Dreams are a lot of work. You need architects for the sets, players for the characters, and even some cops to keep the peace. At least, that’s the idea behind “Dream Police”, and this Image Comic executes a high concept with a lot of confidence.
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Illustrated by Sid KotianDream Police Detectives Joe Thursday and Frank Stanford have been partners for as long as they can remember, patrolling the alternate universe of dreams, nightmares, and the great void beyond, an alternate but very real dimension of changelings, echoes, wisps, ethers, and nightwalkers, those who died in their sleep and wander the dreamscape forever. They’ve seen it all. But when Frank steps away and disappears…and the woman who returns says she’s Joe’s partner, that she’s always been Joe’s partner…he begins a journey into the unknown that will shake the dreaming down to its very foundations.
I’ve said it before – exposition is hard, especially when you’ve got a lot of information to get across. But this issue hits the ground running, immersing us in the dreamscape and quickly laying out its rules. Apparently the people who populate dreams are capable of stirring up a ruckus every now and then – and when they do, it’s cops like Joe Thursday and Frank Stanford that step in.
While some first-person narration from Thursday ushers us into the story, giving us the details on what his job is like, the issue as a whole doesn’t rely on his narration. Instead, we’re introduced to an ensemble of outlandish characters, and watching them all interact with each other gives us clue after clue as to what this world is like. So far as methods of exposition go, it’s distinctly un-pushy.
Particularly impressive among the characters are those who operate as nightmares – mostly because they really, really loos the part. Spidery, spectral, and missing a good deal of their faces, Sid Kotian’s depiction immediately gets across how much this crew is to be feared.
Happily, there’s a nice balance of light and dark here, with a jukebox sight gag coming right after a terrifying encounter with a lucid dreamer. But unlike “Apocalypse Al”, the moments of levity here don’t push to the forefront; instead, they balance the exposition, and act in counterpoint to some of the darker subject matter (that lucid dreamer ain’t messing around.)
Anchoring it all is the consistency of Sid Kotian’s art style; it’s noir for sure, all square chins, venetian blinds and grim streetscapes. Lots of low angles keep the mood hardboiled despite the wide-ranging subject matter, and letterbox panels lend matters a cinematic air. All the while, Bill Farmer keeps the colours conservative, relying on earth tones and dim blues.
Things are at their most interesting, though, when the noir mood plays off the fantastic content. Whether it’s a surly dragon sitting in the street or a many-legged alien serving eyeballs in a greasy spoon, Kotian lends the wildcard elements a lot of gravitas. This a weird world for sure, but it feels lived-in; even that dragon seems like he’s got an agenda.
Unfortunately, the reveal that comes at the end of the solicit doesn’t serve as that great a cliffhanger in practice. There isn’t enough context surrounding Thursday and his partner to bring the import of this sudden change home; and besides this shift, there isn’t much pushing the story forward. Happily, the overall strength of the concept and visuals make up for this shortcoming; this dreamscape is interesting enough on its own.
Every time Straczynski mashes fantasy and noir together he comes up with something different, and this iteration of the pattern is particularly strong. It doesn’t do anything edgy or outstanding, but together with Kotian’s moody, versatile art, this is a light and enjoyable read that does what it sets out to do.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – Buy
