Review: Transdimensional #4

How far are you willing to go to save the ones you love? A nearly impossible question to answer, and due to its complexity, it is one that is often explored through every form of storytelling. Transdimensional has been doing just that as Deacon Price has gone to the literal depths of the Earth to find a way to save his daughter. Now after learning what was really going on with this mission, he has the ultimate choice as the mission he thought would be his salvation is proving to be the world“s domination.Â

At the end of last issue Deacon came face to face with another version of himself from a different world. A shipwrecked Russian sub that was supposed to have a hidden cache’ of gold had a darker secret as it became a hive for a mysterious infection that transforms humans into these vicious monsters fueled by anger and bloodlust. If Deacon is to make it back to the surface this infection would spread bringing about a worldwide apocalypse.Â

Looking at the central question of what one would do to protect their family the script penned by Michael Gordon packs a massive amount of factors to consider when Deacon has to make his choice. It is compelling drama even if it is a bit convoluted. One wonders why the other dimensional Deacon would allow it to even get to this point considering the stakes. He sent visions to try to scare away his other self but why not remove the possibility altogether? Despite that issue, the general stakes are established well enough to make the tension of this climax work.Â

By this point Deacon has shown he will do whatever it takes to save his daughter from the disease that is slowly taking her life. One can disagree with his methods but you at least understand them. That makes the eventual ending surprising while still being aligned with the context of this story. He is by far the most consistent and best-written character of the series. Others do not fare as well. Especially the other dimensional counterparts whose actions do not always align with their final motivations. This at least allows demonstrating the destructive force of Deacon“s hubris as his need to control the uncontrollable leads to more and more chaos.Â

On the art side, Henrique Pereira works well with the tone of this story. His monster designs are simple but effective.Â There is a large reliance on panel bleeding that does get a bit excessive and repetitive. To the book“s benefit, it does lead to each page to have this claustrophobic feel making the scenes within the sub filled with straining anxiety as we reach to the eventual boiling point. Colorist Warren Montgomery adds to this by giving this green haunting tint as the humanity of these characters quickly decays away. Montgomery does have the very digital look causing pages to look a bit monochromatic at times. For scenes inside the sub, it is not a major detractor but anything outside looks flat and without depth. You never get the sense that this is taking place in the darkest depths of the oceanic floor. A setting with a lot of inherent tension is nearly wasted.Â

Final Thoughts:

The greatest strength of this issue and the Transdimensional series as a whole is how it shows the way hubris can blind the mind to one’s own moral decay. How what starts as a just motivation can lead to one working against their own self-interest. Deacon“s attempts to save his family lead him down such a dark path it is no wonder he becomes so lost. Where it falters is how it gets there trying to force in surprise rather than letting the story naturally unfold. With a strong script and better use of the established setting, this could have set itself above a massive sea of indie comics. Still, it is a read worth your time and investment especially for those who enjoy tales following very flawed characters.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Michael Gordon (A/CA) Henrique Pereira

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Daniel Clark

A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.