“[A]round here, it’s ALWAYS the night shift.” Welcome to Dream Police, a world where your dreamscape is kept safe by Joe Thursday, a taciturn, trench-coated figure, unimpressed by even the strangest events, and his partner, who would really like to know how long they have been working together.
Dream Police is a mix of humor and mystery with a dash of horror thrown in. Joe and his partner deal with issues like shape-shifters not playing their role right in dreams, lucid dreamers messing up the system, and other difficulties caused by the changeable nature of the dream world. They eat in restaurants where the décor is constantly changing; they talk to nightmares; and they will have to handle a larger, stranger mystery going on behind the scenes, one that I am looking forward to seeing develop.
Artist Sid Kotian and colorist Bill Farmer create a world of blended designs, one consisting of temporary set-pieces, where one part looks ready to melt into another in the landscapes. Kotian also draws monsters who hover between horror and children’s illustrations. His dragon, in particular, might go either way. Joe is a typical hero type with an exaggerated square jaw, flaring trench coat, and narrowed eyes. His partner, too, fits the role chosen: Right out of a noir novel, even if Joe is the only one fully comfortable with this role.
Straczynski has begun the story well with promises of further development in the Dreamscape and a longer puzzle for everyone to unravel. Dream Police is a keeper.
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Sid Kotian
Color: Bill Farmer
Letters: Troy Peteri
Covers: Sid Kotian & Bill Farmer; Renae DeLiz & Ray Dillon; Renae DeLiz
