DMZ #55

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Andrea Mutti

Some of my favourite issues of DMZ are the ones that don't have any trace of Matty Roth in them.  The guy can be a little exhausting sometimes, and it's nice to get some other perspectives on life in the DMZ.

This time around, the protagonist is Cal Foster, a military operative - no rank or organization is given - whose job is to infiltrate the DMZ and locate targets for an American bombing campaign.  He is not able to get out of the area before the bombs start falling, and instead takes refuge in the subway tunnels, where he runs into Zee and some other locals.

Demonstrating her two best traits - intuition and trust - Zee chooses not to expose Cal's job, instead allowing him to stay among them, even though he has been trained to kill any locals who discover his true identity.  What follows is a meditation on responsibility during war, and the conflicting nature of military duty to one's duty to his fellow man.

Wood is joined by Andrea Mutti, yet another Italian artist hired by Vertigo.  It seems like they have an endless supply of Italian talent, who more or less draw in a very similar style.  His art here looks a lot like Burchielli's, as if a guest inker were used.  This is a decent issue, even if it's a quick read.