Writer: Michael Gordon
Illustrator: Henrique Pereira
Publisher: TPub Comics
WHAT IS IT?
Transdimensional is a mini-series set in the bottom of the sea, where a mysterious red light has mystically appeared near an abandoned submarine.
Think Jet Li’s The One meets The Abyss.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
(Minor Spoilers)
Deacon Price is having a pretty rough go of it. His wife, Grace, has left him. His daughter is sick and dying. On top of that, he continuously suffers from violent, terrifying nightmares every time he tries to sleep.
Price aims to change that kind of luck though, with a deep sea adventure to recover a lost Soviet-era submarine. He convinces the DCM Nautical foundation to let him lead a venture down to the sub to explore what’s inside of it.
Only Deacon isn’t telling the entire truth, and a mysterious red light has appeared around the sub. There’s a lot of secrets and mysteries at play as the team move toward the bottom of the ocean…
WHAT WORKS?
Every comic’s first introduction is the art work, and Transdimensional nails it here. It has sharp, excellent line art that really helps captivate you early and keeps you coming back to each page.
The pacing work is really something special. The dream sequences are meant to be jarring, ones that shake you out of the main narrative (as they do Deacon Price) and the team really pulls that off. They feel sudden and in an artistically appropriate way as well.
Deacon Price is an immediately relatable character that you feel attached to pretty early on. He’s someone you can cheer for, someone you want to succeed.
Being a submarine comic, there’s obviously a lot of dark ocean and red light emergencies, something that colorist Jan Wijngaard handles so well. Wijngaard really helps the line art convey the mystery of the ocean, the panic of the lighting very well.
There’s a very key dream sequence panel in issue #1 that has sort of a red filter on it, and Wijngaard makes sure to include the use of red during some of the key plot points that help remind you of what Deacon is really trying to avoid.
Letterers Jim Campbell and Colin Bell really get their work cut out for them in some of the more dialogue-heavy segments of the book, but the art is sufficient for them to work around it, and they pull it off brilliantly.
In issue #4, Pereira really just does the damn thing with his panel layouts and they are really fast-paced, kinetic, and fun. They shock you, they catch you by surprise, I was really into it.
As somebody who is biracial, I am always really thrilled to see biracial children/couples in comics.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK?
By the end of the story, there’re far more questions raised than answers and it feels forced. There’s a couple moments that feel completely out of character for Deacon that I just couldn’t buy into and it brings you out of the story altogether.
Truthfully, the ending is my only complaint with this book. There is a wealth of talent working on this book, it has a solid lead character, it has a wonderful level of ambition, and so much of the book is about building the world it exists within…the ending just feels like it falls flat. I would love to see a fifth issue or a sequel mini-series that answers some of the questions raised and builds on its predecessor.
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
Multiverse stories are, by and large, very prototypical. Transdimensional defies much of that, isolating their story around a man and his family. The struggles that come with it, the way that the multiverse affects the smallest of lives, makes this book unique all by itself. It is aided by a wonderfully talented team who deliver from page to page. The book is ambitious and makes its reader self-reflective.
It’s fresh, it’s scary, it grabs you by the throat and all you can do is come along for the ride.
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
If you like the writing:
Red Winter by Michael Gordon and Francisco Munoz
Gideon Falls by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino
Oblivion Song by Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo de Felici
If you like the art:
Wanted by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones
The Tithe by Matt Hawkins and Rahsan Ekedal
Hulk: Planet Hulk by Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan/Aaron Lopresti/Jeffrey Huet
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Michael Gordon – Writer
Outlander: Lives in Northern Ireland
All four issues of Transdimensional were successfully funded on Kickstarter.
Has now published a book called Red Winter with Scout Comics.
Henrique Pereira – Illustrator
Outlander: Lives in Brazil.
New Face: Transdimensional is Henrique’s first big work, but almost certaintly not his last.
Jan Wijngaard – Colorist
Outlander: Jan currently resides in England.
New Face: Jan is relatively new, but making quite the splash, having several appearances within TPub Comics.
Multitalented: According to his ComicVine, Jan lists his that he is also a penciller and inker.
Jim Campbell (Issues 1-2) – Letterer
Outlander: Hails from the United Kingdom
Multitalented: Also enjoys the art side of the creative world
Prolific: Has done lettering for a large number of hit titles
Colin Bell (Issue 2) – Letterer
Multitalented: Has also written a couple comics, one of which (Dungeon Fun) won a SICBA award
Outlander: Lives in Scotland
Warren Montgomery (Issue 3) – Letterer
Prolific: Warren has been active in the comic industry since 1988.
Multitalented: Warren has been credited for lettering, coloring, AND lineart.
Jed McPherson (Issue 4) – Letterer
Award Winner: Jed has been a finalist in the Ghost City Comics Competition, as well as a Runner Up in Top Cow’s 2013 Talent Hunt.
Outlander: Jed lives in the UK.
Rolands Kalnins – Designer
Outlander: Another outlander, Rolands is from Latvia.
Multitalented: Though credited on Transdimensional as a designer, Rolands has also been credited as a colorist on other projects.
Dream Team: Also worked with writer, Michael Gordon, on Red Winter
HOW DO I BUY IT?
Click one of these:
It appears the only way to own copies of Transdimensional was through the recently funded Kickstarter.
Though, TPub is releasing it in parts over on Webtoon.
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