DMZ

DMZ is one of the new titles from DC's Vertigo Imprint. Vertigo is known for its more mature and alternative comic books such as Fables, Preacher and Hellblazer. I've recently read a few of Vertigo's titles (Bite Club, Y: The Last Man) and I've really enjoyed them so when I read the concept behind DMZ, I decided to try it out.

Let's first talk about the setting of DMZ. Creator Brian Wood has created a United States of America at war. Woods describes the United States in DMZ to be split by a civil war. The militias that populate the American mid-west are tired of the growing audacity of the US government's foreign policy. In DMZ, the US has expanded their war to many fronts across the world and that has left them weak at home. The militias see this and take the opportunity to strike. The militias call themselves the Free Armies and have managed to push back the government forces but have stalemated in Manhattan. Manhattan has now become the DMZ between the warring factions. It is in this DMZ(De-militarized Zone) that Brian Wood bases his series.

Matthew (Matty) Roth is a intern journalist who has been assigned to help cover a story in the DMZ. When the mission goes awry and his entire team is killed, Matty is left to fend for himself. He finds out soon enough that the people living in the DMZ are just trying to survive like he is. He finds himself an ally in Zee, a young woman who has taken it upon herself to become a medic of sorts to the denizens of the DMZ.

As Matty continues through his journeys in the DMZ, he still reports the information back to Liberty News, his employer, and he slowly becomes famous. Matty reports on the lives of the citizens in the DMZ and tries to expose what it is really like to live in a war-zone.

There are several things that appeal to me here. The first is that after 9/11, non-patriotic opinions have been severely critisized. I'm not sure if DMZ would have been able to come out right after the events of 9/11 but I'm glad that DC has decided to support this series. This alternative future is a great look into the human character and Wood has shown that war is never black and white. To have it set in one of the biggest and most famous cities in the world got me interested in this series.

Wood also concentrates on the effects of war on New York's citizens. He doesn't ignore the war itself but he decides to look at the more human side of it. The story in which two snipers are in love with each other is an appealing story to me. After all, both these lovers are American right? Wood reminds us that war doesn't just affect the soldiers and leaders involved but it also affects the everyday citizens. By bringing the war to America, he tries to see how Americans would react if they were in a war zone.

The art in this series is by Riccardo Burchielli. He has done some Italian comic book work and so far, I'm enjoying his artwork on the series. It's gritty and gruesome and fits the book perfectly. I hope that he stays on for at least a year so the art is consistent with the storytelling.

I've been picking up more non-mainstream books lately, and DMZ is definitely something I'm glad to have tried. Great stories, good art and a great premise. I recommend this to all comic book fans as I think it's appealing to all (with the exception of young children of course).

Dragoncrypt - 2/26/2006