By: Brian Wood Publisher: Vertigo Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 128 Publication Date: June 07, 2006 Release Date: June 07, 2006 Studio: Vertigo
Product Description: In the near future, America's worst nightmare has come true. With military adventurism overseas bogging down the Army and National Guard, the U.S. government mistakenly neglects the very real threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the 50 states. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes its way to the shining seas, coming to a standstill at the line in the sand Manhattan. Or as the world now knows it, the DMZ.
Unfocused & lacking characters! ^ I now the main character in a book like DMZ, is the city. That being said, there is no one in this book. We get Matty, the main character and that's almost it. There is no one to root for, against, follow, etc. Also, the general idea is really good but the follow through is lacking because its not very focused. There are tons of stories that could be told as the reader enters the picture and after the first issue time passes too fast. So many opportunities lost. Its too bad, this one could have been good, but wasn't.
DMZ: ON THE GROUND ^ One of my favorite reads, DMZ has enthralled me with its brilliant mixture of characterization and drama, all in a fictional warzone which, in retrospect, isn't as unlikely as I initially thought it to be. Well, if 9/11 happened in New York, I guess anything goes. So, to pull it off like Brian did in the first five issues of DMZ, it's amazing and that's because of characters as always.
It's all about the characters in DMZ. Brian understands that even with the most brilliant of ideas and scenarios you need the characters to stand out, to take center stage so to speak. Here in this first few issues, we're immediately introduced to the protaganist, Matty Roth and then, BAM, we're right smack in the warzone. The monent Matty steps foot on Manhattan, bullets start flying. DMZ's a very confrontational comic and Brian wastes no time getting into it.There are many scenes where the narrative focuses on Matty's thoughts and his interactions with the inhabitants of Manhattan. You will find yourself drawn into his life very quickly. The characters are what makes the setting so real and engaging in my opinion
As far as cliches go, he meets a female counterpart, Zee, a nurse who opted to stay in Manhattan. Time can only tell how that relationship develops. He also encounters the Ghosts, a rogue special forces unit, and a whole slew of characters, all of which make up the fabric of the DMZ. ON THE GROUND builds up the world of DMZ very vividly, which is the whole point.
Simply put, if you're looking for a good, fast moving comic with good action and at the same time looking for good characterization and depth in the plot, you might want to take a look at this comic. DMZ's nay perfect for satisfying your TV series jones, and while you're at it, get the rest of the trades and keep reading. DMZ's going to stay on my pull list for as long as it takes.
Rich in Culture, Exquisitely Imagined, Great Stories ^ I was on the fence about buying this at first. Generally I tend towards the fantasy genre, and modern war is about as far from that as you can get. But the art was great and the details so intriguing that I had to give it a try, and I'm glad I did.
The DMZ series is so rich culturally and artistically that I can just stop and peer into the background of any scene. There's graffiti, posters, signs, storefronts, characters, and each reflects the story and situation so well, it's like being there. The DMZ is exquisitely well-imagined and the stories are tight and clever. I've read the first four and love them all. Brian Wood is an author to follow.
Instantly Engaged and Impressed ^ I picked this up on a whim while visiting my local library and DMZ: On The Ground grabbed me by the jugular and wouldn't let go within two pages.
Even though the premise of DMZ has been done before, author Brian Wood delivered his take on a second American civil war with such adrenaline and ferocity that it is unlike any of its thematic predecessors.
The idea is that because our armies our stretched so thinly overseas, radical militias within the heartland separate from the USA and spread all the way to New Jersey. Manhattan becomes the DMZ while the rest of New York is still the United State's. A young intern named Matt (Matty) Roth flies in with a journalism crew and then becomes stranded after the entire crew is wiped out. Instead of fleeing during the next available extraction, he decides to become embedded within the war-torn DMZ and report what's truly happening.
I read a lot of graphic novels, and it's been a long time since one completely captivated me within instants of starting it. Brian Wood executes a tight, fast-paced, brutal storyline with realistic dialogue. Wood also impressed me with the sheer logic of what things would really be like if this actually ever occurred.
Artist Riccardo Burchielli draws some of the most detailed, tense renderings I've ever seen. While not meant to be photo-realistic, he amazed me by faithfully depicting a city in shambles. His half-destroyed buildings, burnt cars, litter, and bomb craters sucked me right into the story and made me feel like I was living it, not reading it. This is one of the highest compliments I can pay an artist.
Along with Fables and Ex Machina, DMZ has moved to my "must-read" list and I urge you to read it as well.
~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant
No Point ^ Didn't really feel it on this comic; the main character i didn't identify with at all- just seemed like a typical "i'm stuck in a freaking war and war is horrible, and man, this stuff needs to be told and ....blah" not my cup o' tea.
okay some elaboration i suppose.
1- the chick that he meets? come on? a girl like that surviving in a war zone? really? how is she making due on her own? and "knows" medical stuff and where all the safe spots are and stuff? unbelievable.
2- the guy and girl who are shooting each other and are boyfriend girlfriend? really? come on, maybe if there was a little more to their story it would have been more poigniant.
3- the central park guys? come on- "let's just plop down a bunch of trained killers and make them all mysterious..." okay. sure. and i'm sure that a dozen guys could really control all of central park....with none of them interested in women.
4- matty himself, the writter makes him out to be some kind of jaded, truth-teller. but he's obviously smart enough to have been more of an anti-war guy than a journalist. and the 'insights' into war are so...ordinary.
all the characters are just too, too, boilerplate; where is the originality?
Anything Goes Trivia
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Trevor
