Dream Police #5by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 7 Kate creates a diversion and Joe sneaks into the file room where he takes an unauthorized look at the black files to get Frank Stafford's file. Inside the file is a cryptic message telling them to go to a place that doesn't exist, or isn't supposed to be known to exist. Dangerous dogs are close on their heels, but Joe and Kate are determined to get to the truth.This volume is exciting with danger and puzzles! The trick to the file cabinets is very neat. The fact that the files need the kind of rules and protection they have makes me suspicious of what exactly is kept in there, as it seems a bit overkill for files that only the Dream Police would have access to. The guard is imposing and a little frightening, and I like the aesthetic difference for his word balloons; it captures something of his size and the intimidation factor through color and font. I love the stair puzzle! It's obviously not a staircase that people normally use since it loops back on itself unless you set the key correctly. It makes me wonder what else is hidden in plain site -- this is the Dreamscape after all. The recruitment office is a strange place that seems to take up the entire tenth floor and is covered in stacks and roles of papers. Dex Dilby is a forgetful little old man, who seems nice at first, but that thin, snaggletooth grin is quite sinister. The grin gets very scary when Joe mention's Frank's name -- a name he's not supposed to know -- and the green from Dex's visor shades his face and teeth, which look like dozens of sharp teeth. You wouldn't think a simple sentence like "It's the dogs" would be scary, but it is when Dex says it! The dogs are more like hellhounds with fire blazing from their mouths and eyes, massive jaws with multiple rows of teeth, and other nasty features. They are different from the dogs in the file room, too, so we get two kinds of scary, but it's these dogs that can be loosed to chase Joe and Kate to anywhere in the Dreamscape! Knowing the various unpleasant fates that could await them (after being informed by Dex), they still decide to go to the Verge for Frank and the truth. Pleasantly, I get a subtle X-Files feel from this. The next issue should be even more exciting and / or dangerous. Written: September 1, 2015
|
|
|
Home |
Features |
Columns |
Culture Vultures |
Report Card
Indicia | Contact | Archives © Sequential Tart, 1998 – 2021 |
