DMZ #3
Originally presented at Comixtreme.com on Jan. 10, 2006.
Quick Rating: Good
Title: On the Ground Conclusion
Matt embraces his new assignment.
Writer: Brian Wood
Art: Riccardo Burchielli & Brian Wood
Colors: Jeromy Cox
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Will Dennis
Cover Art: Brian Wood
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Review: First off, I give Brian Wood serious points for having the guts to launch a comic book with a three-issue story arc. I can’t be the only one out there who’s tired of having to read “to be continued” five times before we actually get to the point of a story.
Second, I give him points for turning out a pretty good product in those three short issues. Matt Roth is trapped in the DMZ that was once the island of Manhattan, trying to broadcast out to the rest of the United States. He falls in with a contingent of soldiers with an agenda of their own, not only about securing the city, but about how the information is disseminated.
As you’d expect, this first story arc is pretty much all set-up. It’s a bit above your average set-up story arc, though, as the first arc could stand alone as its own story. There are a lot of questions of course - what precipitated the war, how Manhattan became a battleground and so forth. Those questions may or may not be answered in future stories, but even if they aren’t, I don’t think that would be a problem. This comic, it seems, is more about the effects of war than the cause.
Overall, the first story in DMZ has definitely got my attention. As with so many comics these days, of course, whether or not it will be something I start to anticipate depends entirely on where it goes next.
Rating: 7/10