The Block Becomes a DMZ

DMZ: from Vertigo/DC. Written by Brian Wood, art by Riccardo Burchielli.

Boiled down: Manhattan has become a demilitarized zone following the second Civil War in American history. Insurgent groups and survival rates change from one neighborhood to the next. It's like John Carpenter had a horrifying wet dream. Intern Matty Roth is sent into the DMZ with a Pulitzer Prize-winning jackass to report on conditions inside. Their helicopter goes down in an attack, and Matty finds himself on his own, in an environment he doesn't understand. He becomes the first journalist to file reports on what life is like for the remaining 400,000 citizens who weren't evacuated before the island found itself the epicenter of two warring sides.


The first trade collection* sets up Matty's predicament beautifully. You're thrown into the thick of it with this kid, seeing it all unfold through his eyes in a frightening blur. It's not long before Wood delivers his overriding message and theme of the series: Wake up. Don't believe everything the government tells you about what's going on in a war zone. Matty quickly learns the lay of this new land; such as what happens in a zoo when supplies are cut off (not what you think; Wood's better than that). He also discovers which one item he brought in with him is worth its weight in gold--but only after it's stolen. (I was confused when the perennial bandage--or breathing strip?--above his nose appears between chapters and isn't explained. But Burchielli makes it look cool. That's the important thing.)

The "Body of a Journalist" arc digs into the way reporters are used as tools by both insurgents and the government. Matty's eyes are opened to the way he's being played, and he spirals into paranoia, especially after the leader of an insurgent group reveals a shocking secret. And Matty gets a girlfriend. (But she's from Canada. You wouldn't know her.) A nice backup feature in this collection: a guided tour of New York. Wood digs into the cultures, neighborhoods, and people of a city that's as much a character as Matty himself.

"Public Works" has our hero going undercover to expose a corrupt, Halliburton-like corporation's shady business practices in wartime. This is the most complex and satisfying arc of the three trades I've read. Matty's commitment to uncovering the truth is tested to the extreme, and his courage shines. By the end I found myself admiring this character's determination and guile. I also wondered if there are there any real reporters like Matty Roth still around.

Final word: Intelligent, thought-provoking writing with gritty illustrations you owe it to yourself to read. Wake the hell up.

Hardcore rating: 5 out of 5 "Hardcore, Chucks"




* Note Brian Wood's autograph below the "D" in the title. He signed it for me even though I approached him at a convention and called him by the wrong name. I'm a fucking idiot. FYI.