The above cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

When people come to the Silver Star Tea House, they’re seeking Hiruko.  He is a “Baku,” or dream eater, and he will rid his customers of their worst nightmares.  The price – he gets to dine on their nightmares.

In Yumekui Kenbun: Nightmare Inspector, Vol. 4, a former customer – a former unsatisfied customer – returns, and her demands to revisit her nightmare becomes a nightmare for Hiruko.  Origin tales take the forefront when Mizuki Asahina, Hiruko’s assistant, reveals her past at the Silver Star.  Hiruko also confronts his own dark past.

THE LOWDOWN:  Many reviewers (including this reviewer) have compared Yumekui Kenbun: Nightmare Inspector to Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed comic book series, The Sandman.  However, creator Shin Mashiba’s art bears a striking resemblance in both design and composition to the surreal, dream-like landscapes, backdrops, and sets of Steve Ditko’s Doctor Strange, published in Strange Tales #110-146 (Marvel Comics 1962-66).  Mashiba’s stories are highly inventive, imaginative, and occasionally quite chilling, even heart-rending and tragic, at times.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  This is an exceptional gothic fantasy title that adults will enjoy, although the material is geared towards teen readers.

A-