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Matthew Roth is naïve, to put it lightly. He’s a recent college graduate, has an internship with Liberty News Network as a photojournalist, and has just been tossed into a war zone — a war zone located in New York City.
Roth is the central character in Brian Wood’s graphic novel, DMZ. DMZ takes place during a fictional, near-future civil war in New York City. The civil war started as small factions of Americans (The Free States) who were displeased with the U.S. Government took up arms and revolted. Eventually, the government fought back, and the rest is history.
Roth starts his journey working with Viktor Ferguson, a legendary journalist and photographer; essentially the biggest name in journalism. They are soon the victims of an insurgent attack, as their chopper is shot down and all but Roth survives — at least that’s what Roth thinks.
When Roth discovers the news he had been watching back home was being distorted and manipulated, he finds a renewed sense of worth and decides he, as the only acting journalist living in the city, needs to report the truth. He uses a laptop and and cell phone to submit stories to his employers.
With every turn Roth makes walking the streets, the plot thickens and he meets new and assorted people — all of whom tie into the story at some point, helping, hindering or hurting Roth.
When reading through, this doesn’t feel like fiction — it reads more like a true story, with events and people that so much resemble that of real life, it’s almost eerie. Combine what we see on a daily basis in Iraq with corrupt government and distorted news and sprinkle in a dash of Halliburton style contracts and this comic makes for good reading.
It’s stylish design, artwork and clever writing come from both Brian Wood and Italian artist Riccardo Burchielli. The art is raw, yet refined — it’s dark at times, but it works well in context.
DMZ Vol. 1, “On The Ground” was released in June 2006 and is comprised of issues one through five. The latest release, Vol. 5, “The Hidden War,” was released this past July, with Vol. 6 set for a January 2009 release.
DMZ is a fascinating tale of government corruption, life in a war torn city, terrorist organizations and one man trying to figure it all out — before the city gets the best of him.
