DMZ #72

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

What a perfect way to end a long-running and complex series.  I feel like DMZ didn't receive enough attention over the last few years.  It's been as good as other lionized Vertigo series like Y the Last Man, but has never developed the same sort of vocal, loyal fan base (although we know they are out there - this comic has had remarkably stable, if not stellar, sales).  Now that the series is over, I imagine that people will begin to re-read and re-examine it as a series that, while consisting of speculative fiction set in the future, really captured the zeitgeist of the last six years.

Six years ago, America was embroiled in two costly, and poorly defined, foreign wars, vigorously pursued by its evangelical neoconservative president.  Its housing market hadn't burst yet.  Right-wing church-goers, racists, and crazies hadn't formed the Tea Party.  Wall Street hadn't been occupied.  The military-industrial complex was only ever gaining in influence and power.  Journalism was beginning its decline towards irrelevance in the lives of the common man and woman.  Income disparity was growing, and the country was increasingly split along ideological lines.  Ground Zero was a fresh wound.

DMZ grew out of the sense that, for the first time in a very long time, Americans recognized that their future was not as bright as it used to be.  It was, therefore, easy to accept a not-so-distant future where the country was split in a second civil war.  It also wasn't hard to accept that the country's greatest city would become an epicentre of conflict, tactically advantageous to both sides, but impossible to hold on to, and populated by some of the toughest, most recalcitrant people in the country.

Into this trashed out city, Brian Wood parachuted Matty Roth, a naive and ignorant kid with dreams of becoming a great journalist.  Over the last six years, we watched Matty grow to love and understand his adopted city, as he tried to use his unique position as a celebrity journalist to try to better things for the people of Manhattan.  He screwed up.  A lot.  There were a number of times where I didn't like, or understand Matty.  It's a good thing he wasn't really the main character of the comic; the city was.

As the series evolved and grew, it continued to reflect the times it was being written in.  Parco Delgado, the New York-born man who became mayor and took the political process hostage emerged out of the optimism and excitement that developed while Barack Obama ran for, and became, President.  The Free States was explained and understood in the wake of the national attention given to the Tea Party.  I always felt that Wood was using this series to, very subtly, inform us of the issues of our day.

Through it all though, he told a good story.  As I said, I didn't always like Matty, but I loved characters like Zee (Matty's on-again off-again girlfriend and medic), Wilson (the leader/saviour of Chinatown), DJ Random Fire, the graffiti artist Decade Later, and Amina, the would-be suicide bomber.  And of course, the city.  I've only visited New York a few times, but I feel like I've gotten a better sense of its neighbourhoods and its people through this comic.

This brings me, finally, to this last issue.  Matty narrates it through the introduction to the 15th anniversary edition of his book.  As we read along with a young woman, she travels through the re-built and redeveloped parts of Manhattan that were relevant to the comic.  We see the shrine to Wilson, and the memorial to the victims of the Day 204 Massacre.  It is a very fitting epilogue to the series, and I found it to be an emotional farewell to characters and places I grew to understand.

Riccardo Burchielli has been a huge part of this series's success.  His art has increasingly grown on me over the years, to the point where I am going to miss my monthly dose of his work, but I have to say that the fourteenth page, which is a splash panel of the young woman sitting on the steps of a building at the Day 204 site, is one of the most beautiful things he's ever drawn.

Wood, Burchielli, and the assorted guest artists and editors who have worked on this book over the years should be immensely proud of it.  It addressed some difficult issues, and became a lens through which we could look at our own world.  It also told some damn exciting and gripping stories.

DMZ #71

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

For most of this comic, I was convinced that I was reading the final issue, and as such, I found myself getting annoyed with the extent to which this issue was only focusing on Matty, when so many other denizens of the DMZ have grown on me over the last six years.  It's all good though, as there's one more issue left...

Most of this issue is set in a courthouse, where Matty stands on trial.  As per his arrangement with the government, Matty is prepared to plead guilty to every charge brought against him, no matter how much they are based on twisted facts and narrow readings of events.  At the heart of this entire final story arc is Matty's intense guilt for his actions over the course of this series - to him, being punished for something he didn't do is as righteous a form of penance for the things that he actually did.

I like the way Wood and Burchielli flash back to events from the course of the series as the justices read out the charges.  It's a fitting way to look back over this series as it comes to its conclusion.  I've been thinking lately about how much this series is a product of its times, but I think I'll wait until next month to discuss that.  I'm going to miss this title.

DMZ #70

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

'The Five Nations of New York' continues the long goodbye for this long-running series, as this month Matty Roth travels to the Empire State Building, chats with Zee some, and gets arrested.

We learned a couple of years ago that the Empire State Building had become the home to a 'death cult' of first responders, who were ultimately responsible for Matty's time in the DMZ starting the way that it did.  Death cults don't react well to change, and so it's kind of interesting to see what's going on in the building in the wake of peace breaking out.  In a lot of ways, this seems like a very anti-climactic last visit for Matty to make, but the heart of this issue lies with Matty's time with Zee.

They talk about just how Zee managed to maintain her sanity through the years of strife and turmoil in the DMZ.  She's always been the most interesting character in this series, so it's nice to be able to see things from her perspective one last time.  I'm not sure how Wood is going to finish things off next month, but I look forward to finding out.

DMZ #69

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

My, but sometimes a twenty-page story can feel very short.  In this issue, Matty Roth continues his good-bye tour of Manhattan before both he and us, the readers, leave it forever.  Matty knows that he's going to be detained (or perhaps disappeared) as part of the deal he arranged with the US government, but is using his remaining time to finish organizing his notes and to visit each of the 'Five Nations' of the new New York.

We travel with him first to Chinatown, where the residents are holding a memorial service for Wilson, their leader and protector through the years of conflict.  Wilson was always one of the more interesting characters in this comic - he seemed almost other-worldly at times, but there was an issue that focused on him about a year ago (I think) that revealed a great deal about his character.  What I like in this part of this comic (aside from the terrific crowd scenes drawn by Buchielli), is the way in which Matty wrestles with his feelings for Wilson, and the surprise he feels upon learning that Wilson viewed him as a friend, as opposed to a convenient partner at times.

After that, Matty and Zee make their way to Parktown, the region surrounding and including Central Park.  It was the way Wood made use of the Park in the earliest issues of this comic that helped solidify my loyalty, but now the Ghosts who looked after it are gone, or in the case of Soames, ghosts of their former selves.

Perhaps its indulgent to spend the last five issues of a series running this long saying good-bye to characters and locales, but being the sentimental creature that I am, I'm enjoying it a great deal.

DMZ #68

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

I can see where some may feel that this final story arc in DMZ is a little anti-climactic, as this issue is all about Matty driving around Lower Manhattan with Zee, meeting people and talking about the future of the city, but I find it fascinating.

To start with, the proposal to divide New York into 'Five Nations' in the wake of the peace armistice between the US and the Free States is pretty interesting.  Matty has two weeks to finish up his work before he has to turn himself in to the government, and he's using that time to organize his notes and complete as comprehensive an accounting of the war as he can.

He and Zee travel to Ground Zero, a first for Matty, and then meet with a representative of Lower Manhattan - the 'First Nation'.  He is, of course, a "finance real-estate douchebag", which is what Lower Manhattan is known for.  I like how Wood shows us the real Ground Zero, and then shows us exactly the type of people who profited from it.

There is something wistful about this arc, as we ride with Matty through the city for a final time.  I plan on soaking up as much nuance as I can from the remaining three issues of this series.

DMZ #67

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

DMZ is entering its final story arc, 'The Five Nations of New York', and it seems that peace may actually be coming to the DMZ.  Most of the issue is narrated by our mysterious pirate radio broadcaster (I'm still hoping it's going to be Jennie One), who checks in on a number of the peace initiatives, such as Zee coordinating with the Red Cross, massive gun amnesties, and housing lotteries.  If ever there is proof that Manhattan is recovering, it's that the real estate market is back...

Brian Wood tries to cover a lot of ground in this issue, although at the heart, we still have Matty Roth wrestling with his actions over the last few years, and trying to avoid being the pawn of the government.  That aspect of the comic has become a little tired, to be perfectly honest, but I'm still curious to see just how Matty is going to land when this all ends.

Curiously, the cover posted on Vertigo's website (shown here) is missing the foreground of the published comic.  It's not a spoiler - like all of John Paul Leon's images for this book, it's quite nice - and so I wonder why they removed it.

DMZ #66

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

It's been a while since we've seen what's going on with Zee, the character who has more or less functioned as the conscience of this series since we, and main character Matty Roth, first met her back at the beginning of Matty's time in the DMZ.

Since splitting with Matty, Zee has been living with Martel, the girl Matty rescued from Trustwell, the Halliburton stand-in that was one of the plagues the people in he DMZ have had to endure.  As this issue opens, Martel leaves, and Zee finds herself examining her stubborn persistence in the city.  It's true that she comes from New York, and so can't go home, but still she struggles with the notion of abandoning her medical work, and leaving the city to its fate.

While she goes through this conversation with herself, the reader is treated to a number of flashbacks to different moments over the last five years as she revisits her relationship with Matty.  I like that DMZ has run in real time, covering such a long stretch of time in the life of the city and its inhabitants.  There is only one arc left before this series ends, and so it's fitting that Brian Wood take a moment to look in on one of the most important characters in the book.

Before finishing here, I want to comment on how wonderful John Paul Leon's covers have been for this book, since he took over from Wood.  This issue's cover is among the best he's done.

DMZ #65

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

Parco Delgado is no Osama Bin Laden, but it's interesting to look for parallels between these two figures, given the proximity of the release of this comic to Bin Laden's death at the hands of the American military.

In this comic, Delgado became the Governor of New York through what is believed to be a rigged election.  It comes out during his trial that he was receiving money and security from the FSA, but that he had no intention of ever becoming their puppet.  He also makes it clear that he did not detonate his nuclear device at Indian Point, and that it was indeed the US Army who caused the explosion there.  Matty has proof, and decides to enter into negotiations with the US so that he can save Parco from execution, and also bring the war to an end.

Bin Laden, of course, is an Islamist fundamentalist who received training from the US during the war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union, and who later used his training and connections against the US.  Parco was never meant to be an analogue of Bin Laden, but this comic and world events have often gone hand in hand, in an allegorical fashion, and the timing here is a pretty cool coincidence.

On top of these events, Matty also gets to see Zee again, meets the president, and has finally come as far as he can from being the self-absorbed loser we met when the series began.  I think there are four issues left in this series, and I'm looking forward to watching Wood wrap things up.  Next issue is a Zee solo issue, and it should be great.

DMZ #64

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

As we get closer and closer to the end of DMZ, there is definitely a sense that Brian Wood is trying to wrap up loose ends, and provide a satisfying conclusion to not just Matty's story, or New York's, but to many of the supporting characters that have been developed over the years.

While I have been really enjoying seeing Matty's reaction to the more direct involvement of the US Army in the DMZ, it is the news broadcasts and channel-surfing pages that have given me the most pleasure lately.  In this issue, the technique of flipping channels has shown us what has happened to characters like DJ Random Fire and the family of the soldier accused in the Day 204 Massacre.

In the main part of the story, we see Matty trying to figure out what's going on with old friends like Wilson and Zee, while the Free States Commander gives up Parco Delgado to the Army.  This title has a lot of momentum right now.

DMZ #63

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

It's become hard to read this book without always being aware of the fact that the title is nearing the end of its run, and that soon enough, the final fate of Manhattan will be decided.

This current arc, 'Free States Rising', gives Matty total autonomy in terms of his obligations to the American army and Liberty News, but it also has him facing many of his demons.  This issue opens with him having a secretive conversation with the FSA commander we've seen many times throughout the history of this series.  He tells Matty where Parco Delgado, the former leader of the Delgado Nation, is hiding, and Matty heads off to see him.

Both of these men, Parco and the Commander, have had a huge influence on Matty and his time in the DMZ.  Now, it almost feels like Matty is seeking some closure with each of them, and is doing his best to no longer allow anyone to manipulate him, although having read his conversation with Parco, I'm not sure that he's too successful at that.

I'm expecting big things from the last year of this comic.

DMZ #62

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

After a few months of flashbacks and one-off issues, Wood has brought us back to the current situation in Manhattan, as the United States Army enters the city in large numbers.  They have finished their massive bombing campaign, and are now making their way through the city with the goal of taking control of it, and then coordinating their entry into Free States territory.

Matty Roth, the usual main character of this series, is traveling with them in his new role as embedded journalist.  Matty's been used by Liberty News and the army before, but he agrees that an independent, impartial record of the invasion needs to be kept, and that he is probably the only person able to do the job.  It's amusing that for most of the issue, the soldiers don't attempt to make use of Matty's superior knowledge of the territory, and he doesn't volunteer it.

This series has been about Matty's growth more than anything.  Here, he reflects on the attitudes and actions of the soldiers entering the DMZ for the first time, and recognizes in them his own earlier self.  What remains to be seen is how Matty will leave this particular part of his journey, especially after an old, familiar face shows up towards the end of the issue.

I feel like, as the series nears its end, Wood is finally able to put into play some things he's been planning for a long time, and that makes this series exciting again.  It's very nice to see regular artist Burchielli back on the book, as he's been gone for a little while now.

DMZ #61

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Shawn Martinbrough

When 'Free States Rising', the two-parter that has looked back at the time leading to the demilitarization of New York City began last issue, I wondered if the lead character was going to be someone we knew.  This issue still doesn't name him, but it becomes pretty clear to anyone who has been reading the title for a while just who he is.

This chapter has our still-nameless protagonist chafing against the decentralized structure of the Free States Movement, which can't really be called an army anymore.  It seems that decisions are being made in a consensus way, and the FSA has stalled their advance on the Jersey Shore.  Our hero (for lack of a better word) finds this lack of momentum frustrating, and takes it upon himself to begin the invasion.  Putting together a small group, he storms the Holland Tunnel.

It's interesting that it has taken Wood until the fifth and final year of his long-running series to begin to examine the events and politics that led to his status quo.  What's even more interesting is the extent to which this stuff hasn't mattered in the life of Matty Roth and his friends.  Still, I like having the big picture, and appreciate this look back at things.  Especially when Shawn Martinbrough is providing the art, although I will be happy to see Riccardo Burchielli back next month.

DMZ #60

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Shawn Martinbrough

DMZ's been great lately.  I enjoyed the last arc, which was a series of one-off issues looking in on different residents of New York.  Now, we get the two-part 'Free States Rising', which is showing us what happened before the war.

This issue is about an unnamed thief who is trying to take advantage of the growing chaos in the United States to profit and 'live free' in the best American tradition.  His planned heist goes badly before it even begins, and he finds himself hiding from the ATF.

The plot of this issue is secondary to the way Wood uses this character to examine the events that led up to the formation (and, I suppose, secession) of the Free States, which in turn will lead to the context in which this entire series has been set.  Reading through this issue, with its stories of massive G8 protests, rampant NRA intimidation tactics, unclaimed military bodies, and school bombings, it's hard not to question how far off this reality could be, as things continually get stranger and more combative in the United States.  I don't know how many times this issue made me think of some of the stranger members of the Tea Party Movement, which I'm sure is not unintentional.  I appreciate getting this background information about the series, and find it interesting that Wood waited five years before digging into it.

The other thing I liked about this issue is the art by Shawn Martinbrough.  He's long been an artist I've admired, although I frequently have no interest in the books he works on, like the Marvel Noir line.  It's good to see his work again, and I hope to see more of it.

DMZ #59

Written by Brian Wood
Art by David Lapham

This issue finishes off the 'Collective Punishment' arc, which has consisted of one-off stories focusing on different inhabitants of New York as the American army rains down missiles on the city.  With this issue, we turn the camera back to Matty Roth, the usual main character of this title, as he holes up in a bomb shelter with a varied cross-section of the city's inhabitants.

Now, Matty has become an increasingly controversial person in the city, what with his involvement in Parco Delgado's mayoral regime, the fact that he procured a nuclear bomb for Parco, and was the person who set off the current hostilities by acting rashly.  He bribes his way into the shelter with the materials that Liberty News gave him, and proceeds to spend the night with this group of New Yorkers.  He meets a former Central Park ghost (they were a radical environmental militia), one of Parco's drivers, a deaf music student, and a rich jerk.  Basically, your typical crowd.

The issue has Matty being all introspective and navel-gazing again, which is what he really excels at, but it is a good issue none the less.  The ending is pretty poetic, and it is kind of nice to check in with Matty again, as much as I prefer the stories without him.

Part of what makes this issue interesting is Lapham's artwork.  He brings a different level of realism to peoples' expressions than regular artist Riccardo Burchielli brings to the table, and this helps to get a sense of the silent majority of rooms' feelings and opinions about Matty and their situation.  I know there's not much left to this series (and really, NY can't take much more), and I look forward to seeing how Wood is going to wrap this all up.

DMZ #58

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Danijel Zezelj

With this done-in-one issue, Wood returns to the character Decade Later, a fine art graffiti artist not seen since issue 23, when he was captured by US military forces.  In this book, we get to see where Decade has been kept, and learn about the conditions he's had to endure at Camp Shea Stadium, where he was tortured for information and eventually went on a hunger strike to preserve the only piece of artwork he was able to create in that time.

As the war shifts directions once again, Decade Later is suddenly freed from captivity and allowed to return to Manhattan.  He knows nothing of what has happened - no Parco Delgado, no nuclear explosion, no US bombing campaign.  Once back in the city, he quickly goes back to creating works of art.

The art in this issue is by Danijel Zezelj, who is one of my favourite artists.  I wish he would be used more regularly instead of on all these random stints as a guest artist or on the odd graphic novel.  His approach is perfect for a book like DMZ - his Manhattan looks more desolate than ever.

DMZ has been really good lately (I tend to like the issues that don't have main character Matty Roth in them the most), but this issue was one of the best in a long while.  Wood uses a non-political artist like DL to show just how off-mission the American forces have gone.

DMZ #57

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Cliff Chiang

Since the series began, I've liked the one-off issues featuring various supporting characters better than the main storyline, and this issue is the perfect example of why.

As with the other issues of 'Collective Punishment', Wood uses this comic to give us a wide view of life in New York under a bombing campaign by American forces ("The Liberation of Manhattan" their propaganda calls it) by examining what happens during it to one particular person.

The star of the book this month is Amina, the former terrorist who Matty rescued (and also manipulated).  She's living in an apartment that was given to her by the Delgado Nation, and is just enjoying being on her own.  On the eve of the bombings, she sees a young baby that has been abandoned on the street.  She takes her in, and finds herself opening up to people again.  Aside from the bombing, this is a quiet, introspective issue, and is the type that Wood does best.  Amina's only companion before this has been the mysterious pirate radio broadcaster we keep hearing from, who helps to provide exposition and continuity in the comic.  I would really like to know more about her one day.

The art on this issue is by Cliff Chiang, who I think has never worked on this title before.  As always, his work is incredible, although it doesn't seem instantly recognizable as his.  It seems he's channeling the aesthetic that regular artist Riccardo Burchielli has established for the title, and yet is still making it his own.  Great issue.

DMZ #56

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Nathan Fox

The Collective Punishment arc is examining recent events in the DMZ to see how they affect some of the various back-up characters that we've gotten to know over the last few years.

This issue shines a light on Wilson, the protector (or warlord, depending on your point of view) of Chinatown.  Wilson has ruled the area for a long time, and the people who live there are very thankful to him for the protection he has provided them.  Now though, with the American army about to invade the island, Wilson is in a difficult position.

A representative visits, giving him a classic helicopter and 20 million in gold as payment for clearing Chinatown before the tanks roll in.  Wilson has never been one to roll over for anybody, and so he is left with a difficult decision to make.

The art for this issue is by Nathan Fox, who has appeared in this title before, and has recently done an amazing job on the Dark Reign Zodiac mini-series.  He provides his usual brand of detailed, slightly scratchy art, but also shows the odd flashback panel that has been inked with a finer line and coloured differently, making it really stand out.

My favourite panel of the issue (and possibly of recent memory) is the one where Wilson is buttoning his shirt on his bed before going out to address his followers, with David's famous 'La Mort de Marat' hanging in the background, suggesting a connection between Wilson and either Marat or perhaps his assassin, Charlotte Corday.  It's a very powerful page.

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.

DMZ #54

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli

Wood uses this issue to both finish up the MIA storyline and reset the entire title, taking it, and Matty, back to his roots as the series moves forward.

Basically, since giving his order that led to the deaths of a group of civilians, Matty has been overcome by guilt and self-doubt.  He's been wandering through New York on his way to turn himself in to the US forces, and to turn over the dog-tags of a few dead soldiers he discovered a few issues back, this slight act of contrition taking on massive symbolic importance in his mind.

What Matty finds is not what he was expecting.  His father is on hand, and they have a very interesting conversation, before Matty is offered a new job.  So much of this series has been about chronicling Matty's maturation, as he has moved from being a glory-hunting tourist to a political activist to his new role, as observer and conscience; in other words, he's finally ready to become a true journalist.

I've often been impressed with this book, and I really like this new/old direction.  There has been a lot of talk lately about how comics do not permit any real change in their characters, and at first it felt like Wood was, by returning this book to something closer to its original concept, bowing to similar pressures, but I expect that this was the plan all along, and that the contrast between the Matty of the first year of this series to the Matty of now will be quite interesting.  Good stuff.

DMZ #53

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Ricardo Burchielli

This month, Matty gets tortured and then has a chat with Parco Delgado's sister, who is one scary Grace Jones with piercings type.  The army is escalating its activities in the DMZ, and Matty is looking for a new role for himself, as he comes to the realization that he is the best person to write the official historical record of what has been going on all these years.

I like how Wood is comparing the way Rose tortures Matty to the way he is torturing himself for his role in the destruction of the Parco nation in the wake of the nuclear explosion.  Matty resumes his probably-doomed task of returning some dog tags to the American army, which has become an act of contrition or redemption for him.

As always, this is a great book, even if this issue was a pretty quick read.