Transit (comics)
"Transit" is a comic series created by Ted McKeever, first published in 1987. The narrative follows Spud, a graffiti artist and urban rebel, who becomes embroiled in a politically charged murder that he witnesses while trying to evade the police. As the plot unfolds, Spud finds himself targeted as a suspect, leading to a series of chaotic events that reveal the murky underbelly of crime and corruption in his city, primarily driven by the antagonist Reverend Grisn, a seemingly moral political figure with deep connections to the criminal world.
The series is noted for its distinctive black-and-white artwork, with McKeever's style evolving throughout, reflecting growing intricacies and thematic depth. Thematically, "Transit" explores urban decay, moral corruption, and the impact of individual actions on society, culminating in a chaotic conclusion that emphasizes the consequences of unchecked power and religious hypocrisy.
Originally intended to be an ongoing series, "Transit" was cut short after five issues due to the publisher's closure, but it was later compiled and expanded into a single volume in 2008. This collection is part of the Ted McKeever Library published by Shadowline/Image Comics. McKeever's work is regarded as a significant influence in the comics industry, paving the way for more accessible narratives that focus on the average person facing extraordinary circumstances.
Transit (comics)
AUTHOR: McKeever, Ted
ARTIST: Ted McKeever (illustrator)
PUBLISHER: Image Comics; Vortex Comics
FIRST SERIAL PUBLICATION: 1987-1988
FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 2008
Publication History
TedMcKeever entered the comics scene with the publication of the first issue of Transit, which established his distinctive artistic style, dark humor, and recurring themes. The chapters of Transit were originally published individually as part of what was intended to be an ongoing series. Issue 1, “Smoke Rings,” was published in April, 1987, and was followed by issue 2, “Potato at Ground Zero” (June, 1987); issue 3, “Corruption for Beginners” (August, 1987); issue 4, “Incidents and Accidents” (November, 1987); and issue 5, “Sign of the Teaspoon” (March, 1988).
After publisher Vortex Comics went out of business following the publication of issue 5, McKeever abandoned the project to pursue other endeavors. However, in October of 2008, McKeever republished these works in a single volume that also included a newly drawn issue 6, “Final Throes.” Under the editorship of Kristen Simon and with the graphics and design talent of publisher Jim Valentino, the compilation showcases the progression of the series’ art, as the illustrations become increasingly detailed and intricate and McKeever’s unique style becomes more distinctive. The new edition was issued in hardback by Shadowline/Image Comics; the text is the first volume in the Ted McKeever Library, which also includes Eddy Current (2008) and Metropol (2009).
Plot
Spud, an urban rebel and graffiti artist with a hint of a temper and a mild violent streak, suddenly finds himself witness to a politically charged murder as he flees from a police officer he has inadvertently spray painted. Though shaken by the experience, he does not realize the significance of the act he has witnessed until he is targeted as the prime suspect and becomes a hunted man. By then, his memory of the specific details has become blurry, and he cannot quite remember the name of the killer or determine why the murder occurred. This confusion lays the path he is to follow as he tries to protect himself and put the pieces together.
The pieces start to fall into place unexpectedly, but Spud does not put them together quickly enough to protect himself. Spud pursues Reverend Grisn, a man whose identity remains murky but who seems to be using his political platform to cover up his criminal activity. However, Spud makes the mistake of going after him in plain sight, evidently unaware of Grisn’s mob ties and network of protection. Spud is captured and brainwashed. While Spud’s friends Nigel and Sam search for him and are questioned by the police as accomplices, Grisn’s megalomania and failed allegiance to mob boss Traun are revealed.
As Grisn becomes an increasing threat to Traun’s control, the mob secures an early release from prison for Joe Bone, who is then sent to kill Grisn. As Bone struggles to readjust to life outside of prison and acclimate himself to the role of a killer, an accidental murder precipitates the dissolution of social order, and Traun’s control proves to be far weaker than he had expected. In the final chapter, the city descends into chaos. Spud, freed from the mob’s clutches but brainwashed and devoid of identity, proves to be neither the only victim nor the most tragic.
Characters
•Spud, the protagonist, is an average urban punk and self-proclaimed “cool subway arteest” who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The only witness to a politically motivated murder, he becomes its prime suspect.
•Reverend Grisn, the primary antagonist, is a mayoral candidate running on the platform of religious renewal and the promise of a return to a more moral society. However, he is responsible for a string of immoral acts and is eventually revealed to be at the core of the city’s criminal underbelly.
•Joseph “Joe” Bone is a violent mobster who was incarcerated after loyally taking the fall for his superiors. When he finds himself inexplicably paroled six months early, he knows that more is to be requested of him, soon finding that his next assignment is to stop the very threat that the mob had created.
•Nigel is a blind accordion player and one of Spud’s few trusted friends. He helps Spud get back on his feet, avoid the police, and begin to piece together the puzzle of Grisn’s identity and plans.
•Sam the Meatman isa hulking former professional wrestler and now a resident of the city’s slums. He agrees to let Spud stay with him and suddenly finds himself at the center of a criminal investigation and a string of unsettling murders.
•Traun is the mob boss, the puppet master under whose influence the city begins to descend into chaotic rioting and violence.
Artistic Style
While each chapter demonstrates a progression in the development of McKeever’s artistic style, and though many of the illustrations in the book edition of Transit have been enhanced by Jim Valentino, a number of trademark features are consistent throughout. All of McKeever’s illustrations are black and white; color is used in the cover image of each issue of the original series but is omitted from the collected volume. McKeever’s use of page space remains consistent through the final chapter. In general, pages are laid out with adequate space between each of the illustrations and with few full-panel spreads. Because his formatting is generally standardized, McKeever is able to emphasize specific images or plot points by making only minor changes to the format or layout of the illustrations.
McKeever seems to hone his skill as an illustrator across the first five chapters: Background details become sharper and characters’ identifying traits more distinctive. The final chapter, published twenty years after the original publication of the series, attests to McKeever’s mastery of his style. The imagery becomes more haunting as society dissolves into chaos, and McKeever borrows stylistically from manga and Japanese animation in depicting the violence of this dissolution. The most significant changes in his illustrations across the series are evident in the appearance of his characters, whose depictions become increasingly realistic and less cartoonlike, and in his adaptation of page space in the final chapter to emphasize the vastness of the city’s destruction and the significance of his biblical references.
Themes
The story’s many themes evolve and intensify as the series progresses. Initially, McKeever introduces themes of urban chaos and social decay, depicting destructive events ranging from the mild (Spud’s reasonably harmless vandalism) to the more severe (Grisn’s murder of a hit man in the subway station). As the series progresses and the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that these two examples of social destruction pale in comparison to those enacted by the deeper criminal underbelly of society. By the end of the story, McKeever has revealed the vastness of destruction that can be caused by one man’s love of power, by the strength of his political and religious corruption, and by the passivity of those who choose not to stand in his way. At each turn, one individual’s selfish disregard for morality proves to be the catalyst for further immoral acts and the progressing decline of social order.
Underpinning these subjects is the recurring theme of religion and religious corruption, which is introduced with Reverend Grisn’s character and culminates in the final chapter as the city burns and falls to ruin at the hands of one maniacal and misguided religious figurehead. As the series progresses, the religious message seems to evolve much as does McKeever’s artistry, demonstrating the artist’s growth and development. By the final chapter, McKeever’s artistic style has become more distinctive than in the beginning, and the religious theme is more overtly depicted than in previous issues. Biblical quotations, overlaid on panels depicting the city’s ruin and abandonment, reinforce themes of judgment and human responsibility that have been only gently alluded to at earlier points in the narrative, leaving readers with a message that continues to resonate long after the reading experience has ended.
Impact
In addition to launching McKeever’s career, introducing the works of a graphic artist who would later win many awards and influence many subsequent artists and works, Transit stands at a pivotal point in the comics industry. First published in 1987, it is an early example of Modern Age comics and is simultaneously groundbreaking and typical of its period. McKeever excels at incorporating popular urban culture into the comics genre and blending graffiti art with comics art. While none of his artistic methods is groundbreaking in its own right, his blending of formats established a standard that was much imitated in the works of later comics artists.
Though McKeever’s name is little known among mainstream readers, those within the comics industry and filmmakers such as the Wachowskis often cite his works, especially Eddy Current and Metropol, as the inspiration for many of their ideas and for the progression of the comics genre into the Modern Age. By depicting the nonhero, the average man who suddenly finds himself faced with extraordinary circumstances, McKeever helped launch the comics industry into the 1990’s and into more mainstream accessibility, bringing the genre to a broader body of readers. While McKeever saw only sparse critical acclaim at the beginning of his career, he has come to be revered as one of the preeminent figures of the Modern Age.
Further Reading
Burns, Charles. Black Hole (2005).
McKeever, Ted. Metropol (2009).
Moore, Alan, and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen (1987).
Bibliography
Lamm, Spencer, et al. The Matrix Comics. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Burlyman, 2003.
Ligotti, Thomas, Stuart Moore, and Joe Harris. The Nightmare Factory. New York: Harper Paperbacks, 2007.
McKeever, Ted. “Finishing Transit and More—Talking to Ted McKeever.” Interview by Vaneta Rogers. Newsarama, September 18, 2008. http://www.newsarama.com/comics/090818-TedMcKeever.html.
Saccio, Tatjana, and Dennis Seese. “Tag Team Review No. 9: Ted McKeever’s Transit.” Review of Transit, by Ted McKeever. Library Journal, December 17, 2008. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6623680.html.
Schuytema, Paul C. “Looking for a Hero: Modern Comic Book Characters Toil in an Imperfect World.” Omni 16, no. 12 (1994): 27.