rage at what we do to each other.

That said, Lazarus Churchyard is its own animal, and not simply a preparation for Transmet. It feels, in fact, larger than it is; the stories are roughly continuous, but it's amazing how much it feels like outtakes from a long, established series. I don't meant that it's difficult to follow, but that there's a reality to the characters and the setting that seems to extend beyond the borders of the stories we see. ( )

My advantageous mongoose masturbates with abandon over your mother's skeleton.

Dark, angry and bizarre - also very very cool.

Meet Lazarus Churchyard, suicide-crazed unkillable junkie trapped in a future so disgusting that it makes him the good guy by default.