Dream Gang

In comics McCarthy is best known for his work on Judge Dredd and Solo, but recently gained more fame for co-writing the film Mad Max: Fury Road. In this psychedelic trip through dream-space with plenty of ideas but low stakes, depressed office worker Patrick lives a gray-shrouded life, but when he falls asleep, he's cast into a vivid, fast-paced war of dreams versus nightmares. As the last Dream Voyager, Patrick attempts to save the memory of his childhood friend Terry while also fending off Zeiro, a malevolent entity whose attempts to be made flesh threaten to unravel the dream world entirely. McCarthy's high-concept fantasy mixes Jodorowsky, Moebius, and the madcap misadventures of Bob Burden's Flaming Carrot as punk rock dogs interact with dream superheroes and talking suns. The plot's so esoteric that none of the cataclysmic threats packs much of a punch, but the far-out, vibrant visuals (with coloring from Len O'Grady) create a comic that's as confusingly entertaining as any dream. (Aug.)