Dreamtoons
by Jesse Reklaw
Shambhala Publications
Artist Jesse Reklaw takes other people's dreams and turns them into Slow Wave, a syndicated comic strip. And by building a cartoon slumber-castle from the found art of the world's subconscious, Reklaw has put together "Dreamtoons," a new book that ambitiously seeks to milk the world's sleep for its artistic potential.
It's therefore somewhat strange that from such transcendental stuff, Reklaw has puts together cartoons that most closely resemble Maria Schneider's Pathetic Geek Stories, a strip that's had a long, successful run in the Onion. PGS is a collection of strips that renders embarrassing, "I shot Hawaiian Punch out my nose onto my best friend in 4th grade" reader anecdotes in a punchy cartoon format. They're funny, workmanlike and generally turn upon Ms. Schneider's ability to humbly and faithfully render the heart of laugh-out-loud dork stories in a 4-panel format.
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And while this is admirable, it's a bit sad that Jesse Reklaw doesn't push "Dreamtoons" past this level of competent rendering. The dreams (and dreamlike anecdotes) that he uses to build his cartoons are exceedingly engaging, and rich with just-weird-enough detail. And by simply cataloging and displaying several more than a hundred bizarre tableaus, Reklaw's done the world a service — this is great stuff, and could easily be fodder for writers, poets and visual artists hungry for raw imagery to devour and refine.
So there's no question that "Dreamtoons" stands up on its own — it's a treasure trove of twisted gems and amusing alleyways of thought. And as a compilation of newspaper strips, it's understandable that it sticks to its format. But with a bit more ambition and range, Reklaw could expand dreams into fully-fleshed (if surreal) stories, or even knit them together into a patchwork quilt held together by a single compelling narrative thread.
For now, however, readers of "Dreamtoons" will have to be content with what Reklaw presents — a gripping, pleasantly jarring little book that houses a world of potential.
— James Norton (jrnorton@flakmag.com)
