I love this connection. Spider Jerusalem is one of countless reclusive characters that we love. The grinch is one example. Holden Caulfield is another. Bruce Wayne, who also retreats to a mountain-based home, also counts. Even Yoda could sort of count. All of these characters have a strange relationship to the city, yet they always seem to return to it. I wonder why we, as cultural consumers, flock to these characters. I guess we relate? We all love to criticize the places we live, yet we don't leave. It's the now-memed trope of living in the wrong generation.

This is the exciting question, I guess. I think Transmetropolitan succeeds in portraying a possible scenario of a self-medicating society. Still, I'd assert that we're already halfway there; every morning I take Vit C, fish oil, zyrtec, and men's daily. We're all self-medicating, at least a little bit. Nootropics are expanding as an interest (join us) (just kidding) (kind of). Flinstones Vitamins man. Caffeine! Our methods of self-medication are definitely becoming more entrenched - we're entangled with this shit.