On this memorial day, after reading Paradigm Shift: Equilibrium and Paradigm Shift: Agitation, I’m reminded of this quote:
The retired veteran said: Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident… Then there are the wolves, and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy… Then there are sheepdogs, and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.
On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs – Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
To all of our men and women in the armed services and police, thank you! Thank you for being the warriors that protect us from those who crave to destroy us!
Dirk Tiede has created a believable Chicago with endearing characters in Paradigm Shift. 
Kate McAllister and Mike Stuart are Chicago Police Detectives that work in the Violent Crimes division. They mercilessly and courageously hunt down violent criminals in Chicago. In meantime, the sheep are oblivious to what danger we are in. I go to Chinatown for breakfast and get some red-bean-paste sweet rolls and a green tea. Around the corner, Kate and Mike track down Triad gun traffickers in Chinatown! I hear the gun battle in the background, but I think “Oh! Fire crackers, must be near the New Year Celebration!” I go to a coffee shop to write in Old Town. A couple of blocks from the El that I just got off of, Kate and Mike are investigating a savage “man eater” or perhaps a serial killer case! I continue to write in peace. I’m so glad that we have police protecting us from the wolves that lurk just around the corner. But how do the sheepdogs fight their inner wolf and continue to protect us? It seems Kate must fight against this wolf within, will she win? I hope so. I hope to learn the answer to this question and many others when Dirk releases Paradigm Shift: Emergence later this year. If you can’t wait, you can read it on webcomicsnation.
Dirk exquisitely produces scenes from Chicago: his renderings of downtown, Chinatown, police stations, and the streets that lurk below the elevated train all create a familiarity and reality. I feel transported to where the action is – as if I’m a sheep watching the sheepdogs in action.
Dirk also creates characters that have depth- you can see their broad range of emotions. For example, we see Kate tired and lonely walking home from work, later we see her an angry berserker smashing a gunman’s head against the wall, then later we see her baring her sarcastic fangs at Gina, the chief forensics investigator. Dirk also allows us to see into her mind and dreams on occasion, which creates empathy and concern for her. Dirk’s action scenes are very well done and the pace is fast and furious, they almost leave me breathless at the end of them. Amid the creation of realistic charters and backgrounds Dirk weaves a tale of mystery, suspense, and the paranormal. This work reminds us that our men and women in blue (a shout out to our armed services too) have a tough job, not only do they fight against the wolves that hunt us sheep, they fight against their own wolf-like nature to keep us safe.
Sensei no Otaku says: “If you want a manga that makes you think, laugh and occasionally look over your shoulder, then Paradigm Shift is a must read.”
Paradigm Shift is not rated, it would probably be rated 16+ for occasional language, violence and gore. However, the stuff isn’t too explicit or continuous, so it might be a rated 13+. Either way, teens and adults will enjoy.
Sensei no Otaku: rating scale 0 (rotten)-10(sweet) 
Overall: 9 Story: 9 Art: 9
Positive: Mysteriously dark and familiarly funny.
Negative: You can notice a slight progression in skill level from the first page to the last, but artists should get better with time.
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