The Dream Realm grows more and more dangerous for Detective Joe Thursday by the minute. The rules that govern the world slowly slip away, and small messages appear to Joe that confirms all is not well. When a dreamer kidnaps his architect, Joe and Kate answer. Joe discovers the man claiming to be his partner behind the abduction. Frank reveals startling news to Joe and tells his partner to look for him at the verge. Frank disappears and leaves Joe to contemplate the warning.

Joe talks to Kate, the woman who somehow replaced Frank; the detective comes to the decision to take action that could cost him his life.

While the first three issues maintained some creativity in world building, this comic shifted quite considerably to more of a pastiche. I can’t help but make some comparison to Inception with this title. First off, the opening panel has a bird’s eye look upon a cityscape the way the film did to create a visual metaphor of the city as human brain. Second, we get the impression of dream layers, as was in the film plot.

I did enjoy the subtle hints such as the jukebox selections and the capital Y’s indicating something amiss. Also, the captain’s remark in the diner revealed the unraveling of the Dream Realm.

While issue four vastly improves on the product, I fret that readers won’t be able to jump on at this point to understand the implications of the plot elements. Because it took so long to get its momentum, this arc of Dream Police will have lost its readers early on before the integral parts began to fit and become more entertaining.

Score: 3/5

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski Artist: Sid Kotian Publisher: Image/Joe’s Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 8/27/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital