 |
| 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-
