Publisher: Black Mask Studios
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Ron Salas
Release Date: 24th June, 2015

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 Transference, an upcoming “Spy-fi” series from Black Mask Studios, introduces us to Colton Moss and his team of time travelling counter-terrorism agents. Utilising a form of technology that allows them to send their consciousness through time, their mission is to snuff out potential crimes before they happen – throwing in a nice little sideline in time travelling private investigation for good measure to help pay the bills.

Sometimes I find it refreshing to pick up a comic to review without finding out anything about it in advance. Unfortunately, coming in blind to such an ambitiously unique series like Transference actually ended up working against me on this occasion. Without knowing much about the basic premise, I’ll freely admit that I initially found this first issue more than a little confusing in places, and it took me a while to get to grips with the time travelling nature of the series. Thankfully however, Moreci’s typically strong characterisation provides a vital anchor here, with Colton serving as an intriguing and engaging protagonist – particularly as his life is abruptly turned upside down near the end of the issue.

It could be easy for the premise to overwhelm the actual story in such an ambitiously high-concept series like this, but self-professed “time travel junkie” Moreci manages to keep the human aspect firmly in the foreground here, with Colton’s struggles and motivations keeping the story relatable and avoiding it spiralling into an extended lecture on time travel. In fact, the sheer accessibility of Transference is probably one of its strongest aspects, providing a relatively easy-to-digest take on what could potentially be a wildly disorienting ride.

True, this first issue manages to keep things relatively simple, but I still can’t shake the nagging feeling that once the time travel aspect of the premise really kicks into high gear – complete with altered timelines and all the inherent paradoxes, loophopes and contradictions that come along with them – things may start to become a little confusing.  That said, if anyone can plot a safe course through a potential minefield like this it’s Michael Moreci, so I’m quietly optimistic that Transference isn’t going to fall foul of the pitfalls that have plagued so many other time travel properties in the past.

One thing that’s far from a risk is Ron Salas’ straightforward yet expressive artwork, filled with bold, clean lines and dynamic panel layouts. Action scenes are fluid, characters’ emotions are clear without becoming overstated, and everything has a clean, confident aesthetic akin to a well-directed Hollywood blockbuster.

In summary, Transference is a slick, cinematic espionage thriller with a creative sci-fi twist, and further cements the fantastic reputations of both Michael Moreci and Black Mask Studios as being one of the most dynamic writers and publishers respectively on the scene today. While it’s not without its risks as the series moves forwards, this one is definitely well worth a look if you like your spy games to have that little something extra.

Rating: 4/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson (aka Ceej)
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