Reviewer: Tim Stevens
Story Title: N/A
Written by: J. Michael Straczynski
Art by: Mike Deodato
Colored by: Rain Beredo
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Marvel Comics/ ICON
A billion year ago (or maybe like 6), there was this thing called Joe’s Comics. Joe’s Comics was an imprint within Top Cow which, of course, was an imprint of Image Comics. Joe’s Comics first project was Rising Stars. You may remember Rising Stars as that very promising project written by JMS that fell apart due to poor art, bad business dealings and an increasingly bad story. What was to be the second project from Joe’s was Dream Police. Unfortunately, due to those aforementioned bad business dealings, JMS opted to take the story elsewhere. Years later, it finds its home here at ICON. Was it worth the wait?
In a word: no.
It’s a neat concept, cops who patrol the dreamworld to make sure nothing gets out of control. In JMS’s vision of it, the dreamers are present right alongside their dreams and they can call the police for help if something is amiss. There are always those who can shape the dreams of others, for example, making a nun have a sex dream involve many players include the always entertaining Ellen Degeneres. The most dangerous thing in the dreamworld? Not the Dinosaur Street, not the Naked Avenue. No, it’s a kid who can vivid dream but does not have the knowledge to not destroy property doing it.
See, plotwise, I’m right there. A neat concept, a smart set of “rules” to play within, and a few neat twists along the way. The art is great too, as Deodato returns to his Hulk stylings to give the book a dark, gritty down to earth feel.
The problem for me is the narration. I get that it is supposed to be a send up of typical cop show dialogue and noir monologues. I get that Joe Thursday is like Joe Friday’s more dry humor inclined cousin (and if I didn’t, the name would certainly be enough to clue me in). The problem is, it’s not funny. It’s been done, and done better, by any number of projects from Steve Boncho to SNL to Garrison Keillor. Every time a narration caption is on screen, it completely takes me out of the action.
But you know what really pisses me off? 34 pages of story in the dreamworld and not once do we see or hear from Sleepwalker. I mean, what the hell is that?!
